bulalo

Beef Bulalo (Bone Marrow Soup)

For the Pinoy, a meal is not satisfactory without a pampainit ng sikmura which is soup sipped while very hot. Bulalo is one such favorite soup and the hotter it is the better. It is best complemented by the marrow that is tapped out of the bone.

Ingredients:

2 kg (4 lb) beef bone marrow, have your butcher slice it
1 onion, sliced
3 liters (12 cups) water
¾ kg (1½ lb) boneless beef shank or stewing beef
2-3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
2-3 saba (plantain) bananas, each cut into two pieces
1 whole medium cabbage, quartered
3-4 tablespoons patis (fish sauce)
Salt and pepper to taste


Place bone marrow and onion in a stockpot, pour in water and bring to the boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 40 minutes. Add the boneless beef shank or stewing beef. Return to the boil, then lower heat and simmer until beef is tender, about 1 to 1½ hours.
Add the potatoes and bananas. Simmer until potatoes and bananas are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the cabbage. Stir in patis, salt and pepper. Cook until cabbage is tender-crisp, about 2 minutes.
Serve with rice and Patis and Calamansi Dip.