Learn how to make a warm and yummy Chinese style beef noodle soup (牛肉面).
Beef noodle soup possibly is the most favorited Chinese style noodle soup. Every noodle restaurant serve their own beef noodle. You can find beef hand pulled noodles (牛肉拉面) in Lanzhou noodle restaurant, a spicy Sichuan style braised beef noodle in a Sichuan restaurant, a much milder taiwanese braised beef noodle (台式红烧牛肉) in a taiwan food restaurant.
As a big fan of beef noodle soup, I usually make a large pot of braised beef and fridge as the essential topping of my breakfast noodles at home. Do not get scared by the long list of ingredients, it is quite easy and requires little cooking skill. But get yourself a good simmering pot before starting.
Ingredients
- 1000g Beef shank or sirloin
- 2L beef bone stock or pork stock
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 middle size tomato
- 1/2 red onion
- 2 leek onions
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 tablespoons Doubanjiang
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- Pinch of salt to taste
- chopped green onion and coriander (for garnishing)
- whole coriander (for decorating)
- noodles for 3-4 servings
Spices
- 2 bay leaves (香叶)
- 2 star anises (八角)
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn seeds (花椒)
- 1 bark Chinese cinnamon (桂皮)
- 1/2 teaspoon clove (丁香)
- 1 small nutmeg (肉豆蔻)
- 1 Chinese cardamom (砂仁)
Instructions
Cut beef into larger chunks and then place in a large pot with enough cold water. Throw one spring onion and several ginger slices, bring to a boil and then pick the beef chunks out (so there will be no floating dirt on the meat and we can skip rinsing process.) Drain.
Heat up around 2 tablespoons of oil in a deep stewing pot and fry doubanjiang for half minute over slow fire, then place garlic, ginger, leek onion and red onion in, fry until aromatic.
Return cooked beef and stir for several minutes until the beef is slightly browned, place tomato wedges, spices, light soy sauce and add warm stock to cover all the content. Bring to boil and then slow down the fire and simmer for around 1 hour.
Pick the beef out and strain the liquid to remove cooked vegetables and spices, add salt to taste (the soup can be slightly salty compare with common soups)and simmer for another 15-20 minutes.
Keep the soup base warm and at the meantime, cook noodles according to the package instructions.
- 1000 g Beef shank or sirloin
- 2 L beef bone stock or pork stock
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 middle size tomato
- 1/2 red onion
- 2 leek onions
- 2 garlic cloves , sliced
- 2 tbsp. Doubanjiang
- 2 tbsp. light soy sauce
- Pinch of salt to taste
- chopped green onion and coriander , for garnishing
- whole coriander , for decorating
- noodles , for 3-4 servings
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 star anises
- 1 tsp. Sichuan peppercorn
- 1 small bark Chinese cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. clove
- 1 small nutmeg
- 1 Chinese cardamom
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Cut beef into larger chunks and then place in a large pot with enough cold water. Throw one spring onion and several ginger slices, bring to a boil and then pick the beef chunks out (so there will be no floating dirt on the meat and we can skip rinsing process.) Drain.
-
Heat up around 2 tablespoons of oil in a deep stewing pot and fry doubanjiang for half minute over slow fire, then place garlic, ginger, leek onion and red onion in, fry until aromatic.
-
Return cooked beef and stir for several minutes until the beef is slightly browned, place tomato wedges and add warm stock to cover all the content. Bring to boil and then slow down the fire and simmer for around 1 hour.
-
Pick the beef out and strain the liquid to remove cooked vegetables and spices, add salt to taste (the soup can be slightly salty compare with common soups)and simmer for another 15-20 minutes.
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During this period, cook noodles according to package instructions. You can either serve wide noodles or thin noodles. Transfer noodles to serving bowl, pour in soup base and top with beef. Garnish chopped green onion and decorate with coriander.
Hello Elaine,
Just a question, on which part should I use the light soy sauce? And also, where should I use the spices? In the beef stock or when frying the doubanjiang?
Carlo,
Light soy sauce and spices can be added after adding the stock.
Thanks Elaine for this wonderful recipe! Aside from this, I also tried your braised chicken feet, Har Gow, beef dumplings & dry-fry green beans on 1 single night & my friends really love them! Looking forward to try some of your other Sichuan dishes next week. We are a small group of Filipinos here in Saudi Arabia. Many thanks!
Thank you Carlo for your feedback! I am so glad to know they turn out good. You are a very talented cook to make so many dishes in just one night. Happy cooking!
Hi Elaine,
since I first made this recipe following your instructions I’ve found and tried a lot of variations coming from all parts of China. I really like the Sichuan twist you gave it. It remind’s me of potato salad here in Germany which is present everywhere, but if you eat it you can tell which region the cook comes from 🙂
This was amazing, Elaine! Thank you so much for sharing. I’ve been looking for an authentic recipe that recreates experiences I’ve had in certain restaurants, and this is exactly what I wanted! I’ll be trying more of your recipes soon.
Happy cooking, Chris.
Hi Elaine, I am looking forward to making this for my family and serving it with your recipe of Chinese Handmade Noodles. I do have a few of questions first:
1) Sichuan peppercorn: will this leave a strong tingle on your tongue when eaten? I have young kids (ages 4 – 10) and not sure if they will find this “spicy”. Or is the amount small that we won’t notice the “numbness”?
2) Nutmeg: when you say 1 Nutmeg is that a “whole” nutmeg? I have never cooked, nor really seen whole nutmeg before.
3) Chinese cinnamon – I’ve never seen cinnamon bark labeled “Chinese cinnamon” before but I have seen them packaged in Chinese grocery stores. Is that “Chinese cinnamon”? Is there a difference between Chinese cinnamon and the cinnamon barks I buy at Western grocery stores?
Much thanks for your time in answering my questions. Cheers!
Frankie,
I am sorry for the feedback because of the holiday.
1)My daughter don’t eat spicy food but she can accept the numbing feeling. But with a very small amount, especially in soups. The children cannot notice it.
2)Yes, we need 1 whole nutmeg.
3) Yes, cinnamon bark in Chinese stores is Chinese cinnamon. They have small differences in flavors.