Beef Pares
Beef Pares (Sabaw at Kanin)
Authentic beef pares—tender braised beef in sweet-savory star anise broth with garlic fried rice; the street-food legend from Manila's Chinatown, made at...
Serves 6 · 2h 25m total
The Story
Pares means "pair" in Filipino—specifically the pair of beef soup and rice that saved Manila's night shift workers. Legend pins the original to Chinatown (Binondo) around the 1970s: Chinese-Filipino cooks braised cheap beef cuts with soy, star anise, and garlic until the meat surrendered, then served it with garlicky rice to jeepney drivers, students, and anyone still awake at 2 AM.
Why did it explode? Because pares is the answer to every Filipino question: "Tara, inom." (Here's soup.) "Walang pera." (Cheap cuts work.) "Cold umuulan." (Hot broth fixes everything.) "Ano ulam?" (Beef. Always beef.)
The star anise is the plot twist—without it, you have generic braised beef. With it, you have that Chinatown aroma that makes people say "San mo kinuha recipe mo?" even when they watched you cook it. The photo is the full pares contract: glossy beef, garlic rice, a bowl of clear soup, extra fried garlic, and star anise on the table like evidence. Pares shops now have franchises, but the soul is still sidewalk: extra sili on the table, and rice that could stop a truck with garlic alone.
Best paired with
Sili-spiked vinegar dipping sauce, extra broth on the rice, and iced tea if you're eating at noon—because pares at midnight hits different but lunch pares is underrated.
Use it in these KusinaPH recipes
Lola's Tips
- ✦Use brisket, short rib, or beef chuck—collagen equals silk broth.
- ✦Don't skip star anise; this is not the time to be minimalist.
- ✦Toast garlic slowly for the rice—burnt garlic ruins pares faster than bad anise.
- ✦Broth should be slightly sweet-salty; balance with a touch of sugar and patis.
- ✦Tastes better the next day. Pares is the rare ulam that improves after sleeping in the fridge.
Substitutions
- beef chuck or brisket → oxtail for richer broth (pares meets bulalo energy)
- star anise → 1 tsp five-spice powder in a pinch—not identical, but cousins
- day-old rice for garlic rice → fresh rice spread thin to dry slightly before frying
Ingredients
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Instructions
- 1
Sear beef cubes in hot oil until browned on all sides—don't crowd the pan or you'll steam sadness into the meat. Brown bits = flavor. Scrape the pan like you're getting paid for it.
- 2
Add star anise, crushed garlic, onion, ginger, peppercorns, soy sauce, sugar, and patis. Stir until the kitchen smells like Binondo at midnight.
- 3
Pour in water or broth. Simmer covered 1.5–2 hours until beef falls apart when bullied with a fork. Skim fat if you want; leave it if you're honest about flavor.
- 4
Taste broth—it should be savory, slightly sweet, deeply beefy. Adjust soy or sugar. Keep warm while you make the rice that carries this whole operation.
- 5
Garlic rice: fry minced garlic in oil until golden (not brown—brown is tragedy). Add day-old rice, toss until every grain wears garlic perfume. Season lightly with salt.
- 6
Serve beef and plenty of broth over garlic rice or beside it. Top with green onions, sawsawan on the side. Eat while hot enough to fog your glasses. That's pares.
Kitchen Timer · 25 min prep first
120:00
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