Kare-kare is traditionally made up of beef, oxtail, and peanut sauce. The peanuts are roasted and are ground manually then added to the stew to achieve that amazing flavor enriching the stew. It also contains vegetables like pechay, eggplant, green beans, and the heart of a banana. It also has a side dish of bagoong or shrimp paste which is perfect as its partner.
Its origin is not clear but some say that it originated from Pampanga which is the Culinary Center of the Philippines.
It is light colored with a slight density in the soup. The soup is made flavorful by cooking beef shank and beef marrow bones into the soup for a few hours until the fat from the bones melts into the soup. This is a simple stew that uses salt and black pepper as its seasoning which can be modified depending on the cook. The vegetables usually mixed in this are corn, sayote or chayote, pechay, and potatoes.