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–+ servings
Camto Soup

Camto Soup

Camto Soup is a traditional Filipino beef soup featuring tender flank steak (camto) simmered in a rich bone broth and finished with a sweet-savory pares sauce. A staple of pares restaurants across the Philippines, this dual-purpose dish marries the deep flavors of slow-cooked beef bones with a complex sauce of soy, star anise, and brown sugar. The soup is typically garnished with Chinese cabbage, hard-boiled eggs, spring onions, and crispy fried garlic, then served either as a pure soup or as a complete meal with rice or noodles. It's distinguished from regular nilagang baka (boiled beef soup) by its signature pares sauce component, which adds depth and transforms the simple bone broth into a more sophisticated dish.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 35 minutes
Course Snack, Soup
Cuisine Filipino
Servings 6
Calories 485 kcal
Difficulty Medium

Equipment

  • Large stock pot (kaldero) For simmering the bone broth
  • Medium Pot For preparing the pares sauce
  • Sharp knife (kutsilyo) For cutting meat and vegetables
  • Strainer [Salaan] For removing impurities from the broth
  • Measuring cups and spoons (Panukat) For accurate ingredients portions
  • Wooden spoon (sandok) For stirring without scratching the pot
  • Chopping board (sangkalan) For ingredients preparation
  • Small bowl For cornstarch slurry

Ingredients
 

For the Soup (Sabaw)

  • 1½ kg beef leg bones buto-buto ng baka
  • 700 g beef flank steak or brisket camto o brisket, cut into small strips or cubes
  • 8 cups water tubig
  • 2 white onions sibuyas, quartered
  • 2 whole heads garlic bawang, minced
  • Salt asin to taste
  • Oil for sautéing

For the Pares Sauce (Sabaw ng Pares)

  • ½ cup soy sauce toyo
  • 6 tablespoon brown sugar asukal na pula
  • 3 pieces star anise sangke
  • 2 pieces dried bay leaves dahon ng laurel
  • 2 tablespoon cornstarch gawgaw, mixed in 4 tablespoon water
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper paminta
  • Fish sauce patis to taste

Garnishes

  • ½ head Chinese cabbage repolyo, chopped
  • 6 hard-boiled eggs itlog na maalat, peeled and sliced
  • Spring onions sibuyas dahon, chopped
  • Fried garlic sinangag na bawang

Instructions
 

  • Begin by cleaning the beef bones under running water and patting them dry. Cut the flank steak into 1-inch cubes. Quarter the onions and mince the garlic. Mix cornstarch with 4 tablespoons of water in a small bowl until smooth.
  • Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add half of the minced garlic and quartered onions. Cook until fragrant and the onions turn translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the beef pieces and bones, then cook until all sides are nicely browned, around 5-7 minutes.
  • Pour in 8 cups of water and add a small pinch of salt. Bring everything to a boil, then lower the heat. Let it simmer gently for 1½ hours. Keep an eye on the water level - add more hot water if needed to maintain the same amount of liquid.
  • After this time, carefully remove just the flank steak pieces from the pot, leaving the bones behind. Keep the bones simmering on very low heat for another hour - this makes the broth even richer.
  • Now make the pares sauce in a separate pot. Heat some oil and cook the remaining garlic until golden brown. Take out the garlic and save it for later. In the same pot, add 1 cup of the beef broth from your simmering bones, the cooked flank steak, soy sauce, brown sugar, star anise, bay leaves, black pepper, and your cornstarch mixture. Let this simmer for 30 minutes until the meat is very tender. Add fish sauce to taste.
  • Go back to your bone broth and add the chopped cabbage. Cook for just 5 minutes until the cabbage is tender but still has some crunch.
  • To serve, fill each bowl with the hot bone broth and cabbage. Add a generous portion of the flank steak with its pares sauce. Top with sliced hard-boiled eggs, spring onions, and the crispy garlic you set aside earlier.
  • Serve while hot with your choice of steamed rice or noodles. For the best experience, let everyone add extra fish sauce or soy sauce to their own taste.
  • Remember: For extra-clear broth, keep the heat low and steady. The soup only gets better the next day, so don't worry about making too much!

Tips from Lola's Kitchen

  • Simmer on the lowest possible heat for the clearest broth
  • Don't skip browning the meat - it adds depth to the flavor
  • Add the garlic garnish just before serving to maintain crispiness
  • For best results, prepare a day ahead and reheat - the flavors develop overnight
 

Nutrition

Calories: 485kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 32gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 187mgSodium: 890mgPotassium: 187mgFiber: 3gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 285IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 64mg
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