Filipino Bulalo Batangas Recipe with beef shank and cabbage

Author: Joost Nusselder, author of The Essential Japanese meal planner cookbook Updated June 5, 2021

During the rainy days in the Philippines, when the wind produces cool breeze, there is this one dish that people long for to soothe the chilly rainy weather, and that is the delicious Bulalo.

Follow our Bulalo Recipe below. Bulalo is a popular dish in Batangas, wherein you would normally see the best bulalo served alongside the roads, usually near bus stops. Batangas is the center of the cattle industry in Luzon.

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Bulalo and its other name pakdol

In Leyte, it is called “pakdol,” while it is referred to as “Kansi” in Iloilo and Bacolod.  

The secret to the hearty flavor of a Bulalo recipe is slow cooking the beef bones with yellow corn on the cob, pechay leaves, peppercorns, onion, and cabbage.

Some old folks in the Philippines still use wood-fired pots when simmering and tenderizing beef bones, but a large stock pot will do fine for this recipe :)

The best part of the beef to use for the bulalo broth is the shinbone with marrow and the leg meat.

Tips When Eating Bulalo

For easy access to the bone marrow when eating, and for a more appetizing food presentation, there are available machine-cut beef bones or beef shank.

It is essential to remove the marrow from the bones right after the first boil after about 10 minutes or so putting on the stockpot, or the marrow will just melt away and will mix into the boiling broth.

And that’s not what you want.

You want to serve the marrow by placing it back inside the cavities of the beef bones right before serving or it could also be served on a separate plate or just add it to the broth and the other meat in the serving bowl afterward. So let’s get into the recipe.

Bulalo ng Batangas recipe

Joost Nusselder

Bulalo is a popular dish in Batangas, wherein you would normally see the best bulalo served alongside the roads, usually near bus stops. Batangas is the center of the cattle industry in Luzon.

3.50 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Filipino

Servings 5 people

Calories 497 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 kilo beef shank (with bone and marrow); cut in chunks
• 1 small head cabbage (repolyo) quartered
• ¼ kilo Chinese cabbage (pechay) whole leaves
• 2 potatoes quartered
• 1 onion sliced
• 4 cloves garlic crushed
• 2 cobs corn cut in halves
• ¾ tbsp peppercorns
• 1 tsp Salt (to taste)
• Fish sauce
• 1 lemon or 5 kalamansi

Instructions

 

Fish sauce bulalo cooking instructions

• Fry potatoes in 3 minutes to get a slight crispy layer on top. Set aside
• In a stockpot, stew the beef shank (with bone and marrow) with salt, onion, peppercorns, and garlic for at least one and a half hours.
• Remove the meat from the marrow after ten minutes or it will dissolve into the broth.
• Remove the scum that rises above the soup. Add more hot water if necessary.
• When beef is fork-tender, add the potato and let it cook for another 10 minutes.
• Add the corn and let it cook for the last 5 minutes, then add cabbage and Chinese cabbage and let it stand for a few minutes.
• Season with fish sauce according to taste.
• Remove from fire and serve hot in a bowl with the broth mixture consisting of the fish sauce and add some lemon juice to taste.
• You can eat it with some rice for a more complete meal

cooking tips

• Boiling the Bulalo slowly and gently over low heat brings out the flavor of the meat, and keeps the meat very tender.
• But if you don’t have much time and you want to expedite the cooking process, use “pressure cooker” to soften the meat of the beef shank or oxtail. When tender, add the necessary ingredients.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 497kcal

Keyword Beef, Bulalo

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Also read: this is the ultimate ginisang repolyo ground pork recipe

Bulalo Recipe, Serving Tips

To serve the Bulalo,

• Place the beef shanks on individual bowls, then pour the hot bulalo broth with all of the onion and cabbage in it over the beef shanks.
• You can use the corn or onion leeks as a garnish.
• Bulalo is also eaten with a condiment just like how any Filipino would normally eat it and maybe a side of rice.
• The best condiment for bulalo is a mixture of freshly squeezed calamansi juice, patis or fish sauce (you can also use soy sauce or toyo) and some red hot chili peppers or siling labuyo.

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Bitemybun's family recipes with complete meal planner and recipe guide.

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Joost Nusselder, the founder of Bite My Bun is a content marketer, dad and loves trying out new food with Japanese food at the heart of his passion, and together with his team he's been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with recipes and cooking tips.