Nilagang baka : boiled beef and vegetables

Nilaga means boiled; baka means beef. Nilagang Baka, or boiled beef, is a fairly easy dish to prepare. It only involves one basic process–boiling. To be more specific, the boiling involved in cooking Nilagang Baka refers to slow cooking.

A succuessful Nilagang Baka dish has three basic features :

1. a very good broth;
2. fork tender beef; and
3. a good mix of vegetables

A good stock is produced by slowly cooking the beef with the correct spices. Hence, it’s important to use stewing beef. Brisket, shank or short ribs are ideal.

It follows that by the time you come up with a very good broth, you have very tender beef.

What would be a good mix of vegetables? Remember that whatever vegetables you choose will also affect the flavor of the broth. And, with the plainness and simplicity of this dish, it is important to choose vegetables that will taste and look good together. The most common choices are potatoes, carrots, pechay (chinese cabbge or bok choy) and the native cabbage (napa variety). The more adventurous might want to include squash. In this version, I omitted the leaves and opted for carrots, potatoes and japanese sweet corn cobs. Surprised? Don’t be. The sweetness of the carrots and the corn blend wonderfully well with the saltiness of the beef broth. The saltiness of the beef broth and the flavor of the beef itself add a new dimension to the experience of eating corn on the cob. It’s really good.

A few notes on Japanese sweet corn cobs. The have been around in the local market for several years now. They have bright yellow kernels. And they are naturally sweet. They cook in a jiffy and the kernels retain their crispiness. The first time we saw them was along the sidewalks of Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City, right in front of Ateneo University. Vendors sold them to motorists and passerby. Today, japanese sweet corn cobs are widely available in supermarkets. We don’t buy from the Katipunan vendors anymore. The last time we did, the package contained 3 authentic sweet corn cobs and 3 native corn cobs–the kind that is almost tasteless and needs 3 hours to cook. We couldn’t tell through the wrapping. After that incident, we bought our corn cobs from the supermarkets.

Ingredients :

3/4 kilo of stewing beef (brisket, shank or short ribs), cut into serving pieces
1 whole garlic
1 whole onion, peeled
1 large carrot
3 medium-sized potatoes
3 Japanese corn cobs
salt and pepper to taste

Cooking procedure :

Using a sharp pointed knife, pierce garlic in several places.

Cut carrot and potatoes into cubes, a little smaller than the beef pieces (by the time the beef is cooked, it would have shrunk and will be about just the same size as your carrots and potatoes). Peel the corn cobs and break or cut each cob into 3 pieces.

Place beef pieces in a large casserole. Cover with water. Add garlic, onion and salt. Set over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove scum as it rises. Cover tightly and simmer for 1-1/2 hours. Test for tenderness. Add more water if necessary, i.e., if they have to be cooked much longer.

When beef is almost done, add carrots. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Next, add the potatoes. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Lastly, add corn cobs and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve hot.