Red Braised Beef Noodle Soup

Classic Taiwan Red braised Beef Noodle Soup Recipe

Beef noodle soup is virtually Taiwan’s national dish. This full-flavoured ‘red braised’ soup with succulent beef and silky noodles isn’t hard to master at home (though it is time consuming). Like most stocks, this one for beef noodles is hardly worth doing unless you do it in some volume. The stock can be refrigerated or frozen and trotted out whenever you feel in the mood. Though it is specific to this dish, the stock contains nearly the whole gamut of standard Chinese seasonings and could be used in stir-fries, other soups or stews.

Serves 4

Stock Ingredients (8 servings)
2 large beef bones
15 cloves garlic
1 large piece fresh ginger (60 g)
3 stalks scallion
4 cayenne chilli peppers
1-1/2 onions
1-1/2 large carrots
1 daikon radish
1 tablespoon beef fat
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons white sugar
12 star anise
3 teaspoons peppercorns
6 tablespoons hot bean sauce
6 tablespoons Taiwan rice wine
1 cup soy sauce
4 litres water

Stock Method

1. Wash bones, blanch, wash again.
2. Peel and roughly crush garlic.
3. Slice ginger.
4. Cut scallions lengthways into halves.
5. Cut chilli peppers lengthways into halves.
6. Peel and cut onion, carrot, radish into chunks.
7. In wok heat up beef fat and oil.
8. Add sugar, cook on a low heat until golden.
9. Turn up heat, add garlic, ginger, scallions, chilli peppers, onion, star anise, and peppercorns. Fry for a few minutes until fragrant.
10. Add hot bean sauce, rice wine, soy sauce.
11. Add a cup of water, bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes.
12. Transfer to a large pot.
13. Add 4 litres of water, bring to a boil.
14. Add bones, carrot, radish.
15. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.
16. Strain off solids.

Noodle Soup Ingredients (Serves 4)
400 g (dry) white, round noodles
400 g boneless beef shank (牛腱 niú jiàn)
2 litres stock
8 leaves Taiwan bok choy
4 tablespoons Chinese pickled vegetable

Noodle Soup Method

1. Wash bones, blanch, wash again.
2. Peel and roughly crush garlic.
3. Slice ginger.
4. Cut scallions lengthways into halves.
5. Cut chilli peppers lengthways into halves.
6. Peel and cut onion, carrot, radish into chunks.
7. In wok heat up beef fat and oil.
8. Add sugar, cook on a low heat until golden.
9. Turn up heat, add garlic, ginger, scallions, chilli peppers, onion, star anise, and peppercorns. Fry for a few minutes until fragrant.
10. Add hot bean sauce, rice wine, soy sauce.
11. Add a cup of water, bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes.
12. Transfer to a large pot.
13. Add 4 litres of water, bring to a boil.
14. Add bones, carrot, radish.
15. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.
16. Strain off solids.

Notes
For the beef fat, you may be able to cut some from the beef. This dish typically uses Taiwan bok choy. As the name implies, it is common in Taiwan, though it may not be where you are. The whole Chinese/napa cabbage, bok/pak choy/choi thing is excruciatingly confusing in English, and only slightly better in Chinese. What I can tell you is that in Taiwan, Taiwan bok choy is called 小白菜 (xiao bai cai). But if you can’t find it, it doesn’t really matter. Substitute any bok/pak choy/choi thingy or other light, leafy Asian vegetable. Beef bones preferably should be sawed in half – this helps the good stuff inside leach into the stock. Chinese pickles are made from various kinds of vegetables. Any tart-tasting pickle like Sichuan preserved vegetable will do.

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CHINESE NAME OF THIS DISH
紅燒牛肉麵
hóngshāo niúròu miàn

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