Bulalo (Filipino Beef Marrow Soup)
Bulalo is a comforting Filipino soup made with tender beef shanks and bone marrow. Served with sweet corn and leafy greens, this soup is perfect for those chilly, cozy days indoors.
- Prep time
- 14 min
- Cook time
- 31 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1.5 kg beef shanks
- 0.5 kg beef soup bones (may also be labelled as u0022stock bonesu0022)
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 4 scallions, white and green parts separated
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 beef bouillon cubes 1
- 2 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 8 cups water
- 2 whole corn cobs, cut into 3 pieces
- 1/4 head green cabbage, chopped
- 2 heads bokchoy, halved
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp calamansi juice
Instructions
- 1
Place the beef and bones into a pot with just enough cold water to cover. Bring the whole pot to a boil, skimming off any scum that float to the surface.
- 2
Once boiling, lower the heat to a gentle simmer and continue simmering for an additional 5 more minutes, removing any residual scum or foam that escape from the bones.
- 3
Discard the boiling liquid and strain out the beef shanks and soup bones. Gently rinse these under cold running water to remove any debris that may still be stuck to the meat or bones (you may also rinse out your pot if any residue is stuck to the bottom or edges).
- 4
Once rinsed, transfer the cleaned beef and bones into your clean pot.
- 5
To the beef and bones, add in the onion, white parts of the scallions, fish sauce, beef bouillon cubes (if using), whole black pepper, salt, and 8 cups of water.
- 6
Bring this to a boil, then let simmer covered over medium-low for about 1.5 - 2 hours until the beef is fork-tender.
- 7
Once tender, add in the corn cobs and let simmer for 5 minutes to soften.
- 8
Add in the green cabbage, bok choy, and green parts of the scallions. Let simmer for 5 more minutes to cook.
- 9
Taste the soup, season with more fish sauce and/or salt to taste. Serve warm with a bowl of rice and the fish sauce-calamansi condiment on the side.