Filipino Bulalo Beef Shank Soup (Printable)

Hearty Filipino soup with beef shank, bone marrow, and vegetables in a rich clear broth.

# What you need:

→ Meats

01 - 3.3 lbs beef shank, bone-in with marrow
02 - 1 lb beef bone marrow bones (optional, for extra richness)

→ Vegetables

03 - 2 ears corn, cut into 3–4 pieces each
04 - 1 medium onion, quartered
05 - 1 medium carrot, cut into large chunks
06 - 9 oz baby potatoes, halved
07 - 1 small head napa cabbage, cut into large pieces
08 - 1 small bunch green beans, trimmed
09 - 2–3 saba (plantain) bananas, peeled & sliced in halves (optional)

→ Spices & Seasonings

10 - 10 cups water
11 - 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
12 - 2 tablespoons fish sauce (patis), plus more to taste
13 - Salt, to taste

→ Garnish

14 - Chopped scallions, for serving
15 - Calamansi or lemon wedges, for serving

# Directions:

01 - Place beef shank and marrow bones in a large stockpot. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off any scum and impurities that rise to the surface.
02 - Reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Add quartered onion, whole black peppercorns, and fish sauce. Cover and cook for 2 hours, or until beef is fork-tender and broth has developed rich flavor.
03 - Add halved baby potatoes and carrot chunks to the simmering broth. Cook for 10 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
04 - Add corn pieces and sliced plantains (if using) along with trimmed green beans. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes until corn is tender and green beans are crisp-tender.
05 - Stir in napa cabbage pieces and cook just until wilted, about 2–3 minutes. Avoid overcooking to maintain texture and vibrant color.
06 - Taste the broth and adjust seasoning with additional salt or fish sauce as needed. Serve hot in bowls, generously topped with chopped scallions. Accompany with calamansi or lemon wedges for squeezing over the soup.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The bone marrow melts into the broth creating an unexplainable richness that no restaurant can match
  • This soup actually gets better overnight making it the ultimate meal prep MVP
  • Everything cooks in one pot so your only real work is patience and occasional skimming
02 -
  • Parboiling the beef for 5 minutes then discarding that water and starting fresh creates the clearest most restaurant-worthy broth
  • The marrow might fall out of the bones during long simmering which is actually perfect because it melts into the soup
  • Adding vegetables too early is the most common mistake that turns this beautiful soup into mushy disappointment
03 -
  • Ask your butcher to cut the shank across the bone so you get those signature cross-sections showing the marrow inside
  • If the broth looks too greasy at the end chill it and remove the fat layer then reheat before serving

Go Back