How to Make Buro

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Burong Hipon (because I couldn’t find the pic of Burong Isda that I took)

Buro is readily available in markets and supermarkets. But if you want a fix, and it isn’t available to you, fret not! Buro is actually very simple to make.

Here is my mom’s recipe. She learned how to make buro from her grandmother when she was just a little girl.

This recipe uses fish, but can be substituted with shrimps to make Burong Hipon (in pic).

Burong Isda

Ingredients:

1 kilo dalag or tilapia, cleaned and washed
6 cups cooked white rice, cooled
4-5 tablespoons rock salt

Materials:

Sterilized jars with caps or
Plastic container with lid
Plastic wrap

Prepare the fish. After washing and cleaning, cut and slice fish. Rub with salt and set aside.

Prepare the rice. The rice must be well cooked– it should be very soft and cool by the time you start to mix. Add in the rest of the salt and mix thoroughly. Add the the fish and mix.

Transfer to sterilized jars or plastic containers. Pack tightly, leaving a bit of room at the top. Cover top with plastic wrap and cover the jar with lid. Screw the lid tightly and store in the vegetable compartment of your fridge. Allow to ferment for about two weeks before using.

How to cook:

Sautee’ in hot oil with minced garlic and onions, and chopped tomatoes if you like (remove the seeds). Add a little sugar to counterbalance the slightl sourness and saltiness of the buro. Allow to cool a little before serving. Serve as a siding to fried or grilled fish; fried or steamed eggplant; steamed okra and ampalaya (bitter gourd), or with fresh mustasa (mustard greens).

Ryan

22 Comments

  1. i will make this soon. i miss this dish so much, it brings back so much fond memories of my grandparents, and just growing with very little but so much love of my family in nueva ecija. thank you for posting.

  2. can i also make buro with the small shore crabs? this is for my project in science.. i hope your answer would help. thanks!

  3. Hi Alyssa. I haven’t tried it, but I think you can. Let me know how that goes. Good Luck with science project!

  4. what if i did not put salt to the fish,coz i already made one but did not put salt in to the fish..i just put the fish directly to the rice.

  5. Hello, I have a question. To make buro, do you include the whole fish, meat scales, skin , bones, head and others or just the filleted meat of the fish?
    Thank you.

  6. Hi Phil!

    Sorry for the very late reply. I haven’t been checking my blog lately. Anyway, to answer your question: We use the whole fish with the head but remove the scales and the innards. The bones will soften during the fermentation process, and would almost melt (for lack of a better term) into the rice. I would suggest using small sized fish only so it ferments faster. But if you wish, you may use just the fillet.

  7. Hi Carla!

    That would be okay as long as you mixed salt with the rice.The method I posted is our preferred way of preparing it. How did yours tun out?

  8. Its so wonderful that we have a fellow pinoy that have talent and share it to his kababayan. Its not easy to live in a foreign land like KSA, but if you have dish like BURO, for a while it brings back the good memories of simple life in our place (Bario Camantiles, Urdaneta city, Pangasinan). thanks Ryan. more power and God bless!!!

  9. I really love to try this recipe but I’m in Freestate South africa wherein I can’t get a rock salt w/c is similar to us in the phils..luckily there is tilapia fish but I have to drive an hour just to source it, can I substitute iodized salt instead? will the measurement & taste differ? I love this food! makes me miss hOme so badly as I’ve been abroad in 10 yrs already 🙁

  10. Yes, you can use iodized salt as substitute. Maybe use a bit less than if you were to use rock salt. Hope this helps!

  11. Hi Sonia,

    Did you make the buro yourself, or did you buy it from a store? It’s generally not safe to eat food that has mold, afaik. You can read more about it online.

  12. I live in Southern Calif. and my burong isda making is hit and miss. Sometimes it is sweet and sometimes it is sour. I like it sour better. I ferment it for 21 days and have been successful. This last one is sweet and sour. Could it be the weather? It has been cold last March. Or did I ferment it too long? In fermentation, what happens first – becomes sweet first and then turns sour?

  13. Hi. Pwede ba gumamit ng frozen prawns or fish? mahirap kumuha ng fresh fish ditto at karamihan frozen. pwede din ba salmon or cod? thanks

  14. sobrang mis ko n ang food nto, may alam po bkau n mbibilihan nito,dto po kc ako japan,

  15. Hi Ryan. I’ve been looking for someone from Tarlac or Nueva ecija to teach me about buro. This recipe will surely come in handy. By the way, I might need someone to teach people how to make buro for a workshop. Would you happen to know anyone who’d be interested and who’s really good at making it? Appreciate the help. Thanks and good day!

  16. Hi Angelo! Thanks for stopping by. This recipe is just something my mother used to do. I dunno if the process is the same as how they do buro in Tarlac. Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone who might be able to help you with your workshop. I’m sorry I can’t be of help. I hope you find someone thoguh. Cheers!

  17. Kung may Filipino store jan sa area nyo, baka meron na jan nung buro na naka garapon. May mga ganun na din kasi sa mga grocery sa Pilipinas. Ususally katabi yun ng mga jars ng bagoong at taba ng talangka. I hope may mahanap ka jan. 🙂

  18. I don’t know how it will taste so I don’t know how if I should say yes or no to salmon. If you could find a fish na malapit sa lasa ng tilapia or dalag, like maybe catfish? Baka pwede yun. Regarding frozen seafood, ganun din, kasi I’ve never tried using them. I guess pwede naman.

  19. I’m not really sure, as i’ve already forgotten, but i think it’s supposed to turn sour first? I’m not sure how weather affects the taste because this recipe was fermented inside the fridge.

  20. anung klasing lutoin ang pweding lagyan ng binurong (batwan)

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