Taiwanese Braised Beef Noodle Soup

Taiwanese Braised Beef Noodle Soup

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Soup
Cuisine: Asian, Taiwan
Servings: 4
Calories: 727kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 kg beef Something fatty for stewing like brisket, short rib or oxtail. Rough chopped into 2" pieces
  • 4 tbsp chinese cooking wine split into 2 2 tbsp portions
  • 1.5 tbsp sugar
  • 7 tsp chopped ginger split into 3 tsp and 4 tsp portions
  • 4 tsp chopped garlic
  • 1 bundle green onion rough chopped, white and green separated
  • 1/2 medium red onion peeled, roughly chunked
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 2 large bay leaf
  • 3 large red chilis
  • 2 star anise
  • 1/4 large orange peel quarter orange, halve one quarter and take its fresh skin
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp dark soy sauce optional
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 4-6 stalks bok choy greens and whites separated
  • 2 tbsp chili paste
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 4-6 cups water
  • 4-6 cups beef broth
  • cilantro rough chopped, stem removed
  • water cress stems trimmed
  • noodles

Instructions

  • place the beef in a pot and cover in water, add 2 tbsp cooking wine and 3 tsp ginger, bring to a boil for 1 minute, then drain, keeping the meat. Lay the meat out on a drying rack and pat dry
  • In a large crock pot heat some vegetable oil on medium, til crackling
  • once the meat has cooled, pat it dry with paper towel, then brown in batches in the crock pot, 1-2 minutes per side
  • after the last batch of meat is browned, reduce the heat to low, add sugar and stir constantly til it caramelizes, 1-2 minutes
  • Return the beef to the bot and stir vigorously to coat with the sugar
  • Add all the spices and sauces, the red onion, the bok choy and green onion whites, the orange peels
  • bring the heat to medium-high and stir constantly for 2 minutes so everything gets all coated
  • fill the pot with enough water to barely cover the ingredients, then bring to a boil at high, then reduce to medium-low and cover, leaving an inch of space for steam
  • simmer for at least 4 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so and topping up as needed
  • Just before the soup is done blanch the bok choy and green onion greens
  • The soup broth in the pot should be super flavorful now, you finalize the broth by diluting it into the plain beef broth as needed to taste (about 1 cup of each broth per serving)
  • place a serving of cooked noodles in a bowl and add the broths to the desired ratio,
  • Add a portion of beef and a portion bok choy and green onion
  • serve with cilantro and watercress to top

Notes

pictured is your basic “stewing beef, bone out” but I found it to be too lean to give the broth the body I want.

Nutrition

Calories: 727kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 178mg | Sodium: 1973mg | Potassium: 998mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 702IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 6mg