Homemade Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

Growing up in Taiwan, everyone I knew had a favorite spot for 牛肉麵, AKA beef noodle soup. Nothing picked you up after a long day at work or school like a brimming bowl of tender beef, hot spice-laden broth, and chewy wheat noodles. Moving to Manhattan, while I was surrounded by incredible food everywhere, there is a dearth of options for beef noodle soup. (I’ve been here for ten years, and 886 and Ho Foods both only opened in 2018. New Yorkers are seriously sleeping on Taiwanese food.) So I decided to make my own. Warning: This isn’t exactly a quick recipe. The soup itself should simmer for two to three hours.

ingredients

Soup

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (I used peanut oil)
2 pounds of beef chuck divided into large cubes
6 quarter inch slices of fresh ginger
8 cloves of smashed garlic
3 stalks of scallion, trimmed and sliced into large segments
2 fresh Thai chilis or 3 red dried chilis (add more if you want even more of a kick)
2 Roma tomatoes, quartered
3 tablespoons of sugar or rock sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons of chili bean sauce (豆瓣醬)
4 cloves of star anise
1 cup of rice cooking wine
1/2 cup of light soy sauce
1/4 cup of dark soy sauce
10 cups of water
1 teaspoon of salt
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon of five-spice powder

Finishes

1 pack of wheat noodle (I used Hakubaku Organic Japanese Buckwheat Ramen ($15/pack of 4) since it was the most easily accessible)
1 stalk of scallion, sliced thin or 1 tablespoon of cilantro, chopped (optional)
Finely diced pickled mustard green (optional)
4 heads of baby bok choy, blanched and halved
1 bowl of ice water

directions

1. Start by heating up 2 tablespoons of oil in a large soup pot of Dutch oven on medium high heat. I used my 5.5 quart Le Creuset. When the oil is shimmering, place the chuck in one flat layer across the bottom of the pot. Let the meat brown for two minutes on each side. Don’t worry about cooking it through. You may have to break up this step into batches. Set your beef aside on a plate.

2. Heat up one more tablespoon of oil in the same pot and add ginger, garlic, scallions, chilies, and tomatoes. Stir around the pot to lift the brown frond from browning the meat up, and cook until fragrant and tomatoes are soft, about 3 minutes.

3. Add sugar, chili bean sauce, and star anise and keep cooking, stirring until sugar dissolves (don’t worry if the rock sugar doesn’t dissolve completely), about another 3 minutes. Then, return beef to the pot and stir to coat the beef.

4. Next, add rice wine and bring to a boil. Make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the pot and stir in if there are any brown bits left. After a minute, add dark and light soy sauces, water, salt, bay leaves, and five-spice powder. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam or crud from the surface of the broth so that the liquid looks clear. Place the lid on and lower heat to a simmer for 2 to 3 hours.

5. (Optional) About an hour to 45 minutes before serving bring a pot of salted water to boil. Blanche your bok choy by holding the stem in water for 20 seconds before submerging it in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove from heat and plunge immediately into ice bath to stop cooking. Set aside.

6. About half an hour before serving, bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook your wheat noodles according to package instructions. When soup is finished, place noodles in a bowl and ladle soup and beef over it. Top with scallions, bok choy, and/or pickled mustard greens. Serve immediately and enjoy!

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(Featured photo: Kimberly Wang)

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