Nilaga essentials
Boiled meat and vegetable dishes are found across the world. The combinations vary depending on local produce. I grew up on bulalo nilagang baboy. The vegetables often added to the meat were cabbage and potatoes. Later on, I would learn to add carrot, squash and corn, and even use chicken for the meat. The added colors and textures were especially attractive to my young daughters. Nice extras and more nutritious too.
But the keys, really, to an outstanding boiled meat and vegetable dish are just two. One, meat with bones that need long hours of slow cooking. Two, for the vegetable component, a good combination of leaves and starch. In the photo above, beef short ribs, bok choy and purple sweet potato soup.