Retiro Beef Pares with Chicharon Bulaklak

This recipe for Retiro Beef Pares lets you in on how a famous restaurant in the Philippines makes its most popular menu item that gets people lining up!

The Filipino Restaurant Retiro Beef Pares with Chicharon Bulaklak

The restaurant that inspired this recipe has apparently been operating since the 1970s. And back then, the street you could find the establishment in was called Retiro, hence the name of the dish. But now, the original branch actually sits on N.S. Amoranto Street in Quezon City.

Some say this restaurant is also responsible for having made pares as popular as it is today. That’s because this is not your ordinary kind of pares; it’s pleasantly sweet and the flavor of the star anise truly shines here. The thickness of the stew is just right too, which perfectly complements our smooth, tender cuts of beef.

And the meal would not be complete without heaps of hot garlic fried rice, as well as some crispy chicharon bulaklak!

How to Cook Retiro Beef Pares with Chicharon Bulaklak

Let me give you a heads up that this may feel like three separate dishes– our chicharon bulaklak, fried rice, and beef pares. And so if you’re in the mood to cook just one of these three, good news because you have all the steps right here!

Chicharon Bulaklak

1. Start making the chicharon bulaklak by washing the ruffle fat thoroughly. Rub 2 tablespoons of salt all over it. Arrange in a cooking pot and then pour 1 quart of water. Add 5 pieces bay leaves. Cover the pot and let it boil. Once it boils, set the heat between low to medium. Continue boiling until the water evaporates completely. By this time the ruffle fat should have been tender. Remove the cover, discard the bay leaves, and continue cooking until fat slowly renders. You will notice a good amount of oil forming. Continue frying the ruffle fat in its own oil until it becomes crispy. 

Fried Rice

1. Make the toasted garlic. This will be used for the fried rice and as a topping to the beef pares. Pour ½ cup of cooking oil and then add the minced 2 heads of garlic right away. Turn on the heat medium setting. Slowly cook the garlic as the oil heats-up while stirring gently. Continue until garlic turns golden brown. Separate the browned garlic from the garlic oil. Both ingredients will be used later.
2. Make the fried rice by heating ¼ cup of garlic oil. Add half the amount of the cooked rice (preferably leftover). Stir fry this for 1 minute. Add the remaining half and continue to stir fry for 3 minutes. Adding the rice by batch (half at a time) will make it easier for you to manage. Pour the soy sauce and then toss until the rice gets coated evenly. Season with salt and add 1 tablespoon of browned garlic. Set aside.

Beef Pares

1. Cook the beef pares by combining beef and 1 quart water in a pressure cooker. Seal the lid and then pressure cook for 12 minutes. Depressurize the cooker and set the beef along with the liquid aside. Heat the remaining garlic oil in a wide cooking pot. Saute the ginger for 2 minutes. Add the garlic. Sauté it for 1 minute. Pour the beef along with the stock. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, and star anise. Cover the pot and let it boil. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking for 20 minutes. Add the brown sugar and beef powder. Adjust the flavor based on your preference then combine cornstarch and ½ cup water. Mix it well and pour into the pot. Stir until the sauce thickens.
2. Transfer your beef pares, fried rice, and chicharon bulaklak to their respective serving bowls/plates and serve with toasted garlic and chopped green onions. 
3. Serve. Share and enjoy!

What to Serve with Retiro Beef Pares with Chicharon Bulaklak

As you can see, we already have the perfect trio for this meal with the rice, pares, and chicharon. But you could also make this a bit more nutritious and filling by integrating some Easy Grilled Vegetables. And how about another ulam for our tasty fried rice? I would mix in some Crispy Fried Chicken too if I were you. The light savor is perfect alongside our rich beef pares stew.

And just to keep you cool amid the hot weather and these equally hot dishes, Sago at Gulaman would be the perfect drink for you! But before you get to chowing down, don’t forget to leave a comment below if you have any questions.

Watch How to Cook Retiro Pares with Chicharon Bulaklak

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Retiro Beef Pares with Chicharon Bulaklak

Prep: 15 minutes minutes

Cook: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

Beef Pares ingredients:

• ▢ 4 lbs. beef shank sliced large diced
• ▢ 5 thumbs ginger minced
• ▢ 10 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon beef powder
• ▢ 5 pieces star anise
• ▢ ½ cup soy sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• ▢ ¾ cup brown sugar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ▢ 2 quarts water

Fried rice ingredients:

• ▢ ½ cup cooking oil
• ▢ 2 heads garlic minced
• ▢ 5 cups cooked rice
• ▢ 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt

Chicharon Bulaklak ingredients:

• ▢ 2 lbs. pork ruffle fat
• ▢ 5 dried bay leaves
• ▢ 2 tablespoons salt
• ▢ 1 quart water

Instructions

• Start making the chicharon bulaklak by washing the ruffle fat thoroughly. Rub 2 tablespoons of salt all over it. Arrange in a cooking pot and then pour 1 quart of water. Add 5 pieces bay leaves. Cover the pot and let it boil. Once it boils, set the heat between low to medium. Continue boiling until the water evaporates completely. By this time the ruffle fat should have been tender. Remove the cover, discard the bay leaves, and continue cooking until fat slowly renders. You will notice a good amount of oil forming. Continue frying the ruffle fat in its own oil until it becomes crispy.
  2 lbs. pork ruffle fat, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 quart water, 5 dried bay leaves
• Make the toasted garlic. This will be used for the fried rice and as a topping to the beef pares. Pour ½ cup of cooking oil and then add the minced 2 heads of garlic right away. Turn on the heat medium setting. Slowly cook the garlic as the oil heats-up while stirring gently. Continue until garlic turns golden brown. Separate the browned garlic from the garlic oil. Both ingredients will be used later.
  2 heads garlic, ½ cup cooking oil
• Make the fried rice by heating ¼ cup of garlic oil. Add half the amount of the cooked rice (preferably leftover). Stir fry this for 1 minute. Add the remaining half and continue to stir fry for 3 minutes. Adding the rice by batch (half at a time) will make it easier for you to manage. Pour the soy sauce and then toss until the rice gets coated evenly. Season with salt and add 1 tablespoon of browned garlic. Set aside.
  5 cups cooked rice, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon salt
• Cook the beef pares by combining beef and 1 quart water in a pressure cooker. Seal the lid and then pressure cook for 12 minutes. Depressurize the cooker and set the beef along with the liquid aside. Heat the remaining garlic oil in a wide cooking pot. Saute the ginger for 2 minutes. Add the garlic. Sauté it for 1 minute. Pour the beef along with the stock. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, and star anise. Cover the pot and let it boil. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking for 20 minutes. Add the brown sugar and beef powder. Adjust the flavor based on your preference then combine cornstarch and ½ cup water. Mix it well and pour into the pot. Stir until the sauce thickens.
  4 lbs. beef shank, 5 thumbs ginger, 10 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon beef powder, 5 pieces star anise, ½ cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, ¾ cup brown sugar, 2 quarts water, 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• Transfer your beef pares, fried rice, and chicharon bulaklak to their respective serving bowls/plates and serve with toasted garlic and chopped green onions.
• Serve. Share and enjoy!

Notes

1. Spice level – Do you like dishes with a kick to them? If so, I’m sad to say that this recipe is not a spicy one. But you could try incorporating some chili garlic sauce to add some heat!
2. Sweetness level – This kind of pares truly is known for its sugary quality. And so expect a lot of sweetness in the meat and the stew. Feel free to adjust the amount of brown sugar you put in the dish depending on how sweet you like your pares.
3. Cooked rice – For this, we really prefer rice that is not newly cooked. Simply refrigerate some of your rice overnight, and then use this the next day for a perfect bowl of garlic fried rice!
4. Beef shank – Unable to find some beef shank at the market? You can still try this recipe with other kinds of meat, such as brisket and short ribs. And for vegans, you could even try creating pares with tofu instead.
5. Brown sugar – It’s best that we get the sweet and somewhat smoky taste of brown sugar. But you may also try using honey and maple syrup as alternatives.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 3180kcal (159%) Carbohydrates: 114g (38%) Protein: 117g (234%) Fat: 248g (382%) Saturated Fat: 81g (405%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 32g Monounsaturated Fat: 121g Trans Fat: 0.1g Cholesterol: 306mg (102%) Sodium: 7128mg (297%) Potassium: 2260mg (65%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 41g (46%) Vitamin A: 48IU (1%) Vitamin C: 8mg (10%) Calcium: 234mg (23%) Iron: 14mg (78%)

© copyright: Vanjo Merano