Bulalo (Filipino Bone 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.

Watch the Bulalo Recipe Video Below!

Growing up I always got confused with the term Bulalo and Nilaga to the point where I initially thought they meant the same thing. I’d come home to my parents having cooked a stew made with beef, corn, and cabbage, and I’d assume it was either one of those.

The difference between the two is simply all to do with the marrow. If there’s marrow, you have bulalo, and if there’s none, then it’s nilaga.

Of the two, I couldn’t say I preferred one over the other. I will say that bulalo is slightly more indulgent, as the addition of marrow allowed the fats to melt directly into the soup, making it both rich and fattier.

Part of the fun is sometimes eating parts of the marrow still left inside the bone as a treat (if you’re lucky that it hasn’t fallen off during cooking).

Taste-wise, the broth is savory, beefy, and overall fairly mellow in flavor. It’s a light soup meant to showcase the fattiness of the marrow and natural flavor of the bones. Traditionally, it’s served with a side of fish sauce mixed with calamansi as a condiment to further enhance the dish.

What is Bulalo?

Bulalo is one of the many soup dishes in the Philippines, which features chunks of tender beef and rich bone marrow simmered in a light, flavorful stock.

It typically includes leafy greens (e.g., bokchoy, cabbage), sweet corn, and sometimes chunks of hearty potatoes and/or Saba bananas for a touch of sweetness.

As with many Filipino dishes, bulalo is most commonly eaten with a side of rice. It’s also normally paired with a side of fish sauce mixed with a touch of calamansi juice as a form of condiment.

History-wise, this dish can be traced to the provinces of Cavity and Batangas in the region of Southern Luzon, where bulalo was thought to have originated.

Ingredients (and substitutions!)

Beef shank: The most common and traditional cut of beef for bulalo is the shank. It comes from the lower leg of the cattle, which contains the meat surrounding the bone marrow in the centre.

• Substitutions: Other great alternatives for shank include beef short ribs or chucks. To make this a true bulalo, however, I’d recommend combining the cuts of beef with at least some cuts of pure bone marrow.

Beef soup bones: Depending on your grocery, these can be labelled as either “beef soup bones”, “stock bones”, or any other variation of a similar name. These are essentially bones cut from the upper leg, shank, neck, and/or knuckle of the cow that have very little meat.

While optional, these are highly recommend for making a good beef broth. This will make your soup darker and richer in flavor as opposed to just only using the shanks!

Salt, whole black pepper, onion, scallions: We only use a small handful of spices and aromatics for this soup in order to let the bone marrow and beef be the dominate flavor profile.

Fish sauce: This will add a depth of umami and saltiness to our broth. It will also be used as a condiment/dip when the bulalo is ready to serve.

• Substitutions: Fish sauce in this dish can simply be replaced with salt, though I’d recommend starting with about a teaspoon or two and going from there to avoid the soup being overly salty. Vegan fish sauce is also a great option. In a pinch, you could technically use soy sauce (I do sometimes use them interchangeably in some dishes). Though non-traditional, I’d imagine it would still taste great.

Beef bouillon: Some might call this cheating, but I would label it as enhancing. My mom and dad’s recipes typically call for beef bouillon to further intensify the savoriness and beefy taste of the soup.

• Substitutions: This can be omitted, if you’d like (some bulalo recipes won’t include this at all). I’d be careful to use other bouillon cubes (chicken, mushroom, pork), considering they might overpower the main taste of the beef.

Whole corn, green cabbage, bok choy: Corn adds a nice crunch and subtle sweetness to the dish. Cabbage and bokchoy are the leafy greens that make the soup even more filling. Traditionally, pechay (aka. snow cabbage or Chinese chard) is used in place of the bokchoy, though I could not find it in my city at the time of recipe testing.

• Substitutions: Corn may be omitted without altering the flavor of the dish too much. Because corn tends to be seasonal, you can either go for frozen cobs or even canned kernels. Green cabbage can be substituted with napa cabbage. Bok choy and pechay may be interchangeable, and you can replace it with any other leafy greens such as spinach, kale, or gai lan.

Instructions

Prepare the beef shanks and soup bones:

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.

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.

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).

Once rinsed, transfer the cleaned beef and bones into your clean pot.

Prepare the Bulalo:

To the beef and bones, add in the onion, white parts of the scallions, fish sauce, beef bouillon cube, whole black pepper, salt, and 8 cups of water.

Bring this to a boil, then let simmer covered over medium-low for about 1.5 – 2 hours until the beef is fork-tender.

Once tender, add in the corn cobs and let simmer for 5 minutes to soften.

Add in the green cabbage, bok choy, and green parts of the scallions. Let simmer for 5 more minutes to cook.

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.

Cooking Tips

Cook the beef shanks low and slow: Beef shanks can be tough if cooked too quickly as it contains lean meat, ligaments, fascia, and tendons. A slow simmer over low heat adequately softens up the protein fibres, making it more tender and easier to chew.

Parboiling gives you cleaner broth: The initial step to boiling the beef and skimming off the scum is more-so for aesthetic reasons, as it gives you a clearer-looking broth without any of the cloudy, lumpy, gritty bits that were extracted from the bones.

Add extra beef bones: A little extra flavor doesn’t hurt. More bones equal more flavor extracted, leading to a beefier soup.

Season to taste: In general, bulalo is supposed to savory and very mellow in taste. It’s typically served with a sauce made of fish sauce and calamansi to give it some saltiness and tang with every bite. You can always adjust the soup to taste with more fish sauce, salt, and/or ground black pepper if you’d like.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

How do I store leftovers?

Leftover bulalo can keep in the fridge for up to 5 days stored in an airtight container.

When chilled, the soup can become jelly-like due to the abundance of collagen extracted from the beef bones. To reheat, simply bring to a gentle boil over the stove or heat in the microwave until the soup is liquid in consistency and the beef is fully warmed-through.

The bone marrow keeps falling off, how do I keep it inside?

To keep the marrow inside the bone, be gentle with stirring and keep the soup at a low simmer (rather than a strong boil) to prevent agitating the fat from slipping out.

It’s really not the end of the world if the fat slips out of the bone. All it means is that the marrow dissolved into soup, making it more rich and tasty.

Can I cook this in a pressure cooker?

To speed up the cooking time of the shanks, you can pressure cook the beef for about 30 minutes or until fork-tender!

What’s the difference between Bulalo and Nilaga?

The difference has all to do with the beef. If the soup has beef and bone marrow, it’s Bulalo. If it doesn’t have marrow, it’s Nilaga.

Further, some versions of Nilaga will also include saba bananas, potatoes, and/or carrots, which are typically not included in a Bulalo recipe.

Looking for more hearty, comforting meals? Here’s a few you might enjoy:

• Kare-Kare (Filipino Peanut Oxtail Stew)
• Thai Chicken Satay
• Bistek (Filipino Beef Steak)
• Tan Tan Ramen (TanTanmen)