Soups · Philippines

How Many Calories in Bulalo?

Also known as Beef Bone Marrow Soup, Bulalo Soup, Nilagang Bulalo.

Beef shank simmered for hours until the meat slides off the bone, served in clear broth with corn on the cob, cabbage and pechay. The marrow is the prize.

520kcal / 1 bowl
A standard bowl of bulalo, about 450g with beef shank, a marrow bone, corn and vegetables, is around 520 calories. The shank meat is 260, the marrow about 170, and the broth, corn and cabbage together under 100. The Tagaytay bowl-for-two is closer to 1,000.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 bowl (450g)AmountPer 100g
Calories520 kcal116 kcal
Protein32 g7 g
Carbs18 g4 g
Fat34 g8 g

Where the calories come from

Beef shank meat120g
260 kcal
Bone marrow22g
170 kcal
Beef broth250g
40 kcal
Corn on the cob50g
45 kcal
Cabbage and pechay40g
10 kcal

The real talk

Bone marrow is about 780 calories per 100g, almost entirely fat. A single bulalo bone gives 20 to 25g of marrow, which is 160 to 200 calories that most people slurp out in ten seconds. The shank meat around it is honest beef at 260 calories per 120g with 30g of protein. So a bowl is 520 if you eat the marrow and about 350 if you leave it, which nobody does.

The Tagaytay version is a different animal. Bulalo houses along the ridge sell a bowl for 400 to 600 pesos meant for 2 to 3 people, with two or three bones and 300g of meat. Split in two, each person is at 800 to 1,000 calories of soup, then the rice, then the tawilis. The broth also carries a fat layer from 4 hours of simmering that adds 40 to 80 calories per bowl unless it was skimmed.

Nilagang baka is bulalo without the marrow bone and is the sensible choice at about 400 calories a bowl with the same meat and vegetables. Kansi, the Ilonggo sour cousin, is around 480 because it uses the same bone but the batuan fruit and less corn. Corn on the cob in bulalo is about 45 calories for a 50g chunk, so it is not the issue.

How the portions compare

350 kcal
Small bowl, no marrow
520 kcal
Standard bowl with marrow
900 kcal
Tagaytay bowl, half of a sharing order

Bulalo variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Nilagang baka400 kcalNo marrow bone
Kansi480 kcalIlonggo sour version
Bulalo520 kcalStandard bowl
Bulalo with 1 cup rice780 kcalUsual lunch
Bulalo steak (sizzling)850 kcalFried shank in gravy

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in bulalo with rice?
About 780 calories for a standard bowl with 1 cup of rice. With 2 cups, which is normal in Tagaytay, it is 1,040.
How many calories in bone marrow from bulalo?
About 160 to 200 calories per bone. Marrow is roughly 780 calories per 100g and a bulalo bone holds 20 to 25g.
Is bulalo healthy?
The broth, shank and vegetables are fine, about 350 calories with 30g of protein. The marrow and the fat layer on top are what push it to 520. Nilaga is the same dish without them.
What is the difference between bulalo and nilaga?
Bulalo uses the shank cut with the marrow bone, nilaga uses cheaper beef cuts without it. Nilaga is about 400 calories a bowl versus 520 for bulalo.

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Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical carinderia or restaurant serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

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