This bulalo recipe was originally published in December 19, 2003. I am updating it because during our recent visit to Mahogany meat market in Tagaytay City, as I watched the butcher chop the whole beef shank that I had chosen, I realized that the secret to prevent the bone marrow from falling and liquefying in the broth was so obvious, and I wondered why I didn’t think of it before.
Bulalo can mean any of three things: 1) the marrow in the bone of the beef shank; 2) the cut of the beef, i.e., bone-in beef shank; or 3) the soup itself which consists of the bone-in beef shank and vegetables. The soup is a simple dish to prepare, really; but the flavorful broth and the texture of the meat makes it a treat.
In classy restaurants, bulalo commands a high price. In the province of Batangas where selling beef and beef by-products is a major means of livelihood, roads are lined with restaurants and small eateries with bulalo as a specialty. In Makati City, there is a small eatery called Soseng’s–a sidewalk affair actually–where one finds yuppies and businessmen having a lunch of hot bulalo. Street parking is a common problem. There was one time when we had to park two streets away and wait for a vacant table for several minutes. That is how popular bulalo is among the Filipinos.
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram bulalo (bone-in beef shank)
- 1 whole onion
- 1 whole garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 to 8 peppercorns
- patis (fish sauce)
- 1/2 head of white cabbage
- 250 grams potatoes
Instructions
- Place the beef shanks in a large casserole. Cover with water. Set over high heat and bring to a boil, removing scum as it rises.
- Add the whole onion, garlic (pierced in several places with a sharp pointed knife), bay leaf and peppercorns. Season with patis. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for two hours (longer, for a more flavorful broth) or until the beef is fork-tender. Alternatively, pressure-cook for one hour and 30 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the beef shanks and transfer to a tureen or serving bowl. Strain the broth. Reheat to boiling point.
- Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks. Core the cabbage and cut in half. Add the potatoes and cabbage leaves and simmer for another 8-10 minutes.
- Scoop the vegetables out and arrange around the bulalo. Pour in hot broth and serve at once.
If you cooked this dish (or made this drink) and you want to share your masterpiece, please use your own photos and write the cooking steps in your own words.
Hello and welcome! I'm a retired lawyer and columnist, wife for 28 years, mom of two, and a passionate cook. What is this blog about? Recipes for dishes 
Salmon Head Soup With Asparagus and Basil
try putting si-bot in your bulalo, a japanese wild herb that blends and add a gud oozing taste in your bulalo.
if you add japanese wild herb hindi yan bulalo kundi buraro….were talking about pinoy cooking not japanese….mag suhi ka na lang uy…
@concon…Its not Japanese…its a Chinese herb!! SIBOT literally means four herbs BTW!! Its from Fujian or Hookien Chinese style of cooking cause a lot of Fujian Chi in the Philippines… @Ala-e ” Filipino food is cook by Malays, Spice by the Chiense and flavoured by the Spanish! so only a Lurot, food cook inside a bamboo by the ethnic minorities are authentic indigenous Food! Cheers!
I believe si-bot Chinese herbal medicine and is a mixture of different herbs, barks and seeds, to wit, Shu Di or Chinese foxglove,Tang Gui or Angelica Sinensis, Chuan Xiong or Ligusticum, Bai Shao or Peony Alba, Chinese wolfberry or Guo Qi Zi.
Oooh, I new new twists to old dishes. I’ll look out for that one. Thanks. :)
Found the spice sibot selling at your favorite SM Supermarket.
tastes really good!but where can we can si-bot?got to try that one
everytime i cook bulalo I come back here… this is my electronic cookbook… lol
i’m still looking for it myself, jell.
mell, a toast to bulalo! :grin:
hi can u send me more classic menu,b-fast,lunch dinner dessert soup, drinks?salamat po
Agapito, there is a subscription service on the side panel. You can use that if you wish.
i want to take my hubby to sosengs this weekend… where is this exactly?
Dian Street, ice. :)
hi!
i want to cook bulalo batangas style…what are the ingredients?
pls help…..
anybody in there…………….
i didnt try it yet but im gonna do it soon. i hope you can have a sending part so i can send it to my sister abroad.
louellen, why not just send the URL? The “e-mail to a friend” function kasi is so prone to abuse by SPAMMERS.
this bulalo recipe seems to be yummy.i’m gonna give it a try over the weekend.
hi there! i was just browsing and i came accross on ur website by accident. I’m so glad i did for it was the best site ever. It brought back so many good yummy food memories back home. The best thing about this is so clear and easy to follow. Not to mention the pictures…. gosh…. what can i say, they’re so enticing! This definitely would mark in my favorites. Thank You Much!:wink:
I was looking for your bulalo recipe in google and happened to see a word for word copy of your recipe I thought you have a new site, do you?
julie, the only new site is pinoyfooftalk.com and the bulalo recipe was not reproduced there. however, i did find the content thief via google and sent a notice already. thanks for the tip.
wow what a pinoy foods, thxs for making that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Hi to edward,hannah,enna,emy and yani
Nakita ko po tong bulalo recipe mo sa isa pang site… Nagpaalam ba sayo?
http://domengxtreme.multiply.com/recipes
Cooking is also my passion and Bulalo is definitely a favorite. Eating too much of bulalo or bone marrow can be damaging to your heart and it’s a NO NO if you have high blood pressure. So be careful with your diet.
connie, have you tried putting corn on the cob? yung friend ko pg me handaan kami bulalo lagi daladala at nilalagyan nya ng corn. malinamnam yung soup.
with si-bot naman, narinig ko to sa mga chinese dishes. nilalagay nga nila to sa soup nila. ang lam ko nga e its an aprodisiac e, dunno if its true.
Happy Joy, daming magnanakaw sa Multiply.
Beng, in my nilagang baka, yes (which is basically the same except for the bone marrow).
I commented re: si-bot before but for some reason it wasn’t published. Si-bot is composed of 4 types of Chinese dried herbs and yes, it is an aphrodisiac, but really good and healthy kasi energizer siya. Pero with warning sa mga gusto mag-try ng si-bot, please wag gamitin if you are sick and trying to recover and if you have your monthly cycle.
I am married to a Chinese, and I have cooked si-bot twice already in the past month with chicken naman, but I’m sure this tasty bulalo will work with it just as well…
(sana ma-publish na ito this time)
Thanks!
try nyu din po pakulo nyu yun meat hanggang lumabot with at least 6-7 pcs thumbsized ginger (wag nyu hiwain yun ginger ilagay nyu ng buo) paglumambot n yun meat lgay nyo ng salt or patis yun desired nyo alat tpos lagay nyu din ng bunch of spring onions simmer for 1min..serve nyo n ehehe…(pede nyu lagyan ng petchay kung gusto nyo may gulay..yun lng po happy eating and cooking…
thanks po ng marami.dami ko natutunan sa inyo.GOD .BLESS
from what I know, sibut is a chinese herb. we use it a lot on our dishes. we usually buy it in ongpin. but may mga nkikita din ako sa groceries.
Sibot is available at Cherry. Spice section. I use sibot in my korean beef stew. Maybe i’ll try it with bulalo.
Now that you mention it. I still have a pack if sibot somewhere. And I like your idea of using it for bulalo. :)
hi connie
i from canada my home town is tondo manila i just want to know what kinds of chinese herbs in it could you email it to me so i could pass it to our kababayan here in canada ….thanks a lot
They come prepacked. About five herbs inside in a predetermined proportion.
Oh bulalo. Reading this article and seeing the pic make my mouth water. I get the shakes. Ooohhh.
hi there! Just to let you know when cooking with sibot, don’t mix it with other veggie ingredients, its just have to be plain sibot soup for the beef bulalo, native chicken, and the black chicken also. And that should be wrap in small cloth except for the red small ingredients there. Pang labas lang ng lasa or flavor. Happy eating…
Ms. Connie, ah ok, so that’s how we can preserve the precious, precious bone marrow? Thanks. Everytime I have bulalo in front of me and the bone marrow is oozing out of the bone, nakakalimutan ko na mataas nga pala ang bp ko, hehe.
We used to live in Vito Cruz and would often eat at Soseng’s. It’s always worth a visit.
Speedy and I used to go to Soseng’s when we were still both working in Makati. Miss Soseng’s and Suzukin.
Hi Connie,
So do I need prop up the bulalo while in the pot to keep the marrow from spilling out the open end? I’ve tried cooking bulalo once before and ended up with an empty bone and several shriveled pieces of marrow floating around :( I’m eager to try with this cut and hopefully get a more satisfying “harvest” of marrow!
I don’t know if I just missed it but have you done a bulalo recipe that calls for cutting the bone in the middle lengthwise and “grilling” the marrow (a different kind of bulalo steak perhaps)? I’ve seen photos of the dish from Filipino restaurants (Pepato? not sure though) and was curious.
Regards,
Tessa
The marrow won’t fall off if the cooking method is dry. For the soup, simmering will create very little agitation and that helps keep the marrow inside the bone. AVOID STIRRING and keep the heat very low.
No, I haven’t tried grilling. There are about 6 bulalo recipes in the archive though. :)
Thankyou for your wonderful website! My Mum is from the Philippines but I never learned Tagalog so it makes learning to cook Filipino food from her recipe books quite difficult. I absolutely love bulalo and I’m glad my boyfriend is a Kiwi and finds the marrow gross – more for me, hehe.
Our daughters belong to the “health-conscious” generation and find bone marrow gross as well. More for me and my husband hehehe
Hi Miss Connie,
Generally, when you say that the recipe requires an onion, do you use white onions or the purple ones? what’s the default?
White. :)
hay!!! miss ko na bulalo, kaya lang bihara lang ako matyempo ng bone marrow sa grocery :(
When my friends and bought 1/4 cow to split between our families, I requested to keep the soup bones. No one wanted or even thought about to ask. So now, we have lots of bone with marrow! And if the cow is organic, does that make the marrow less gross? lol I don’t care. I’ll eat anything Filipino!
to ala-e,
that’s so funny about buraro..can’t stop laughing!
talaga naman, as a co-worker at the UN once told me, “the hardest word in the Engrish ranguage is rorripop!”
Hi! I’m kinda scared to use my pressure cooker coz it might blow up in my face. can you describe how to use one safely? i heard that we can save time and gasul when you use that to soften beef. also, are pressure cookers used only for soup dishes or pwede rin sa mga adobo (ie. konting liquid ingredients lang?) i hate tough meat! maybe you can enlighten us with a blog entry on pressure cookers, what it is used for and how to use it properly with pics!! thanks so much.
My pressure cooker’s been out of commission for some time now. My best advice is for you to read the manufacturer’s manual carefully.
Have you ever used Meat Tenderizers like papain, bromelain, etc…,, thesis kc nmin,, beef bulalo ang component…
Nope.
Would You Think they might affect the cooking hours of beef bulalo and so with the traditional taste of it?
It’s your thesis. Why don’t you try using meat tenderizers and find out the answers to your questions?
I LOVE TO COOK BULALO ITS MY FAVORITO!!!
helow,
marunong ako mag luto ng bulalo pero ung hinahanap ko e yung authentic tagaytay bulalo na walang mga gulay.simpleng-simple lang sya pero pag higop mo ng sabaw sumasabog yung lasa!!
the first time ive tried that kind of bulalo was on a trip to tagaytay gourmet farm.we stopped by this small,unfancy pasalubong center called DELI’s.i’m not sure about the spelling coz it did not matter to me anymore after tasting their rendition of the famous bulalo.i’m a fan of good old fashioned PINOY recipe’s but never have i tried something like this….subukan nyo guys,di nyo pagsisisihan.
How many kilos of beef bulalo that are good for almost a hundred persons?
What’s Pechay and where can I get it in the Netherlands? Oh, btw, it isn’t in the ingredient list.
For how much people is this dish as described in this recipe?
Try looking for bok choy or pak choi.
Nice read ate Connie. Makes me wanna try your style of Bulalo. I often cook at home. It’s my way of relaxing after a very busy schedule. And I cook it just plain simple. Onions, pounded ginger (just enough to crack it) beef shanks, simmered for about 2-3hrs patis and pepper to taste. But, what about the choice of onion? I usually use the red ones or “tagalog” as they call it. What’s the difference between white and red re: taste?
tia
we, batanguenos, usually use “hugas-bigas” in cooking brothy dishes like bulalo and goto… i don’t know what noticeable flavor this adds, but that’s just the way it is…
No flavor at all. The starch simply thickens the broth.
do you know how too cook beef mami like the one in pinsec house recto manila?
Restaurant recipes are highly guarded secrets.
starting early and cooking this now. hope to eat it by lunch. :P
thanks connie.
I just want you guys to know that there is another recipe posted in a website where the instructions in the Bulalo recipe is the same as yours, word for word.
Please check: http://www.grouprecipes.com/96664/bulalo.html
I am sure Speedy and callcenterguy are not one and the same person.
Hi Adolfo. You know, that’s why I don’t often post Filipino recipes anymore. It’s fellow Filipinos who do this to me every time. That Callcenter guy stole my Baked Mac recipe too. Worse? That grouprecipes.com does NOT have a contact info for complaints.
Hi, for a newbie like me, your blog is a big help. Maam connie, i tried this soup today and i was scared with putting too much patis. My soup turned out almost bland. Hehehe but my hubby still appreciated the effort. I would like to ask how much is your ratio of patis with water for this recipe? Would like to try it out again:) thank u.
The amount of seasoning is always a matter of personal taste. There is no universally correct ratio. :)
ma’am connie, when should i put in the salt? together w the patis? tasting the soup should be before boiling or during simmering? i really am a certified newbie hahaha :).
Hi Shirly,
Salt in not listed as an ingredient here.
Taste several times during cooking and after the dish is done, adjusting the seasoning as needed each time.
thanks! i got mixed up with the site who copied your recipe. heeheh i love your blog! i love it that you explain the reason behind why such ingredients are used and also recommend alternatives. love love it!
Salamat sa sangkap ng bulalo, malaking tulong sa araw ko
I have been thinking of what to cook today. Thank you guys! You save my day. I am going to try your bulalo recipe. Good Luck to me!