Beef Nilaga with Roasted Bone Marrow (Nilagang Baka)

This Filipino beef stew is hearty and full of flavor. The secret to its deliciousness? Roasted bone marrow. It’s easy to make at home and it adds such depth of flavor to the stew.

Beef nilaga (nilagang baka) is a delicious FIlipino beef stew made with beef and hearty vegetables. This recipe serves the dish with roasted bone marrow for added richness.

We will teach you how easy it is make this dish from start to finish, including tips on how to roast the bone marrow in the oven at home.

Once you have tried this Filipino dish, you will want to make it again and again! And to satisfy your hunger further, we have even more Filipino recipes and soup and stew recipes to explore!

Keep reading to learn more!

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Table of Contents

What is nilaga?

Nilaga means “stew” or “boil” in Tagalog, and is a dish that is typically eaten during the cold winter months in the Philippines. There are many different variations of this dish depending on which region of the Philippines you are from.

The traditional nilaga ingredients are meat, potatoes, cabbage, onions, and boullion. The meat is typically lean and tough cuts of beef or pork. The broth is traditionally simmered for hours until the meat is very tender and the flavors have blended together to create a rich and flavorful broth.

There are many variations of nilaga including bulalo, tinola, lina-tan, and cansi. The differences often depend on the ingredients and the region in which they are made.

What is the difference between nilaga and bulalo?

Nilaga and bulalo are often confused with each other. These two dishes are quite similar and share many of the same ingredients, but there is one distinct differences between the two.

While nilaga is a beef stew with vegetables, bulalo is another type of beef stew made with specifically bone-in beef shanks.

Both dishes are made with the same broth and all of the same ingredients (with the exception of the shanks). With regards to taste, bulalo has a broth that is more rich than nilaga as it is simmered with the bone.

Our dish today is inspired by both nilaga and bulalo! We wanted to include bone marrow in our version of nilaga to add a little bit of extra richness to the dish.

However, we wanted to try roasted bone marrow because we have tried it with other dishes and it is always so delicious!

We have eaten fusion dishes like pho with roasted bone marrow, birria tacos with roasted bone marrow, and ramen with roasted bone marrow…so it is only natural for us to add roasted bone marrow in our nilaga recipe!

What does beef nilaga with roasted bone marrow taste like?

Beef nilaga tastes rich and meaty and is packed with lots of flavor from the slow-cooked vegetables and tender chunks of beef. The broth is savory and robust, but the roasted bone marrow adds a little bit of a smoky and fatty flavor which really rounds out the flavor profile of the dish.

Hearty vegetables like potatoes, onion, and cabbage, add even more flavor and soak up all that delicious sauce from the broth. This dish is filling without being heavy and is perfect to serve on a cold winter day!

How to prepare bone marrow for roasting:

Bone marrow is surprisingly simple to prepare. The most important thing is to give yourself plenty of time to prepare the bone marrow before baking it in the oven.

To remove the blood and any bone shards, soak the bones in salted water for 12-24 hours. Then, gently rinse the bones under cold water to remove any remaining blood or bone fragments. Pat them dry thoroughly with a paper towel and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Now it’s ready to roast!

Why you should not skip the blanching step:

Some recipes mention that blanching the beef is an optional step. We personally feel that it is absolutely essential!

The purpose of blanching is to remove the scum and impurities that rise to the top of the liquid after it’s been cooked.

This is an important step because it helps to create a clear, smooth broth. If this step is skipped, the broth may have a “muddy” or slightly unpleasant taste that mingles with the delicious flavors in the soup.

So if you want your soup to taste great, you must make sure to blanch the beef!

How to serve beef nilaga with roasted bone marrow:

Beef nilaga is best served with a side of rice for a complete meal. You can also serve it with patis (fish sauce), calamansi, or sliing labuyo (thai chili) for an extra kick of heat!

Place the roasted bone marrow on the side or atop the bowl of soup. Allow your guests to top their soup with as much or as little bone marrow as they’d like! (Tip: we recommend you save the bones for reheating leftovers!)

How to store and reheat nilaga:

Store beef nilaga in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Roasted bone marrow is best eaten right away. But if you do have leftover bone marrow, you can throw it into the leftover stew and it will add to the broth’s flavor!

To reheat, bring the stew to a gentle simmer over medium heat. You may add more water and seasonings if needed.

If you prefer to microwave, make sure to remove any bones before heating it in the microwave.

Ingredients

Beef Nilaga

• 3 lbs stew beef cubes or brisket, or a combination of lean or fatty cuts
• cooking oil
• 2 onions chopped, yellow or red
• 10 cups water and more
• 3 cubes beef bouillion about 1 cube per 3 cups water
• 3 tbsp patis
• 2 tsp whole black peppercorn
• 1 tbsp kosher salt more to taste
• 1 lb potato
• 1 lb saba banana or plantain optional, frozen or fresh
• 4 pieces yellow corn
• ½ lb baby bok choy
• ½ lb napa cabbage

Roasted Bone Marrow

• 5 pieces beef bones
• 1 tbsp kosher salt for soaking
• water for soaking
• sea salt for garnish

Recipe

Soak the Bones

1. Place bones in a bowl of salted ice water. Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

Blanch the Beef

1. Place beef in a pot of cold water.
2. Turn on the heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook for 5 minutes.

3. Remove the beef. Rinse them thoroughly and set aside.
4. Discard the used water and clean the pot.

Cook the Stew

1. In the cleaned pot, saute onions in cooking oil until softened and aromatic.
2. Add beef, water, bouillion, fish sauce, peppercorns, and salt.
3. Bring the pot to a steady simmer. Cover and cook for at least 2 hours. See Note 1.

Note 1. As the stew cooks, the water may evaporate away. Throughout the cooking process, keep adding water as needed to make sure all the ingredients are submerged. Remember also to add more seasoning so the broth is not diluted. Season to taste using beef bouillon, kosher salt, and/or patis. 

4. Begin adding vegetables about 20 minutes before serving time. Add potatoes and cook for 15 minutes.
5. Add corn and saba. Cook for 3 minutes.

6. Add bok choy and cabbage. Cook for 2 minutes.

7. Serve with rice, bone marrow, and patis.

Roast the Bone Marrow

1. About 30 minutes before serving time, preheat the oven to 450° F.
2. Rinse and thoroughly pat dry the bone marrow. Place them on a foil-lined baking sheet (no need to oil or grease.)

3. Roast for 15-20 minutes until they reach an internal temperature of 145° F. Use a toothpick to test if it pokes through the marrow easily.
4. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve immediately.

Final Thoughts

What could be more comforting than a steaming bowl of beef nilaga? A bowl of nilaga, with roasted bone marrow on top! Use our recipe for a hearty and flavorful stew that will leave you wanting more!

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References & Further Reading

https://www.seriouseats.com/ask-the-food-lab-do-i-need-to-saute-vegetables-when-starting-a-stew#:~:text=While%20certain%20vegetables%20can%20work,before%20adding%20the%20remaining%20ingredients.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/roasted-marrow-bones-recipe-2103659

https://www.manilatimes.net/2014/06/21/featured-columns/columnists/the-peasant-history-of-boiled-beef-soup-nilagang-baka/105752

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/roasted-bone-marrow-recipe

https://www.tasteatlas.com/nilagang-baka

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nilaga