A hearty bowl of Taiwanese beef noodle soup with buttery tender beef, chewy noodles, a savory fragrant broth that’s barely candy, and salty mustard greens. It’s such a traditional dish that’s good in your Sunday dinner.

There are a couple of kinds of beef noodle soup in Chinese language cooking. In Northwest China, there may be Lanzhou beef noodle soup that incorporates a clear broth with thick, chewy noodles served with daikon and chili oil. Within the Mainland, there may be crimson braised beef noodle soup that’s fairly near the Taiwanese model, however with a spicier and fewer candy broth. Right now I need to present you the beloved Taiwanese beef noodle soup. Whether or not loved as a hearty meal on a cold day or as a nostalgic consolation meals, Taiwanese beef noodle soup holds a particular place within the hearts of many.

Substances 

What minimize of beef to make use of

Taiwanese beef noodle soup normally makes use of beef shank, Niu Nan (牛腩), or a mix of each. 

Beef shank is the most effective minimize for this dish. The connective tissues flip tremendous tender and buttery in the course of the gradual cooking, holding the meat tender and juicy. The collagen melts into the broth, making a wealthy soup that has a thicker mouthfeel. You could find complete items of beef shank at most Chinese language markets. Alternatively, you may as well use shin bone (bone-in shank, minimize into massive items), which could be discovered at common grocery shops. 

Niu Nan generally will get translated as untrimmed brisket, nevertheless it’s a minimize that could possibly be the again of the brisket, brief ribs and flank, with the fats cap untrimmed. As a result of Chinese language butchering practices are very completely different from these within the US, there’s no direct equal minimize. I discovered the most effective various to this minimize is bone-in brief ribs. The flavour and texture aren’t as good as shank, however the meat will get tremendous tender and the bones add nice taste to the broth.

Noodle soup substances

The soul of this dish lies in its broth. The ingredient record would possibly look very lengthy, however it may be divided into three teams:

• Sauces and taste base: soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, Doubanjiang, tomato paste, sugar
• Aromatics and greens: onion, scallion, carrot, garlic, ginger, tomato, daikon 
• Spices: Star anise, cinnamon, fennel seeds, Sichuan peppercorns 

The flavour base is the muse of the soup, creating the savory taste that’s barely candy and spicy.  The aromatics and greens add a layer of umami and fruitiness to the soup. The spices are key to creating a deep and sophisticated taste that’s earthy and heat. 

Pickled mustard inexperienced topping

Taiwanese beef noodle soup is commonly served with pickled mustard greens as part of the toppings. I actually love the recipe made by Richard Ho, the chef behind the well-known restaurant Ho Meals. So I need to share an tailored model of his recipe. The substances embrace:

• A bag of pickled mustard greens
• Garlic
• Birdseye chilis
• Sugar

The bottom of the recipe makes use of pickled mustard greens, a salty pickle made with Gai Choy. You may normally discover it at Chinese language markets, packaged individually in a bag on the room temperature cabinets. The pickles are extraordinarily salty, nearly inedible by themselves, however the taste pairs properly with the noodles. This recipe takes them up a notch as a result of it provides some warmth and sweetness to the salty pickles to stability out the flavour. You additionally need to prepare dinner the mustard greens to do away with the muddy style and create a nicer texture.

Find out how to prepare dinner Taiwanese beef noodle soup

The recipe would possibly look very lengthy and intimidating, however the course of is definitely fairly easy when you collect the substances.

Braise the meat

The primary half is braising the meat and making the noodle soup base. The meat takes hours to simmer, however you may prepare dinner this half forward of time and warmth it up later.

To get the broth began, blanch the meat to do away with the blood and impurities.

Saute the aromatics and greens to deliver out the perfume. Prepare dinner the doubanjiang and deglaze the pot with Shaoxing wine.

Add water and the remainder of the substances. Cowl and simmer for two hours, till the meat turns very tender. As soon as accomplished, take away the meat and put aside to chill. Discard the solids (greens, aromatics and spices). 

Make the mustard inexperienced stir fry

Be sure to rinse the pickled mustard greens earlier than chopping them. It removes some saltiness from the pickles, making them extra nice to eat. 

To make the mustard inexperienced stir fry, prepare dinner the garlic and birdseye chilis to launch perfume. Saute the pickled mustard greens with sugar. Prepare dinner till the mustard greens have wilted and the sugar has dissolved. 

Assemble the noodle bowls

To make the noodle bowls, you must have the broth you intend to serve heating up in a small pot. 

In a unique huge pot, blanch the vegetable topping and boil the noodles. 

Slice the meat as soon as it has cooled off sufficient to deal with. Then submerge the meat within the sizzling broth to deliver it as much as serving temperature. 

As soon as accomplished, you may place the noodles in every serving bowl, pour within the broth, then high with the meat, pickles, greens, and scallions.

Can I make Taiwanese beef noodle soup in an Instantaneous Pot?

Sure, you undoubtedly can! To make the recipe in an Instantaneous Pot, all that you must do is observe the identical directions to blanch the meat first. Then you may saute the substances within the Instantaneous Pot (recipe steps 2 to 4). Add the meat again, together with the remainder of the substances. For the Instantaneous Pot, I’d solely use 6 cups of water, since you gained’t lose as a lot liquid when cooking in an Instantaneous Pot. If the liquid doesn’t totally cowl all the pieces, no worries! The greens and beef will finally launch sufficient liquid to cowl all the pieces. Set to prepare dinner on excessive strain for 40 minutes and use pure launch.

NOTE: Even when utilizing an Instantaneous Pot, remember that the overall cooking time doesn’t change a lot, as a result of it takes a really very long time so as to add strain and decompress. 

Afterthoughts

Taiwanese beef noodle soup undoubtedly takes some effort and time to make, which makes it an ideal weekend challenge. Whether or not you’re attempting it at a well-known noodle store in Taipei or making it at house, this dish is a testomony to Taiwan’s love for comforting and flavorful meals. Give it a attempt, and let this iconic soup heat your soul!

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Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

A hearty bowl of Taiwanese beef noodle with buttery tender beef, chewy noodles, a savory fragrant broth that’s barely candy, and salty mustard greens. It’s such a traditional dish that’s good in your Sunday dinner.

Creator: Maggie Zhu

Course: Predominant

Delicacies: Taiwanese

Key phrase: restaurant-style

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Prepare dinner Time: 3 hours hours

Whole Time: 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Substances

Beef and broth

• 2 to three lbs (900 to 1300 g) beef shank (*Footnote 1)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 scallions , halved
• 1 onion , quartered
• 1 carrot , chopped roughly
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 thumb ginger , sliced
• 2 tomatoes , chopped roughly
• 3 ” (8 cm) daikon , chopped roughly
• 2 heaping spoons (40 g) rock sugar (or 2 packed tablespoons brown sugar)
• 2 tablespoons doubanjiang
• 1/2 cup Shaoxing wine
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 star anise pods
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to style) (*Footnote 2)

Mustard Greens (Non-compulsory however extremely advisable, Footnote 3)

• 8 oz pickled mustard greens , drained, rinsed, and diced into 1/4” items
• 3 garlic cloves , minced
• 2 Thai birdseye chilis
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Soup Bowls

• 1.3 to 2 lbs (600 to 900 g) recent wheat noodles (or 1 to 1.3 lb / 400 to 600 g dried wheat noodles) (*Footnote 4)
• Child bok choy , halved or quartered relying on the scale (or different greens)
• Scallions , sliced

Directions

• Add the meat shank into a big pot and add sufficient chilly water to cowl. Prepare dinner over excessive warmth, stirring sometimes to forestall the underside from sticking. After the water is boiling, prepare dinner for five minutes. Drain the meat and discard the broth. Rinse any brown foam from the meat with faucet water if wanted.

• In a dutch oven (or the identical huge pot you simply used), add 2 tablespoons of oil and warmth over medium warmth till the oil is shimmering. Add the scallion, onion, carrot, garlic and ginger. Stir and prepare dinner for 4 to five minutes.

• Add the doubanjiang. Stir to coat all the pieces properly, 1 to 2 minutes.

• Pour within the Shaoxing wine. Scrape any browned bits off the underside of the pot.

• Add again the blanched beef and pour in 8 cups of water. Add the tomato, daikon, soy sauce, fennel seeds, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, and cinnamon sticks. Prepare dinner over medium-high warmth till it involves a boil. Decrease the warmth to medium-low. Cowl and simmer for two hours, till the meat turns tender. Style the broth and alter seasoning by including salt, if wanted.

• As soon as the soup is completed, switch the meat items to an enormous plate to chill. Use a spider to take away and discard the strong substances from the soup. You should utilize a colander to pressure the soup additional for a transparent broth. (*Footnote 5) At this level, you may retailer the broth and the meat for future use.

For the Mustard Inexperienced Pickle

• Whereas the broth is simmering, put together the pickled greens. Add the oil right into a medium pan and warmth over medium-high warmth till shimmering. Add the garlic and chilis. Stir and prepare dinner for 30 seconds to launch perfume.

• Add the pickled mustard greens. Stir and prepare dinner till any extra liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar. Prepare dinner and stir till the sugar has dissolved, 2 minutes or so. Switch all the pieces to a small bowl and put aside.

Assemble the Noodle Bowls

• Heat 1 to 1 1/2 cup of soup for every bowl (the quantity of soup depends upon the scale of the noodle bowl). After boiling, cowl and switch to low warmth to maintain heat.

• When it’s doable to deal with the meat together with your fingers, slice the meat into 1/2” (1 cm) thick items in opposition to the grain. Add the sliced beef to the new soup to deliver it as much as serving temperature.

• Warmth a pot of water over excessive warmth to deliver to a boil. Add 3 to 4 items of bok choy per bowl to the water and blanch for a minute, or to desired doneness. Switch to a plate utilizing a slotted spoon. Rapidly rinse with chilly faucet water to cease cooking, drain, and put aside.

• Prepare dinner the noodles based on package deal directions in the identical pot. Drain and rinse with chilly faucet water briefly to cease cooking. Drain once more.

• To every serving bowl, add the noodles, pour within the soup, high with the sliced beef, mustard greens, and bok choy. Sprinkle with scallion slices to garnish. Serve instantly as a principal dish.

Notes

1. Boneless beef shanks in complete items work the most effective. If not out there, bone-in brief ribs are the subsequent best choice. Different cuts of meat reminiscent of chuck roast, shin bone, and boneless brief ribs are good alternate options as properly.
2. I used 1/2 teaspoon salt in my recipe and it actually brings out the flavour of the spices. Relying on how a lot your broth will get decreased and the model of soy sauce you utilize, you would possibly want to regulate the quantity of salt (or skip all of it collectively).
3. The meat noodle soup tastes actually good by itself, however the pickled mustard greens add a punch of salty, candy and spicy umami. You don’t have to make use of them if it’s exhausting to seek out the substances, nevertheless it does make the dish shine.
4. Contemporary wheat noodles which can be about 1/8” thick are the most effective for this recipe, however you may simply change them with dried wheat noodles which have a chewy texture, reminiscent of udon noodles.
5. The greens had been used to season the broth. Nonetheless, the daikon and the carrots are edible, so you may as well serve them with the noodles.
6. The dietary worth doesn’t embrace the mustard inexperienced pickles or the bok choy.

Vitamin

Serving: 1serving, Energy: 527kcal, Carbohydrates: 52.5g, Protein: 43.1g, Fats: 15.6g, Saturated Fats: 4.2g, Ldl cholesterol: 147mg, Sodium: 1409mg, Potassium: 614mg, Fiber: 2.2g, Sugar: 11.6g, Calcium: 32mg, Iron: 23mg