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Home Recipes

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 nilagang baka

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

nilagang baka recipe

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.

nilagang baka recipe panlasang pinoy

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.

nilagang baka

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!

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag us on Instagram at @panlasangpinoy or hashtag #panlasangpinoy so we can see your creations!

how to cook nilagang baka
4.50 from 4 votes

Nilagang Baka Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes minutes
Cook: 1 hour hour 12 minutes minutes
Total: 1 hour hour 22 minutes minutes
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Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. beef sirloin cubed
  • 2 bunches baby bok choy or pechay
  • 1 piece cabbage
  • 6 pieces Saba banana halved
  • 4 pieces baking potato quartered
  • 1 piece white onion halved
  • 4 staks celery chopped
  • 1 piece star anise optional
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 4 cups water
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Combine the water and beef broth in a large cooking pot. Bring to a boil.
  • Add the onion, star anise, and celery. Reduce the heat in medium. Cover the pot and continue to boil for 20 minutes.
  • Remove the onion, star anise, and celery from the boiling liquid using a skimmer or a strainer. You can discard these ingredients.
  • Add the beef. Simmer for 60 to 90 minutes or until the beef becomes tender. You can add more water if necessary.
  • Put-in the saba banana and potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes.
  • Add the bok choy and cabbage. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Stir.
  • Cover and turn the heat off. Let the pot stay with cover-on for 2 to 5 minutes to cook the vegetables.
  • Transfer to a serving bowl.
  • Serve. Share and enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Serving: 6g Calories: 243kcal (12%) Carbohydrates: 11g (4%) Protein: 36g (72%) Fat: 6g (9%) Saturated Fat: 2g (10%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 83mg (28%) Sodium: 720mg (30%) Potassium: 890mg (25%) Fiber: 4g (16%) Sugar: 6g (7%) Vitamin A: 168IU (3%) Vitamin C: 57mg (69%) Calcium: 111mg (11%) Iron: 4mg (22%)
© copyright: Vanjo Merano

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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.

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Recipe Rating




  1. Annie says

    Posted on 3/24/17 at 6:12 am

    Chef ok lang po ba kahit ndi na lagyan ng anise thank u po

    Reply
  2. Alribman says

    Posted on 2/24/17 at 12:27 am

    Sorry I can’t speak Tagalog. Do u ever brown and sear the beef first to add a deeper roast flavour a la euro techniques? I imagine this way it has a cleaner more delicate flavour. I have to admit it’s very tempting to brown it. Love bulalo and this seems similar. Thanks!

    Reply
  3. Samuel Marino says

    Posted on 11/14/16 at 7:43 am

    dabest talaga mga lutoin mo ser madami na akong nagaya sa mga luto mo salamat po,

    more power po

    Reply
  4. April says

    Posted on 9/20/16 at 8:18 pm

    Pwede po patatas lang? And ano po pwede substitute sa beef broth cubes? Thanks!

    Reply
  5. John says

    Posted on 8/19/16 at 9:06 pm

    3 stars
    Sir sana tagalog po ung terms ng recipe kasi pinoy po tayo e.. un lang po nalilito po kasi ako sa ibang recipe simpleng pinoy lang naman ako wala masyado alam sa culinary

    Reply
    • Vanjo Merano says

      Posted on 8/19/16 at 11:58 pm

      John -- pasensya na kung hindi natin nagawang i-tagalog lahat ng pointers dito. Nais ko lang na maintindihan ito ng mga banyaga upang masubukan nila ang ating lutuin. Siguro ay sapat na na na Tagalog ang ating mga videos. Baka naman maaari akong makiusap sa iyo na paki Google translate ang ating mga recipes.

      Kung mayroon kang katanungan, huwag kang magatubili na kunin ang aking atensyon.

      Reply
  6. Khim gold says

    Posted on 7/31/16 at 4:36 pm

    5 stars
    Hello i would like to try this one i have all the recipes saids here except the beef broth cubes may i know what are the alternative cubes can i put instead of beef if possible?

    Reply
  7. Mia says

    Posted on 3/15/15 at 4:38 pm

    What can we substitute for Saba banana if it’s not available in out area?

    Reply
    • Vanjo Merano says

      Posted on 3/15/15 at 9:47 pm

      You can use plantains.

      Reply
  8. mark joseph says

    Posted on 1/28/15 at 2:15 am

    i also cook this recipe earlier..and we loved it

    Reply
  9. Rinsky says

    Posted on 1/22/15 at 4:30 am

    5 stars
    I tried this recipe awhile ago and my family loved it. It’s much better than what we eat in Tagaytay according to them. I just added some spices like cayenne powder for much added spicyness, a dash of turmeric for healthy spice, and strips of ginger. Not the usual bland nilaga we got used to eat when we were kids. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  10. manuel says

    Posted on 1/20/15 at 7:58 pm

    5 stars
    I am a beginner in cooking, my wife said it’s way better than the one we had in one of the Filipino restaurant in our area!!!

    Reply
    • Vanjo Merano says

      Posted on 1/21/15 at 8:23 am

      Great job, Manuel!

      Reply
  11. George gonzaga says

    Posted on 10/2/14 at 10:19 pm

    Do you have recipe on how to make guava jelly pinoy style

    Reply

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As a huge fan of Filipino food, it is my goal to teach people how to cook it using the simplest way possible. Prepare your taste buds for an ultimate showdown of delectable Filipino dishes! Read more…

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