Bulalo

Bulalo is a Philippine soup dish which is made out of beef leg bones with marrow boiled for really long hours so those ligaments and meat just falls apart when you are eating it, the soup contains a lot of oil melted from the fat covering the leg bones.

Bulalo

Every Filipino knows that if you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure or any heart related ailments then dish dish is to be avoided as this is one of the most guilty a Filipino food can get (I guess), it has more fat than your double or triple beef patty burgers! But for this recipe we will trim down that fat tremendously while retaining it’s good flavours. Bulalo is a Philippine soup dish which is made out of beef leg bones with marrow boiled for really long hours so those ligaments and meat just falls apart when you are eating it, the soup contains a lot of oil melted from the fat  covering the leg bones.  The marrow is its most prized ingredient and it’s what people are dyiingg for in this dish.  Though this can be found almost in all Filipino themed restaurants, the best ones are usually sold at Bulalo specialty restaurants in the Philippines and talking about those restaurants the best one back in the days I can remember of is Adams Bulalo in P. Tuazon corner C. Benitez (that’s around late 80’s) I’m not sure if they are still there though.

Origins of this dish comes from Taal, Tagaytay where they enjoy a cooler temperature (less than 10C compared to Manila) and it’s also had a reputation of raising the best cows in the Philippines.  The most common time this dish is served is at evenings, more specifically during dinner where the temperature cools down from a 32C during daytime to 22C at night (bear in mind this is a hot soup), it is also a popular dish after having a really long night out, which they said it’s a good food to make you sober. I also remember as a child when we visit Tagaytay, this is one of the must have dishes similar to the other wonderful local dishes they offer such as Mushroom Burger, Bistek, Lomi, Tapa and Maliputo. But if you are far away from Tagaytay and want a real meaty soup dish then this definitely is a must try even if it’s once in your life.

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Bulalo 4

Bulalo

  • Author: Raymund
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 4 hours 15 mins
  • Total Time: 4 hours 30 mins
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Filipino

Description

Bulalo is a Philippine soup dish which is made out of beef leg bones with marrow boiled for really long hours so those ligaments and meat just falls apart when you are eating it, the soup contains a lot of oil melted from the fat covering the leg bones.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 beef leg bones, cut into 34 pcs each
  • 1.5 kg beef shanks
  • 1 tbsp black pepper corns
  • 2 large red onions, quartered
  • 2 pcs large corn, cut into 5 pieces per corn
  • 5 stalks spring onions, chopped
  • leafy vegetables like bok choy or cabbage
  • water
  • sea salt and/or fish sauce

Instructions

  1. Place beef bones on a deep pot together with onions and pepper corns.
  2. Add water until bones are entirely covered.
  3. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2.5 hours, set it aside and keep it cool once cooled down remove the bones and set it aside. Using a sieve strain the broth and place it in a large bowl, place it on the fridge until the oil rises to the top and hardens, now you can easily separate it out then throw it away, you will not be using this unhealthy fat.
  4. Place beef shanks and cooked bones on a deep pot then the clear broth, bring this to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes, remove any scum that rises. Add corn then continue to simmer for an hour.
  5. Add your leafy vegetables and simmer for 3 minutes.
  6. Flavour with salt or fish sauce, season with freshly ground pepper and top with chopped spring onions.

Bulalo Wide

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16 Responses

  1. My hubby would absolutely love this meal.
    🙂 Mandy

  2. This is new for me Raymund and you know we don’t eat beef but I suppose mutton will also do. I too will die for the marrow and this cuts are what we use for mutton. I know very well the high cholesterol level though sometimes I can control, at times I just let go and indulge in sin food once a while.

  3. nors says:

    Bahala na sa cholesterol…. Makakain lang ng bulalo

  4. Oh my, this sounds so rich and hearty. Like good ol’ comfort food. I would definitely like to try this. I may have to take a try over to your side of paradise. Yum Yum!

  5. Kristy says:

    I can see why this is avoided if you have high blood pressure. That is a lot of beef in there! Looks tasty though.

  6. My heart feels strong, and my tastebuds are ready!

  7. My husband would so love this dish. Cholesterol? What’s that? It looks so hearty and delicious!

  8. Marrow bones make for spectacular broths! I’m picking some up tomorrow for my next batch. 😀

  9. got to love sucking bone marrows of bulalo..

  10. samology says:

    I actually had grilled bulalo with gravy when I was in Tagaytay! We were driving up a hilly area with lots of restaurants and got this. It was one of my most memorable meals in the Philippines! I still sometimes crave for it now…

  11. Wow- colorful and beautiful. Looks hearty and delicious! Thanks for sharing.

  12. I don’t know if my heart is ready lol.. but this Bulalo certainly looks delicious

  13. foodjaunts says:

    I’ve never seen bulalo with corn??? What have I been missing out on?! I love this idea – next time somebody makes bulalo in my family I’m going to ask them to throw in corn too.

  14. Janno Martinez says:

    VERY GOOD RECIPE! kids love your bulalo recipe! thanks

  15. J says:

    It’s a shame that you put this dish in a bad light with the very first sentence: “… then dish dish is to be avoided…”[sic]

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