My One Mistake in Cooking Bulalo (Beef Shank Soup)

Beef shank soup or Bulalo is among the easiest Filipino dish which is why it makes me so frustrated that I can't properly cook one.

My mother's bulalo is the best for me. The soup is savory and the beef meat is very tender. It's a simple and common dish, yet it felt special when my mother cooks it. One thing which makes us excited for this dish is the bone marrow. We both love bone marrow!

You know, they say bone marrow is bad for our health but there's actually one doctor who recommends patients to include it on their diet. This doctor promotes organic foods to aide the patient's recovery, which I think is good, instead of relying solely on meds.

Sorry, I digress. So my mother makes the perfect bulalo and it frustrates me that the bulalo I cook isn't on par with hers. Since 2022, I've only attempted to cook this dish twice because the meat always ends up hard. It's disappointing that I almost gave up-that my only way to eat a decent bulalo is to order at a restaurant.

Well, not until last month where I was really craving it. I convinced myself that I should give it another try. If it ends up good then I'd be so happy, if not, then maybe I should stop and give up.

I searched for recipes online and tried to follow it correctly. I know bulalo takes time to cook to make the meat tender. And silly me, because on my previous two trials, I only cook the meat for an hour. I didn't know it was only applicable when cook it in a pressure cooker. If you're using a stove, you should cook it for at least two hours. This is why my mother would begin cooking it around four in the afternoon. She also adds a spoon to help tenderize the meat. I don't know if adding a spoon really helps.

I forgot to buy cabbage and banana, sadly. My mother would never forget these ingredients! Anyway, I believe that there's always a room for improvement. Maybe I won't forget it next time!

I let the dish simmer for more than two hours and true enough, the meat became tender. I was surprised and quite in disbelief that I finally succeeded making bulalo. Finally, an edible bulalo! Lol! I also included some red chili for some spicy taste.

So, I congratulate myself for this success attempt. 🎉 It may mean little for you but this was such a huge achievement for me in the kitchen as this is a dish my mother and I love to eat. Knowing how to cook it properly really means a lot to me. ♡