Nilagang Baka Recipe

For a dish you can directly translate into English with the phrase “boiled beef,” you probably wouldn’t expect Nilagang Baka to be a delicious balance of flavors. From the soft and satisfying texture of baby bok choy to the ever tender and rich cubes of beef sirloin, this recipe only intermingles the best ingredients for an ever comforting dish. Perhaps one of the reasons why it is so popular is because like many other famous Filipino recipes, it puts together a good deal of meat, vegetables and stew.

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By: Vanjo Merano 14 Comments Updated: 9/6/24

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But one of the major factors of appeal for Nilagang Baka is that it boasts a generally mild flavor that is far from overpowering. While a great deal of savory Filipino dishes show off a strong taste, this has subtle notes of savor in its beef broth, salt and pepper. It makes use of sim ple seasonings to bring the best out of its many ingredients.

How to Cook

The steps are simple, but will take a bit more time at around 1 hour and 22 minutes. This is largely because we have to get our beef beautifully tender by keeping it in the pot for a while. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, and instead start preparing our station.

Boil the aromatics

Begin by pouring 4 cups of water and 4 cups of beef broth into a large cooking pot. Wait for this to boil, then you can put 1 large white onion that you’ve cut into halves. Also add 2 pieces of star anise, and 4 celery stalks you’ve chopped

Once these ingredients have found their way in, you can take your heat down to medium. Then cover your pot. For 20 more minutes, we’ll let this boil so the flavors sink in nicely. Afterwards, take your onions, star anise, and chopped celery out of the pot. Use a strainer or a skimmer for this to make sure you don’t take out the broth. Feel free to scrap these ingredients

Add the beef and simmer until tender

Now we’ll be getting to the meat of this dish by incorporating 2 lbs. of cubed beef sirloin into the pot. Let this simmer for about 60 to 90 minutes, or at least until you get your beef nice and soft. As you are doing this, you can keep pouring more water if the liquid is running out, and your beef is yet to be tenderized. Once you’ve gotten the sirloin soft, you can add your 6 Saba bananas that are cut into halves, as well as 4 baking potatoes you’ve quartered. Cook this together for 10 more minutes.

Add bok choy and season with salt and pepper

And for a couple of last touches, we’ll be placing 2 bunches of baby bok choy or pechay inside. Also add 1 small cabbage that is chopped up. Then add some salt and pepper to your taste, and stir your mixture thoroughly. Place a cover on top of your pot for a while with the heat turned off. We will wait for the vegetables to cook for about 2 to 5 minutes more with our cover on top

After that, you’re all done! The only thing you’ll need to do is take your serving bowl of choice, and place this beautiful Nilagang Baka dish inside for eating.

Alternative Ingredients

Beef sirloin

Using beef for our dish definitely gives it a rich, immense flavor that complements the stew well. But if you’re looking for a milder, but also meaty and filling alternative, you can always turn to pork instead! Not only is this a more affordable option, but it is still very agreeable to the palate without overwhelming it with a stronger taste. After all, Nilagang Baboy is almost as famous a Filipino dish, proving how well this can work as a substitute

And if you’d like to go the healthier route, you can replace the sirloin with some chicken. This provides your dish with a good deal of protein with less cholesterol content. It also works to lighten the flavor of your dish as a white meat ingredient with a more neutral flavor. As such, you can expect the chicken to take to the seasonings of the dish better.

Star anise

This ingredient adds a factor of light bitterness and sweetness to Nilagang Baka. But despite the subtlety in taste, it is an essential component that livens up the dish’s flavor.

Origin of Nilagang Baka

Nilagang Baka is a dish that people have been cooking for quite a long time. In fact, it arrived in the Philippines even before the colonial era, as Austronesians introduced the technique of boiling food. And as such, people thought to boil their beef, and integrate a couple of spices. To build the entire meal, they also added vegetables such as potatoes, cabbage and onions, all of which we still use in today’s recipe

But the general beginnings of boiled beef actually had to do with the price of the beef cut. Because the tougher parts of the cow were more affordable, the peasant class from Asia, Europe and America usually utilized this type of meat. They also found that these parts that were bonier created a richer broth, thus leading to dishes like Bulalo, Puchero and of course, Nilagang Baka

This is a dish that we now usually like to serve with some soy sauce or patis for an added saltiness, as well as the always essential cup of rice. Sometimes we also like to squeeze some calamansi on top to make it a bit tangier. But at the end of the day, you can count on Nilagang Baka to be a perfectly delicious standalone dish too

Now here comes the fun part— concocting some of this light, but satisfying stew.

How did you feel about this Nilagang Baka recipe? The comments are always open for any feedback and suggestions you might have. Let’s keep the kitchen conversation going!

Watch How to Cook Nilagang Baka

Vanjo Merano

Vanjo Merano is the creator of PanlasangPinoy.com. His goal is to introduce Filipino Food and Filipino Cuisine to the rest of the world. This blog was the first step that he took.

Nilagang Baka Recipe