Beef Soup with Spicy Eggplant Sauce: Food for the Filipino Soul

A fairly popular dish found in almost any Filipino restaurant menu in America. In Filipino, this soup is called "Nilaga" which literally means boiled. Although the spicy eggplant sauce is typically not served as a sauce to this soup, I have grown accustomed to pairing it together. It was first introduced to me when a friend served this at a dinner party. Since then I've found it hard to eat one without the other.

Nilaga



Ingredients:
2 lbs. Boneless beef short ribs or brisket, cut in to 2" pieces
2 medium onions, sliced
1 T fish sauce
4 medium potatoes, cut in quarters
1 carrot, sliced (optional)
1 small cabbage, sliced (sometimes I use brussels sprouts)
3 heads baby bok choy, sliced (optional)
a handful of green beans
2 ears of corn, cut in half (optional)
salt & pepper to taste.

Directions:
Place beef in a soup pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and remove scum that forms from boiling.
Add in onions. Season with fish sauce, salt & pepper
Bring to a boil then lower heat to simmer for about 2 hours or until meat is tender.
Add in all the veggies and cook for another 15-20 minutes or until potatoes and corn are done.
Serve with rice and spicy eggplant sauce. (see recipe below)

Spicy Eggplant Sauce


Ingredients:
1 big eggplant, broiled
1 clove garlic, minced
3 T spicy vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

Broil eggplant until soft. Cut off tips, peel off skin and mash with a fork.
Mix in the rest of the ingredients.
Adjust taste accordingly.

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