A Spanish-inspired dish known for its slow cooking process until the meat is tender and almost fall-off the bone, making the soup so hearty and flavorful!
Serves 6 to 7.
INGREDIENTS:
Set A:
- 1 kilogram beef shank, cut into large cubes
- 2 pieces chorizo de Bilbao or Pamplona, sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 piece large white onion, quartered
- 5 cups water
Set B:
- 2 pieces medium potatoes or sweet potatoes, halved
- 2-3 pieces saba bananas, cut diagonally in half
- 1 ear corn, cut into 4 pieces
- 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
- Fish sauce, to taste
Set C:
- 1 small can garbanzos
- 6 pieces sitaw (long beans), cut into 3-inch lengths
- ½ medium cabbage, halved, core intact
- 4 bunches native pechay
For the Eggplant Dip:
- 2 pieces grilled eggplants
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 piece small onion, minced
- 4 tablespoons vinegar
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Chef Tatung’s Tips:
- To achieve the tenderness of the beef, you have to cook it long enough.The quality of the meat greatly affects the cooking time of this recipe.
- You can replace beef chunks with beef shanks (bulalo) to have a succulent bone marrow and tendons at the end, but you also have to double the portion of beef as half of the weight will just be bones. Also, adjust the cooking time and volume of water.
- You can double the portion of onions and sauté them until caramelized. This gives your soup a richer flavor.
- You can transform this dish into Ropa Vieja (old woman’s clothes), a classic Spanish dish made with left-over beef soup obtained by adding tomato sauce into what was left-over from this recipe.