Nilaga - Boiled Meat and Vegetables

Of all the Filipino cooking methods, nilaga, along with inihaw (grilling), are probably the most indigenous, being the way food was cooked before the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century. Nilaga is also the simplest. It involves boiling meat in water with a variety of vegetables in one pot.  I believe that the early Filipinos cooked with salt as these white mineral was abundant along the shores from dried up sea beds of the Pacific Ocean and China Sea. 


Again, this is another dish that is simple to prepare and by varying the meat and vegetables a myriad of dishes can be produced.  It is a one dish meal with your meat, vegetables, soup and sometimes starch such as potatoes in one pot. You will often find some kind of  Nilaga served at the Filipino table more often than  not.


Basic Nilaga


Basic Nilaga Ingredients
Meat (Beef, Pork, Chicken, Fish) - cut in chunky pieces
Vegetables (any vegetable will work, but certain dishes call for specific vegetables)
Onions
Salt and Pepper
Patis (Fish Sauce)
Water


The meat, cut in chunks, is placed in a pan with water. Salt and pepper and other spices added, The mixture is brought to a boil and then left to simmer until the meat is tender. Add vegetables. If adding more than one type of vegetable, stagger the cooking time depending on how fast the particular vegetable cooks. Certain vegetables such as potatoes, and carrots go in the cooking pot earlier since they tend to cook longer. The green leafy vegetables usually need just a minute or two in the boiling broth. Season with patis or more salt and pepper to taste,

One of the most popular nilaga dishes is Nilagang Baka (Boiled Beef)

Nilagang Baka

2 lbs of beef, preferably the meaty bones cut up into large chunks

1 lb beef bone marrow

1 medium onion , sliced

Patis to taste

Salt to taste

4 to 6 cups tap water or water from rice washing

1/2 tsp whole peppercorns

1 whole cabbage, core removed cut into big wedges (they shrink up once cooked)

4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered

Add beef and bone marrow and onions  to pot. Season beef and bone marrow with some patis and salt. Add water to cover meat plus two to three cups more. Toss in whole peppercorns. Bring to a boil for about 10 to 15 minutes, skim any fat or floating residue from the broth and then lower heat to a simmer and continue cooking until beef is just tender. Add potatoes and cabbage and raise heat to bring to a boil again for about 5 minutes and then lower heat and continue cooking until potatoes are fork tender.  Taste broth and add patis and salt accordingly.

The bone marrow is prized at the table and usually the head of the family gets to pick it first from the serving bowl, The precious marrow is extracted from the bone cavity by loosening it up with a knife and shaking it loose.


This dish is usually served with a sawsawan (dipping sauce) of patis (fish sauce), toyo (soy sauce) with freshly squeezed calamansi juice, If calamansi  is not available, lemon or lime is a great substitute.

Another popular Nilaga dish is Tinolang Manok (Boiled Chicken). The ingredients are basically the same as the Nilagang Baka except a whole chicken cut-up, along with the innards is substituted for the beef. For the chicken, the tandang (mature rooster) is usually used. It is bad day for the father and a good day for the family, when the father’s rooster loses at the day’s sabongan (cockfight), as the family is ensured a delicious dish of Nilagang or Tinolang Manok for dinner. 

Tinolang Manok

1 whole chicken, including innards, cut up into large chunks

1 medium onion , sliced

1 thumb size ginger, julienned

Patis to taste

Salt to taste

4 to 6 cups tap water or water from rice washing

1/2 tsp whole peppercorns

1 whole pechay (bok choy),  bottom removed, washed and cut in large pieces (they shrink up once cooked)

4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered

Add chicken piece, innards, onions  and ginger to pot. Season with some patis and salt. Add water to cover meat plus two to three cups more. Toss in whole peppercorns. Bring to a boil for about 10 to 15 minutes, skim any fat or floating residue from the broth and then lower heat to a simmer and continue cooking until chicken is just tender. Add potatoes and raise heat to bring to a boil again for about 5 minutes and then lower heat and continue cooking until potatoes are fork tender.  Add bok choy and continue cooking until wilted. Taste broth and add patis and salt accordingly.


This is my Auntie Dolly’s specialty which she served with cooked chicken blood as a condiment. During my childhood, a live chicken is bought from the market for the meal and slaughtered right before cooking. The blood is extracted from the neck cavity right after the neck of the chicken is slit with a knife. The chicken is then plunged whole in a vat of hot water to loosen up the feathers for plucking. It is a frightful  experience to see a chicken try to run and crow even after its neck had been slit. Thankfully, we are all spared that sight today and can purchase our chicken dressed and cut-up from any grocery store.

Boiled Chicken Blood Condiment

Fresh chicken blood
1/2 tsp of uncooked rice


Place fresh chicken blood on a bowl with 1/2 teaspoon of uncooked rice mixed in. Allow the chicken blood to coagulate and congeal. Boil some water with a little salt and place congealed chicken blood in boiling water for about a minute or so and bring heat down to a simmer. The blood is cooked when the rice is cooked. Soy sauce and calamansi juice is added to a piece of the cooked blood and then the mixture is macerated with a fork and used as a condiment for the nilagang manok. 

With nilagang baka and manok  you can use the tough parts of the meat as they are tenderized with cooking. They also impart more flavor to the broth. As in most Filipino dishes, the nilaga can be adjusted to suit the number of people dining by adjusting meat, vegetables, water and seasoning, You can add other vegetables to your nilaga such a beans, whole corn and carrots, if you like. Exact measurements of the ingredients is not critical.

The Nilaga or Tinola is served in one dish and served with rice.  The rice is drenched with the hot broth while eating. Patis is served on the side as condiment. I like my Auntie Dolly’s  boiled chicken blood as a condiment with Tinola but since fresh blood is not normally available here in US, I settle for toyo (soy sauce) with calamansi for my nilaga. I also like to mash my potatoes and add butter to it, 

Kakain na!