Bulalo

Ingredients

Broth

• 1.5 kgbeef shank, cut into thick cross-sections with the marrow bone intact
• 4 litreswater
• 1onion, quartered
• 1 headgarlic, halved across
• 10whole black peppercorns
• 3 tbspfish sauce
• salt

Vegetables

• 2corn cobs, cut into thirds
• 4potatoes, halved
• 1small cabbage, quartered
• 1 bunchpechay

To serve

• fish sauce with calamansi and crushed chilli
• steamed rice

Directions

1. Cover the shanks with cold water, bring them to a hard boil and boil for 5 minutes, then pour the whole lot away and rinse both the meat and the pot. This first blanch is what gives bulalo its clear broth, and skipping it leaves you with a grey, scummy soup.
2. Return the shanks to the clean pot with 4 litres of fresh water, the onion, garlic and peppercorns.
3. Bring it up to the barest simmer and cook uncovered for 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours, skimming now and then. Never let it reach a rolling boil, because that emulsifies the fat into the liquid and clouds it, and clarity is half the point of this soup.
4. The shank is ready when a fork twists the meat off the bone with no resistance at all and the marrow has gone soft and glassy in the centre.
5. Season with the fish sauce and salt only at this stage, once the broth has reduced to its final volume.
6. Add the corn and potatoes and cook for 15 minutes.
7. Add the cabbage and pechay for the final 3 minutes only, so that they stay bright green and keep some bite.
8. Serve in deep bowls with the marrow bone standing upright, so the marrow can be scooped out with the handle of a spoon or pushed straight out onto hot rice.
9. Hand round small dishes of fish sauce with calamansi and crushed chilli for dipping the meat.

Technique

• The marrow is the reason the dish exists. Ask the butcher for shank cut into thick rounds and check that the bones are full.
• A bare simmer for three hours. Everything about the broth follows from that.
• It is roadside food on the cool Tagaytay route out of Manila, eaten as much for the warmth as for the beef.

Substitutions

• Osso buco cut veal shank, which cooks faster and gives a lighter broth.
• Beef short rib alongside the shank if the bones you can get are thin on marrow.

Variations

• With sweetcorn left on the cob and eaten from the hand.
• The Batangas version, heavier on corn and lighter on greens.
• The leftover broth reused the next day as the base for a rice soup.

History

A clear beef shank and bone marrow soup, slow-simmered for hours with vegetables including corn and cabbage, developed in Batangas province in the Philippines, with the bone marrow, extracted from the beef shank bones during the long cooking process, considered a particularly prized element of the dish, often scooped out and eaten separately or spread on bread. Its long cooking time, necessary to properly tenderize the beef shank and release the marrow’s rich flavour into the broth, made bulalo historically a dish associated with special occasions and gatherings rather than routine quick weeknight cooking. It remains especially popular in cooler weather and mountain regions of the Philippines, valued as a warming, substantial soup particularly in areas with a cooler climate than the tropical lowlands.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bulalo?

Bulalo is a soup & stew from Philippines: beef shank and bone-marrow broth from Batangas. A clear beef shank and bone marrow soup, slow-simmered for hours with vegetables including corn and cabbage, developed in Batangas province in the Philippines, with the bone marrow, extracted from the beef shank bones during the long cooking process, considered a particularly prized element of the dish, often scooped out and eaten separately or spread on bread. Its long cooking time, necessary to properly tenderize the beef shank and release the marrow’s rich flavour into the broth, made bulalo historically a dish associated with special occasions and gatherings rather than routine quick weeknight cooking. It remains especially popular in cooler weather and mountain regions of the Philippines, valued as a warming, substantial soup particularly in areas with a cooler climate than the tropical lowlands.

How long does Bulalo take to make?

Bulalo takes 15 min of preparation and 3 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Bulalo?

Yes, within limits. Osso buco cut veal shank, which cooks faster and gives a lighter broth. Beef short rib alongside the shank if the bones you can get are thin on marrow.

What is the most important thing to get right in Bulalo?

Cover the shanks with cold water, bring them to a hard boil and boil for 5 minutes, then pour the whole lot away and rinse both the meat and the pot. This first blanch is what gives bulalo its clear broth, and skipping it leaves you with a grey, scummy soup.