January 17, 2008

Bulalo (Beef Shank In Onion Broth)

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bulalo in onion broth with cabbage, corn, and baby bokchoy

I went out late this morning to buy a few staples from the store, I was there for less than half an hour and when I came out it was snowing heavily. I knew it was going to snow later in the day but did not expect it to fall before 12 noon and THIS heavy. The meteorologists or weather people are sometimes, if not always off the mark in their forecast. I hurried home but can't really drive fast because the roads are already very very slippery and the falling thick snow is diminishing my visibility. I love snow, it's beautiful to look at and it's fun playing with it but not when you are driving, and when it's been plowed to the curb they become muddy and yucky.

Anyway, as I was driving (very slowly like a little old lady that I am) I was already dreaming of the bulalo soup I was going to have for lunch. I had this dish just once in a restaurant, about 20 years ago or so, have never cooked, seen, or ate it since, can't explain why. My mother also never cooked it because I can't remember eating it at home growing up. Maybe my father didn't like it, I should ask her one of these days.

Making this dish was brought on by a Filipino instant noodle soup with bulalo flavoring that I had recently. The instant soup is flavorful and has the bulalo taste but the chewy fake meat thingies, which I think are vegemeat bits, floating on the soup are quite disgusting. So I bought beef shanks and made my very first Bulalo In Onion Broth, the recipe adapted from my cookbook FLAVORS OF THE PHILIPPINES by Glenda Rosales-Barretto of Via Mare restaurants. I love this dish which is almost a complete meal in itself with meat, vegetables, and carbs. But of course I ate it with steamed rice and patis with calamansi dipping sauce. I am so full I think I'll take a nap.:D

Bulalo
3 pounds beef shank, bone in, pre-cut with marrow
½ pound onions, quartered
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 tablespoon sea salt, or to taste
4 pieces corn on the cob, cut into 4 - 5 pieces
½ pound baby bokchoy, well cleaned
½ head cabbage, cut into chunks
  • Place the beef shank, onions, peppercorns, and salt in a large pot. Add enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, skim off top, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 5 hours. Add the corn and cook for 10 minutes, then add the cabbage and continue to cook for a further 3 minutes. Add the bokchoy and cook for another 3 minutes. Transfer to a large dish and serve with a mixture of fish extract and calamansi juice.
A rather blurry photo I took this morning from inside the car



13 comments:

 gmirage said...

Oh my, I miss mais on this! We only have it on summers and I always cook bulalo or nilaga with eat! Such 'delicioso' photo...kagutom!

Ruy said...

Piping hot bulalo with patis and kalamansi on a cold day. I feel you!=)
Your bulalo looks perectly cooked. I think you've been making it for years Oggi!

Anonymous said...

I'm always amazed at the flavors they come up with for instant soup!

Your bulalo looks wonderful, especially all that marrow!

Oggi said...

g_mirage I used frozen corn which are almost as good as the fresh ones, very sweet.

ruy this is the first time I made bulalo soup, honest. This is the perfect Filipino dish when it's really freezing outside.

thanks marvin we always have a variety of instant noodles (Filipino, Korean, Japanese) for the few times I can't cook or in a hurry. They are surprisingly very tasty specially the Korean ones.

Chibog in Chief said...

i was chatting yesterday with my friend who hails from batangas..and we chatted about how good was our batangas gourmet escapade five years ago..of course we were talkign about bulalo..and now i just saw your post cant help but drool...just like you i love it with lots of calamansi too...btw the photo looks like its freezing cold out there..i dont wonder why your recent posts are all hot soups..hehehe im glad to be back oggi :-)

Oggi said...

dhanggit I too am so glad you are back posting beautiful recipes.:)

Bulalo and patis with calamansi = yummy!

The weather here has been crazy, the last week of December till the first week of January felt like a warm spring and then all of a sudden here comes reality, it's still winter and it's bitterly cold (which I don't mind really).:)

christine said...

Brrrrr, that photo, beautiful as it is, left me chilly! Thankfully the wonderfully delicious bulalo photo took care of that. Yummy! Love me some marrow! :)

Oggi said...

Christine, marrow is good! And the hot broth really helped to warm me up.:

Anonymous said...

I am making this right now! As in, I am right in the middle of the boiling :) How nice to see it here too :)

Also, I saw that cookbook at a friend's house and was very impressed in terms of content -- I am going to get myself a copy! :)

Oggi said...

joey I didn't know bulalo is so easy to cook and the marrow is utterly delicious!

This beautiful cookbook is a gift I got in 2001 and I have been very careful not to spill anything on it because there are no hardbound copies available anymore.

Anonymous said...

naglilihi ako and i saw your bulalo pic...im gonna make it now

paul said...

Your pinoy bulalo look so, so good! I've always loved Filipino dishes. I really love bulalo and will definitely be trying your recipe. Thank you for sharing. Pabz of http://www.myfilipinorecipes.com

Filipino Food Guide said...

When it comes to soup, especially when I'm eating either in a karinderia or a restaurant, either bulalo or balbacua is my choice. Either of the two makes my day hehehehehe.

Nice post and God Bless.

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