Kaldereta Recipe

Filipino goat meat stew with the addition of peanut butter for richness and flavor.

Updated December 02, 2022

A bowl of kaldereta. — Serious Eats / Lee Zalben

Why It Works

This recipe is unique to the southeastern part of the Philippines, where peanut butter is added to kaldereta for an extra kick of flavor.

The Philippines is one of my favorite places to indulge in my passion for scuba diving. Filipinos have a rich and diverse food culture, which means I also get to taste a new nut-bearing food upon each visit.

During my trip to the Philippines, I stayed in Cebu at Shangri-La's Mactan Resort & Spa where I met chef Adolfo Lopez ("Chef Dolf" for short). He introduced me to kare-kare, oxtail stew with a peanut butter sauce, the epitome of Filipino comfort food. This year, when he heard I was coming back, he prepared kaldereta, another classic Filipino dish for me, but with a recipe unique to the southeastern part of the Philippines.

A grid of photos showing ingredients for kaldereta, including tomatoes, shallots, peas, bell peppers, chiles, and goat meat, among others. — This recipe for kaldereta has a wide array of ingredients.
Serious Eats / Lee Zalben

Like kare kare, kaldereta is a stew of sorts and always served with white rice. But where kare kare is traditionally made with oxtail, kaldereta is usually made with beef or goat.

And here's the interesting, nutty twist: In Cebu and Mindanao, peanut butter is also added to the sauce for an extra kick of flavor.

A collage of Chef Dolf and a jar of peanut butter. — Chef Dolf uses Lady's Choice brand peanut butter.
Serious Eats / Lee Zalben

Kaldereta is traditionally served during parties for birthdays, weddings, and town feast days. The rich mix of ingredients has some Spanish influences (like the tomatoes) but the combination of divergent flavors is uniquely Filipino (it even has some cheese in it for creaminess). Chef Dolf added that the dish is very "fortifying," and is often eaten while drinking copious amounts of beer.

No doubt there are thousands of different kaldereta recipes out there—it's the kind of dish that every cook puts their own unique twist on. But if you enjoy Filipino food and cooking with peanut butter, this might be just the thing the for your next big get-together meal.

Do you have any favorite twists on classic recipes that use nuts in interesting ways?

February 2011

Recipe Details

Kaldereta Recipe

Active 30 mins

Total 3 hrs 30 mins

Serves 4 to 6 servings

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pounds goat meat, cut into 2-inch chunks, from the leg, shoulder, and loin
2 tablespoons butter
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and stemmed, minced
1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 can (28-ounce) crushed tomatoes, undrained
2 large sweet peppers (1 green and 1 red), coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 ounces grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
6 cups cooked white rice, for serving

Directions

In a large bowl, combine oil, salt, and pepper. Add meat, and stir to coat. Let marinade at room temperature for 2 hours, turning meat occasionally.
Add butter to a large pot or Dutch oven and melt over medium heat. When butter has just melted, add jalapeño, onion, and garlic and sauté until light brown. Add meat to pan and continue cooking over medium heat until the meat is seared on all sides.
Add tomato paste to pot and incorporate with meat and onion mixture. Add crushed tomatoes, red and green peppers, chicken stock, and peanut butter. Cover and let simmer on low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add cheese and peas. Simmer on low heat, stirring regularly. When sauce has thickened (approximately 5 minutes), remove from heat. Serve over white rice.

Special Equipment

Dutch oven

Notes

Beef round and lamb are both good substitutes for the goat meat.

Kare-Kare (Filipino Curry)

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
839	Calories
37g	Fat
79g	Carbs
51g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	839
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 37g	48%
Saturated Fat 10g	50%
Cholesterol 107mg	36%
Sodium 1069mg	46%
Total Carbohydrate 79g	29%
Dietary Fiber 8g	28%
Total Sugars 16g
Protein 51g
Vitamin C 57mg	285%
Calcium 197mg	15%
Iron 10mg	56%
Potassium 1573mg	33%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.