SAWCLicious: Filipino Beef Stew (Nilagang Baka)

Notice that I've been posting a number of entries related to soup? I love soup and is always something I need to start with for a meal. Let me share another Filipino recipe called Nilagang Baka. Essentially, it is just a beef stew cooked with cabbage and other vegetables.

Filipino Beef Stew a,k.a. Nilagang Baka

Ingredients

• 1 kilo of beef brisket or osso buco (bulalo part)
• 4-5 pcs. of potatoes peeled and halved
• 3 pcs. carrots sliced in 2-3 inches in length
• 1/2 pc. of cabbage quartered
• 1 large onion diced
• 10 whole peppercorns
• 2-3 tbsp. of fish sauce
• salt & pepper
• 4 tbsp. corn oil
• Optional: 2-3 pcs. of corn halved and tomatoes.

Procedure

1. In a big pot, heat oil and saute onion until it becomes translucent and soft.
2. Add the beef and cook for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the fish sauce, corn, and whole peppercorns.
3. Pour the water to the pot and bring to a boil. Then simmer in low heat for 2 hours.
4. After 2 hours, taste the soup and if bland, add more fish sauce or salt. At this time, add the carrots and  potatoes. Let it simmer for another 30 minutes to 1 hour.
5. Add the cabbage and simmer for 10 minutes.

When cooking beef stew, it is always good to simmer in low heat for more hours. This is the trick to make the beef very soft in a way that it almost melts in your mouth and to have the broth really tasty. Sometimes, if not in a hurry, I would even simmer for 5-6 hours.