Filipino Mami

Beef mami is a Filipino-Chinese noodle soup. Vanjo Merano’s selected version brings tender beef brisket and egg noodles together in a seasoned broth, with Chinese cabbage, sliced boiled eggs and green onions completing the bowl.

Minced garlic and onion sauté in cooking oil before the brisket is added and browned on the outside. A beef cube and star anise follow, then water is poured in and brought to a boil.

The beef cooks in the liquid until tender. Salt and pepper season the soup, while the already cooked egg noodles and chopped Chinese cabbage are arranged in a serving bowl.

The soup and brisket are poured over the noodles and cabbage. Sliced hard-boiled eggs and chopped green onions form the garnish, and this version is served hot.

Merano describes beef mami as a meal sold in small eateries called mamihan or pares houses. Siopao can be served alongside it, adding a separate bun to the beef-and-noodle meal.