093/365 - Bulalo

My first ever attempt, with some special help from Maica, at cooking bulalo. Not bad.

I've been wanting to make some bulalo (boiled beef shanks?) for quite some time now. I thought today was the perfect time to cook some since it was raining hard. Unfortunately the rains stopped around lunchtime. But that did not stop me from trying to create my first batch.

My first attempt at bulalo tasted pretty good. I learned a lot from my experience. Here are some of the lessons I learned:

1. Add more water than what you want. I was simmering the meat too long and the broth sort of dried up. Maica and I had to add some more water and re-season with patis (fish sauce). It was a shame since the broth before adding more water tasted better than the finished product.
2. Start cooking around four hours before you plan to eat. I started cooking around 4:30pm and we ate a little past seven. The meat could have taken a few more minutes to simmer so that it would be even more tender.
3. The corn should be added relatively early to add flavor to the broth. Our broth tasted way better after the corn was added and left to simmer with the beef.
4. Add the bok choy last, but give it time to simmer also. Our broth tasted even better once the bok choy was given a chance to add its' flavor.

And there you have it. I'd give myself a solid B for my first attempt to cook bulalo. Not bad, considering I only watched youtube videos on how to cook it. Then again, it really isn't a complicated dish to begin with.

Out.