Bulalo: Instant Pot Filipino Beef Shank Soup

Bulalo is a classic Filipino dish with beef shanks, corn on the cob, and cabbage as ingredients. I don’t always have corn on the cob or cabbage in my refrigerator because they spoil easily, but I always have carrots and potatoes because they last a longer time. Carrots and potatoes are more associated with another classic Filipino dish, Nilagang Baka, which is similar to Bulalo but just uses plain beef and not beef shanks. Since I like beef shanks, but I only have carrots and potatoes, I call this version, Nilagang Bulalo.

Beef shanks are very tasty portions of the cow that are a little bit expensive in Madrid. They call it “rabo” here. At first, I didn’t really see what the big deal was about beef shanks, but when I compared it to the taste of regular lean beef, beef shanks were divine (if cooked well)!

I’ve made beef shanks braised with red wine, and they are good, but I’m Filipino and I miss Filipino food sometimes. So, when I got my fish sauce here in Madrid, I was so excited to start cooking Bulalo, a traditional Filipino dish made of beef shanks. Since beef shanks are a little bit expensive here, I added some regular cuts of lean beef to make the dish more economical. Cooked in the Instant Pot, it is amazing! Beef shank needs time to cook to get melt in your mouth soft, and the Instant Pot is the perfect tool for it. As I’ve previously said, if you still don’t have an Instant Pot, you need to buy one now! It will change your life. It has been a game changer for me in the kitchen.

This Bulalo dish gets even better the night you make it or the even next day because it allows the flavors to meld. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. It’s pressure cooked twice: first for the beef, and second for the vegetables. It’s a very easy dish because you just put the ingredients there and forget about it. As previously mentioned, the traditional Filipino dish, Bulalo, doesn’t have eggs and includes cabbage and corn. But, since I usually just buy vegetables that can last for a long time, I don’t normally buy cabbage in the market but will always have carrots and potatoes on hand. My children also like seeing something familiar, so I try to always put eggs in my dishes. I slice my eggs using this nifty little tool. It’s cheap and it does the job.

I just put all the ingredients inside the Instant Pot (without sauteing it), pressure cook it for 45 minutes, do a natural release for as long as I can (at least 25 minutes), put the carrots and potatoes, then pressure cook again for another 3 minutes, let it release naturally again (at least 5 minutes), put the eggs and keep it on saute mode for 7 minutes (to make the hard boiled eggs), and it’s done. I know it sounds like a lot, but it’s really easy, because most of the time, you’re just letting the Instant Pot do the work while you can do other things (like work!). I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Instant Pot Bulalo (Filipino Beef Shank Soup)

A classic Filipino dish of beef shanks, made in the Instant Pot, for a melt-in-your mouth flavor!

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Equipment

• Instant Pot

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb beef shank
• 1 lb beef cut into squares
• 1 pc beef cube
• 8 cups water
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 pc large onion sliced into wedges
• 1 pc large potato cut into squares
• 3 pcs medium carrots cut into large pieces
• 1 tbsp whole peppercorn
• salt to taste
• 4 pcs eggs

Instructions

 

• Put the beef shank, beef squares, beef cube, water, fish sauce, onion, and peppercorn in the Instant Pot. Set on pressure cook for 45 minutes. Once done, let it naturally release for another 25 minutes, and then do a quick release.
• Open the lid, and put the carrots and potatoes. Pressure cook again for 3 minutes. Once done, let it naturally release for at least 5 minutes, then do a quick release for the remaining amount of pressure.
• Open the lid and add salt, to taste.
• Click on saute mode, put the eggs in, and leave it in the Instant Pot for 7 minutes.
• Once done, turn off the Instant Pot, take out the eggs and let cool. Pell the eggs and slice.
• Assemble the dish by putting one beef shank, several beef squares, carrots, potatoes, and egg slices in a bowl with some soup broth. Enjoy.