Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
Tai Wan Hong Shao Niu Rou Mian (台湾红烧牛肉面). This is a must-try recipe because nothing is more satisfying than a bowl of hearty, savory noodle soup topped with tender, succulent beef. Although this book's section is Chinese, this dish's true origin is Taiwan (countryCode TW). If you are looking for something fulfilling for dinner, this is it.
⏱️ Prep: 20 min🍳 Cook: 150 min
Ingredients
| 680 g | beef stew meat (such as chuck, shank, and brisket) |
| 680 g | beef bones (such as beef neck, femur bone, or ribs) |
| 2 liters | water |
| 42 g | Shaoxing wine |
| 20 g | oil |
| 38 g | sugar |
| 40 g | Sichuan dou ban jiang (broad bean chili paste) |
| 33 g | tomato paste |
| 66 g | soy sauce |
| 8.3 g | dark soy sauce |
| 18 g | ginger |
| 18 g | garlic |
| 30 g | scallions, cut into stalks |
| 120 g | onion, cut into chunks |
| 2.5 g | cinnamon stick |
| 0.6 g | bay leaves |
| 0.8 g | star anise |
| 1 g | aged tangerine peel, optional |
| 1.5 g | dried red chilies |
| 1.3 g | whole Sichuan peppercorns |
| 2.9 g | salt, or to taste |
| 4 servings | egg noodles |
| 3 liters | water (for noodles) |
| 240 g | baby bok choy, cut in half |
Instructions
Blanch the beef:
- Cut the beef into 1-inch cubes. Add 8 cups water, the beef, and beef bones to a stockpot. Partially cover and bring to a boil.
- Use a sieve to skim the foamy scum. Remove the beef and bones and rinse under running water to eliminate the scum. Drain and set aside.
- Strain the blanching water through a cheesecloth to remove impurities, then reserve the blanching liquid.
Braise the beef:
- Add the oil and sugar to a clay pot and stir over low heat until caramelized, 3-5 minutes.
- When the caramelized sugar produces foamy bubbles, add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Sichuan dou ban jiang, and tomato paste. Stir over medium heat for a few minutes until well combined.
- Add the beef, bones, and Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine) to the clay pot and stir well.
- Pour in the reserved blanching broth. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.
- Meanwhile, put the ginger, garlic, scallions, onion, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, star anise, aged orange peel, dried red chilies, and Sichuan peppercorns into a spice bag and add it to the pot.
- Turn the heat to low and simmer the beef for 2 hours or until tender. (This can also be made in a pressure cooker, slow cooker, or Dutch oven; keep an eye on the liquid level and add hot water if needed.)
- After 2 hours, discard the spice bag, squeezing out all the liquid.
- Take out the beef bones; remove any meat still attached and return it to the pot, then discard the bones.
- Taste the broth and add salt to preference. Set the clay pot aside while cooking the noodles.
Cook the noodles and serve:
- Fill a big pot with 3 liters of water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add 4 servings of noodles and cook until al dente (about 400g fresh or 240g dried; boil fresh noodles 2-4 minutes, or follow package instructions for dried).
- Once the noodles are almost done, add the baby bok choy and blanch for 30 seconds.
- For one serving, add a portion of noodles, bok choy, braised beef, and 1.25 cups beef braising broth to a big bowl and serve.