With the cool season now in the country, never miss out a heartwarming bowl of hot Bulalo or beef shank soup especially when in Tagaytay, Cavite.
It is an original Filipino beef stew cooked with beef shanks and marrow bones. With simple ingredients, the traditional Bulalo dish is definitely a great dish that’s easy to prepare. The beef shank is simmered in hot water with onions, leeks, salt or patis (fish sauce) and pepper until meat is tender and collagen has melted and mixed into the clear broth. Add more water if necessary, then if the dish tastes flat or bitter add more spices, a pinch of salt or a few drops of patis. Finally, corn cubs cut into segments, chunks of potatoes, and greens – Chinese cabbage and green beans, are added then altogether the dish is boiled for about 5 minutes.
Other versions in cooking Bulalo may sometimes include chunks of saging na saba (banana cardava) for a bit of sweetness while others substitute potatoes with sweet potatoes. Filipinos are known for creating various adaptation of a certain dish and recently one of the countries’ young chefs has given this dish a new twist – Sinigang na Bulalo with red grapes. Beef shanks were cooked with the sampaloc (tamarind) and instead of having the traditional saba, the grapes were used to gave the soup a sweet taste. Since this dish is quite popular throughout the country, perhaps every Filipino has its own adaptation of the Bulalo.
Many claim that the dish originated from Tagaytay’s neighboring province – Batangas, where cattle-raising is among the leading industry in southern Luzon region. Its vast grasslands and fair atmosphere has become an ideal setting for raising livestock and even poultry. However, with Tagaytay’s naturally cool climate, Bulalo has marked itself as the perfect dish in this province.
Bulalo is a testament to the Filipinos’ love for food. Every place in the Philippines has something uniquely delicious to offer, making the country a great food-trip destination. Don’t forget to make a quick stop at the fresh fruit and vegetable stalls along the roads and take home Tagaytay’s newly harvested pineapples. And just before you hit the road to the metro; consider grabbing a must-try beverage in Tagaytay – a hot coffee alamid at the Bag of Beans.
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