Bulalo

Bulalo is a Filipino beef-shank soup. Vanjo Merano’s Batangas version uses meat with extra bones, red onions and a clear broth, finished over cabbage and baby bok choy. He describes the slowly cooked meat as very tender.

Beef shank and bones simmer in water under a lid for the first hour. Floating scum and oil are lifted away before sliced red onions, whole peppercorns, salt and fish sauce enter the pot.

The covered soup continues cooking for three hours. This selected version keeps the shank and bones central, with rock salt chosen from the recipe’s rock-salt or coarse-sea-salt options.

Cabbage and bok choy leaves are arranged in a large serving bowl. The meat and bones sit above them, and hot soup is ladled over the meat. A separate dip combines chilli peppers, fish sauce and lemon or calamansi.

The onions and seasonings flavour the clear, long-cooked broth rather than a thick sauce. The citrus-and-chilli dip supplies a separate sharp finish alongside the beef, while the leafy vegetables lie beneath the meat and broth.