Kare-Kare Bento

  

Bento is a Japanese lunchbox filled with variety of food, arrange like an art form. For our version of Bento we made Kare-Kare Bento. Unlike the authentic bento where you can find variety of meat and vegetables, our Kare-Kare bento is a one dish meal that is deconstructed to resemble a bento meal.  

The Kare-Kare recipe below is quick and modified to reduce the time and effort needed in making Kare-Kare.

Kare-Kare Bento

Ingredients:

½ kilo beef/ox tripe (boiled with celery, carrots and onions until tender)

1 instant kare-kare mix

3 tablespoon peanut butter

¼ cup oil

1 cups of pork broth

1 cup string beans

1 cup eggplant

1 cup pechay

Procedure:

1. Saute meat in peanut butter, then add water. Bring to boil

2. Once the mixture thickens, add the dissolved instant kare-kare mix.

3. Add the vegetables. Remove from the pan and set it aside once half cooked.

4. Season the dish with salt if needed.

5. Arrange vegetables and meat in a lunch box. Pour in kare-kare sauce.

                To compliment the dish cook some ginisang alamang. For the recipe:

Ginisang Alamang

Ingredients:

1 cup bagoong alamang (cleaned and washed)

1 cup pork fat

2 ripe tomatoes

10 cloves garlic, chopped

3 red chilis chopped

1 tablespoon sugar

Procedure:

1. Fry the pork fat until crispy.

2. Add the garlic. Saute until golden brown.

3. Add the tomatoes. Saute until wilted.

4. Add the bagoong alamang. Saute until fried. Add more oil if needed.

5. Add the sugar and chilis.

                Having something to look forward to for office lunch can ease the Monday blues. J