Cansi (or kansi) is a traditional Ilonggo/Negrense dish of boiled bone-in beef shank and usually comes with the bone marrow or utok in Hiligaynon. Cansi can be compared to linaga but a little sour because of batuan fruit. This dish is a comfort food especially for those away from home. Nothing beats the rainy day blues than a piping hot bowl of cansi.
The famous cansihan in Bacolod are Sharyn’s and Eron’s which are located just a few stores apart at Narra Avenue, Bacolod City or what is most commonly referred to as Shopping.
If you want to try cooking cansi at home, below is a simple recipe which you can use. The secret to a good cansi is if it’s slow-cooked until the meat is tender. Of course, an authentic Bacolod cansi will have batuan fruit as souring ingredient. If batuan is not available, sinigang mix may be used.
Bacolod Cansi Recipe
Cansi Ingredients
- 1/2 kilo beef shank
- 1 beef bone with marrow, cut into serving pieces
- 1 medium-sized onion, sliced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tomato, sliced
- 1/2 kilo young langka (jackfruit), sliced
- 1 stalk tanglad, bundled
- 1/4 kilo batuan fruit
- 4 long peppers
- 1 tbsp atchuete seeds (annato)
- salt and pepper to taste
Cansi Cooking Procedure
- Saute garlic, onions and tomatoes
- Add beef shank, bone and add water just enough to cover the meat. Leave it to boil for about an hour until meat is tender.
- Prepare atsuete extract by soaking the atsuete seeds in water until the color is extracted.
- When meat is tender, add lemongrass, batuan and langka.
- When langka is fork tender, add peppers and atsuete extract.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Simmer for 10 minutes and serve hot.