“Astig” Vegan & Gluten-Free Filipino Peanut Stew

With Eggplant

After several days in the kitchen testing and altering recipes, I finally perfected my Vegan & Gluten-Free Filipino Peanut Stew (Kare-Kare) with Eggplant.

A traditional Filipino Filipino Peanut Stew (Kare-Kare) is essentially a peanut and vegetable stew seasoned with earthy annatto powder, garlic and soy sauce. This is a staple dish in many Filipino households.

This “Astig” Vegan & Gluten-Free Filipino Peanut Stew embodies all of the traditional complexity and flavors of this creamy hearty dish.

Get ready to dig in!

Filipino Peanut & Eggplant Stew

Nicole Kearsley

I wish you could smell this. You'll make this dish frequently because of eggplant, yum!

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Filipino, Vegan

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

• 1.5 cups Jasmine Rice divided
• 1 Onion sliced
• 2 cloves Garlic minced
• 1 Eggplant cut into 1" cubes
• 1 bunch Baby Bok Choy roughly chopped
• 2 Scallions sliced
• 2 tablespoon Peanuts chopped
• 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
• 3 tablespoon Tamari
• 1/4 cup Peanut Butter

Instructions

 

• Divide rice, reserving 3 Tbsp for the next step. Cook remaining rice according to package directions. In a bowl whisk together 1.5 cups warm water, peanut butter, and tamari, set aside.
• Add the reserved jasmine rice to a large pot over high heat. Toast the rice, stirring constantly, until it browns slightly and smells nutty, about 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer the toasted rice to a food processor and pulse into a coarse powder.
• Return the pot to medium-high heat with 2 tbsp vegetable oil. Once hot, add sliced onion, minced garlic, and cubed eggplant.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant softens and browned, approximately 7 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Cook until the tomato paste is fragrant, approximately 1 minute.
• Add the toasted rice, tamari, peanut butter, and water mixture and chopped baby bok choy to the pot.
• Stir well to combine and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to heat to medium-low and simmer stew until thickened, approximately 6 to 7 minutes.
• Serve stew over jasmine rice topped with chopped peanuts and scallions.

Notes

ADD MORE FLAVOR: Serve this dish with vinegar, and chili paste. 

*OIL: Instead of oil, I used vegetable broth and added as much as I needed to prevent burning.

**SERVING: This recipe yields 17 grams of protein for each serving.

***CREDIT: Recipe adapted from Purple Carrot.