Kare Kare Spring Rolls

These Kare Kare Spring Rolls are my Filipino-Vietnamese mashup of two dishes I love: Filipino kare kare and Vietnamese fresh spring rolls.

Warning: This is not a traditional kare kare. Kare Kare is a rich Filipino stew made with meat, vegetables, and a savory peanut sauce, usually served with rice and bagoong (fermented shrimp paste) on the side. Vietnamese fresh spring rolls are almost the opposite experience: light, fresh, handheld, and packed with crisp vegetables and herbs.

For this recipe, I use thinly sliced beef, quickly sear it, then finish it in a simple kare kare-inspired peanut sauce. That beef gets wrapped in rice paper with fresh vegetables and herbs, giving you the rich, nutty flavor of kare kare with the cool, crunchy texture of a Vietnamese-style spring roll. And for crunch I added some chicharron.

Ingredients

1 lb thinly sliced hot pot beef

1 tbsp neutral cooking oil

Salt and black pepper, to taste

For the Kare Kare sauce

3 tbsp unsweetened peanut butter

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp kare kare seasoning

¼ cup beef broth

For the rolls

Rice paper wrappers

Lettuce

Cucumber, cut into thin strips

Carrots, julienned

Fresh mint

Fresh cilantro

Cooked rice vermicelli

Chicharron, optional

Extra kare kare sauce

For dipping sauce

1 tbsp bagoong

2 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp warm water (plus more)

1 tsp lime juice

1 tsp brown sugar

1. Pat the thinly sliced beef dry and season lightly with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over high heat with about 1 tablespoon neutral oil. Add the beef in batches so you do not overcrowd the pan. Because hot pot beef is so thin, it should only need about 1 to 2 minutes to cook. Take the beef and set aside.

2. To the pan, add the peanut butter and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes until softened. Pour in the broth, kare kare powder, fish sauce, brown sugar and whisk, stirring frequently, until the sauce becomes smooth and slightly thickened. Add back in the beef and toss to coat then set aside.

3. Cut the cucumber into thin strips and julienne the carrots. Wash and dry your lettuce, mint, and cilantro. Add cooked rice vermicelli if you want a more substantial spring roll, and chicharron for crunch.

4. Fill a shallow plate or pan with warm water. Dip one rice paper wrapper into the water for just a few seconds. Do not wait until it becomes completely soft in the water. It will continue softening while you build the roll. Place it onto a clean cutting board or work surface.

5. Layer a little lettuce, cucumber, carrot, herbs, and noodle toward the bottom third of the rice paper. Add a few pieces of the kare kare beef. Break apart some pieces of chicharron for an optional crunch. Fold the bottom of the rice paper over the filling. Fold in both sides, then roll tightly like a burrito. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

6.Mix the ingredients for the dipping sauce and enjoy right away.

Filipino Vietnamese Fusion in One Bite