Bulalo 1.0

Our family's Bulalo has carrots which are more commonly seen in Nilaga. Say what you want, it's my favourite bit of the soup. Timing is everything, if cooked right carrots will be soft, soaked in salty flavour yet still lingeringly sweet. I like to eat mine with the rice swimming in sabaw (soup).

Time

About 3 hours, if you have a pressure cooker it'll cut down your cooking time to an hour.

Ingredients

Meat

• 1kg of chuck steak
• 1kg of spine and1 kg of bone marrow cut to expose the least amount of marrow

Veg

• 1 onion
• 9 cloves of garlic skin on
• Spring onion - green ends only
• 2-3cm chunk of ginger

I personally prefer it without ginger, but if you're into the aromats like my lola keep it in.

• Chinese cabbage

Half a head to start, you can always add more

• Corn to your liking

I'm a big fan so have at least 4 ears worth

• 8 potatoes
• 8 carrots

Seasonings

• Salt
• Pepper (whole black peppercorns)
• Patis (fish sauce) is to used like a condiment while eating

Serve with

• 4 cups of jasmine rice, serves 6

1. Grab your biggest pot, put in all the meat.
2. Peel and cut in half your onion and add to the pot.
3. Separate 9 cloves of garlic add to the pot skin on.

According to dad the more garlic the tastier and fragrant the broth.

1. Add a knob of ginger, about 2-3cm. It softens the beefy flavour and makes the broth more aromatic as it boils.
2. For every kilo of meet, add 1 tablespoon of salt and 10-15 peppercorns. For our recipe, we'll add 3 tablespoons and 45 peppercorns to start.

You can always add more to your taste as it cooks.

1. Fill the pot with water so that all the meat is covered. If there's still room in the pot you can add an extra 10cm pot height.
2. Set it on a steady boil for about 2.5 hours. If you're using a pressure cooker, this will cut time to about an hour.
3. At the 2 hour mark (or at 30 mins with a pressure cooker), cook your rice according to your preferred method.
4. Once it's boiled for 2.5 hours (or the pressure cooker is done), you can test whether the meats ready by by taking a piece out and seeing if it's easily pulled apart with a fork. If so time to add 8 potatoes and carrots.

At this point the bulalo may taste saltier than expected by the addition of the vegetables will soak up this salt and flavour them nicely.

1. As the veg cooks, skim off the fatty layer at the top of the soup to your liking.
2. In the meantime cut the chinese cabbage into half, then into 4 pieces.
3. After 10 mins add in the corn, you can add the whole ear or half ear to make it easier to eat.
4. Also add in the half head of cabbage to the pot and continue to cook for another 10 mins. The cabbage will become an alluring vibrant green. Cook it so there's still a 'bite' to the cabbage.
5. Serve while warm, borderline hot with rice. Patis (fish sauce) is put on a side saucer to be added to each subo (mouthful). It's not a must, but it's saltiness, acidic, fishiness really compliments the broth.