Instant Pot Beef Nilaga
(nee-LAH-gah)
Weeknight Ulam: The Heart of the Family Table
Tuesday at six p.m., the hissing pressure valve releases the scent of simmering onions and a tough cut of beef shank. You cannot fake this depth with bouillon cubes; a flawless, crystal-clear broth lies in an uncompromising initial blanch of the beef, before letting the pressure cooker handle the slow collagen extraction and staging the vegetables sequentially to preserve their crisp bite. Ladle the hot broth over white rice, pour a side saucer of patis, and eat.
Before you start
Prepare the dipping sauce station.
Set out small saucers, a bottle of premium fish sauce, and sliced calamansi or limes so diners can customize their own sawsawan at the table.
Ingredients
- bone-in beef short ribs or beef shanks2 1/2 lb
- cold water8 cup
- white onion1 large
- whole black peppercorns1 tbsp
- premium fish sauce3 tbsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- Yukon gold potatoes2 med
- ears of sweet corn2 med
- frozen or fresh Saba bananas3 med
- head of Napa cabbage1/2 small
- heads of baby bok choy3 small
- green beans1 cup
Method
- 01
Blanch the beef to ensure a crystal-clear broth.
Place the beef in the Instant Pot, cover with tap water, and use the Sauté function to bring it to a rolling boil for 3 to 4 minutes to draw out the gray scum, then drain and thoroughly rinse both the meat and the pot.
- 02
Extract the broth under high pressure.
Return the rinsed beef to the clean pot with the 8 cups of cold water, onion, peppercorns, fish sauce, and salt, secure the lid, and cook on Manual High Pressure for 40 minutes.
- 03
Stage the hearty starches.
Perform a Quick Release, skim any excess pools of fat from the pristine broth, add the potatoes, corn, and Saba bananas, then pressure cook on High for 3 minutes.
- 04
Gently wilt the delicate greens.
Perform another Quick Release, switch back to the Sauté function, and submerge the cabbage, bok choy, and green beans in the bubbling broth for just 2 to 3 minutes until vibrant and crisp-tender.
- 05
Serve with the essential sawsawan.
Ladle the hot soup over steamed white rice, providing everyone a small saucer of fish sauce and a squeeze of calamansi or lime to dip the tender meat into.
Notes
Respect the process and ditch the bouillon cubes.
True home cooking gets its deep umami purely from bone-in beef, fish sauce, and time; artificial bouillon will only muddy the waters and flatten the flavor.
Do not sear the meat before boiling.
Browning the beef fundamentally alters the flavor profile into a Western stew and darkens the broth; authentic Nilaga is strictly a boiled dish.
Seek out Saba bananas.
Do not skip these, as their starchy, subtle sweetness cuts through the savory beef broth and represents the true taste of the Philippine islands.
From Cook Filipino in America.