Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
The last six months have been life-changing for me in terms access to Asian groceries.
It all started with my company’s move to Fan Pier in Boston.
Up until January, my entire adult working life has been in the city of Cambridge. I lived in Cambridge; I worked in Cambridge. Heck before that, I went to school in Cambridge.
For those of you who know Cambridge, you’ll know how frustrating it is to get Asian groceries. As far as I know, we don’t have a Chinese grocery store (though there is a wholesale tofu maker, but we’ll leave that for another post). We had a few decent Japanese grocery stores in the past (Kotobukiya, Miso Mart), but they’ve all left now. There’s a small Korean market (Lotte) near MIT, and then there’s Reliable, another Korean market in Somerville not that close to where I live.
So I would go into Chinatown or Hong Kong Market in Allston on occasional weekends. Sometimes I would resort to the paltry Asian offerings at my neighborhood supermarkets.
My life changed when my company moved to Fan Pier. All of a sudden, I virtually passed by Chinatown on my way home everyday. Better yet, there was a C-Mart right at South Station. It was all-too-convenient to pick up hard-to-get items like Chinese BBQ “Sacha” sauce, my favorite “Old Lady” chili sauce, Chinese vegetables galore, and unusual cuts of meat.
My life changed AGAIN when H-Mart opened in Central Square in May. Now I could make a super quick stop at Central Square and pick up my favorite Japanese snacks, many Chinese items, and (naturally) tons of Korean specialties.
I was thrilled to find that both C-Mart and H-Mart carry beef shank cut lengthwise (not through the bone), which is the exact cut used for many favorite Taiwanese dishes, such as my mom’s soy braised beef shank and Taiwan’s national dish: Beef Noodle Soup.
I’ve been making this dish a lot more, especially this past winter because it was so cold. More recently, I tried using the pressure cooker to make it, which worked out great and saved tons of time.
Now, instead of spending 3-4 hours on a weekend slowly simmering this time-intensive dish, I can “crank out” a delicious beef noodle soup with fall-apart soft meat in just about an hour. Perfect for a weeknight meal.
Beef shank is the traditional meat used to make this dish, although I’ve seen recipes that substitute it with beef stew meat. I’ve personally never done that before, and my guess is that it won’t be nearly as good. What makes shank so delicious in beef noodle soup is the presence of a lot of tendon / connective tissue, which contributes to rich, collagen-filled broth that results. The bone-in version that you get in normal western-style grocery stores works fine too. In fact, that’s the version I used in my hand-pulled noodle video tutorial.
Begin by prepping all your ingredients. Chop your ginger and scallions. Mince the garlic. Cut up the shank into 1-2 inch pieces.
Bring a pot of water to boil and briefly boil the beef chunks for about 5 minutes. The main purpose for doing this is to “clean” the meat of its blood bits, etc. It will result in a clearer, cleaner-looking, and prettier broth, though if you’re in a bind and you don’t care about the look, it’s a step that can be skipped.
Within a minute or two you’ll start to see this ugly pinkish foam float to the top.
After about 5-7 minutes it’ll get pretty thick and stop getting thicker (which means you’re pretty much done).
Dump out the dirty water in the sink and rinse the beef pieces. Set them aside.
In a pressure cooker, stir-fry ginger, garlic, scallions, and star anise with vegetable oil over medium heat until fragrant.
Add beef shank pieces and chili bean sauce (or “broad bean paste with chili) “豆瓣酱” and saute for a few minutes until the beef is slightly browned.
This is the brand of chili bean sauce I like to use. I actually buy the spicy version, and they call it “broad bean paste with chili” in English. Most importantly you want to see the Chinese characters豆瓣酱, or “dobanjiang.” I like the above brand because it’s from Taiwan.
Add tomatoes, rice wine, and rock sugar (can substitute with brown sugar if necessary).
If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, you can totally used canned whole tomatoes. In the above photo, I cut up several canned whole San Marzano tomatoes (they are tiny so I used 2-3), which worked out great.
The amount of rock sugar is really personal taste. Bryan hates sweet foods (e.g., he’s not a fan of most Americanized Thai food), and thus I only add a tiny bit (we’re talking like “dime sized rock”) of rock sugar. Other people will add up to 1/4 cup, which will make the soup definitely a bit sweet. You can always adjust the flavor at the end.
Finally, add just enough water so that everything is covered.
Cook under high pressure for about 30 minutes. Then slowly release the pressure. Because I was not in a hurry, I just turned off the heat and let it naturally release pressure. You can also release pressure more quickly using the method recommended by the manufacturer. In the case of my Kuhn Rikon I just press down on the little lever on top and it released steam until the pressure is back down.
Once the lid is off, you can use this opportunity to quickly cook some vegetables. I usually just cook some baby bok choy, though recently I saw a version made my blogger friend Joy Huang from The Cooking of Joy where she used napa cabbage. That was delicious as well.
The choice is totally yours. Every region, every family, and everyone’s mom makes beef noodle soup just a bit differently, so go ahead and start your own tradition.
If you’re really ambitious, you could even try hand-pulling your own noodles. Here’s a fun video I made back in 2010 showing how to make both the hand-pulled noodles and this beef noodle soup! Warning – hand pulling noodles is really tricky and noodle dough is super finicky. Consider yourself warned!
These days it’s much too easy just to pick up a package of fresh homemade noodles from either C-Mart or H-Mart. Ah, I am so spoiled now.
Enjoy!
Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
Serves 4
2 lbs beef shank (cut up into chunks)
1 T vegetable oil
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 inch chunk of ginger, chopped
2 star anise
2 scallion stalks, chopped
2 T chili bean sauce (or broad bean paste with chili / 辣豆瓣酱)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tomato, sliced
1/4 cup rice wine
1 tsp to 1/4 cup rock sugar (optional)
chili sauce (optional)
5 cups water (or enough to cover the beef)
Optional vegetables
blanched bok choy
napa cabbage
fresh cilantro as garnish
Preboiling
Bring a pot of water to boil and briefly boil the beef chunks for about 5 minutes, or until a white foam forms at the top of the water. Drain dirty water, rinse beef shanks, and set aside.
Stir-frying
1. In the pressure cooker over medium high heat, saute garlic, ginger, scallions, and star anise in vegetable oil until fragrant.
2. Add beef shank pieces and chili bean sauce and saute for a few minutes, until the beef is slightly browned.
3. Add soy sauce and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, rice wine, and rock sugar.
5. Add water until everything is just covered.
6. Bring up to high pressure and cook under pressure for 30 minutes. Slowly release pressure and serve.
ALTERNATE: If you don’t have a pressure cooker
Bring pot to medium high heat until boiling and then reduce to a simmer for 2-4 hours, or until the beef is fall-apart tender.
7. Adjust taste to preference (e.g., add chili sauce to make it spicier; add more soy sauce, salt, or rock sugar)
8. Serve with blanched bok choy and noodles
9. Optionally garnish with cilantro (Bryan’s favorite!)
Yum!
And they are just as good if not better as leftovers the next day!
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Haha, thanks for the shout out! Maybe one of these days I’ll get enough courage to try making hand-pulled noodles….
I’m so jealous you got to meet Mr. Ripert! I’ve only been to his restaurant in Grand Cayman, but they have that tuna appetizer as well, and it was sooooo good. One of these days I’ll make it to La Bernadin….
That looks fantastic! I usually make mine like Nana’s video below, which is amazing– I’ll have to try it with your recommended chili paste next time! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owlWdevUi-0
Love beef noodle soup!! My goal this past winter was to learn how to make it up but I could never figure out what cut of beef to use so I kept putting it off. It’s so important and lots of recipes were strangely vague about it. It’s getting pretty warm in Boston now but maybe I still have some time to crank out a pot of beef noodle soup before my apartment turns into a brick oven for the summer!
Looks delish Jen! Summer’s heating up, but would love to try making this when it’s colder out 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
I did the Chef’s tasting at Le Bernadin last summer and it was one of the most memorable meals of my life. Thank you for sharing and posting such lovely photos. I must return!
Yes – it’s soooo worth it. You really should get there someday, even if just for lunch!
Thanks! Seriously, it’s one of the few super nice restaurants to which I have returned several times. 🙂
Thanks for the terrific recipe! Just finished making this for my parents. Delicious. And the pressure cooker helps a lot. Trying to up my Taiwanese cooking game!
Jen,
I couldn’t find the broad bean paste. Will it be detrimental if I leave it out?
I’ve never tried making it without the broad bean paste. I think it’s a pretty fundamental ingredient, but you can try it and let me know how it turns out!
I made it without the bean paste and the flavors were still good! However, my meat was not tender 🙁 I think it’s because I used a stew meat though instead of what I was supposed to use.
Thanks for the feedback. Sorry to hear your meat was still tough. Maybe stew meat needs to cook for a lot longer in the pressure cooker?
Yeah maybe! I chose better meat the second time around and it was much much better
I just made my second trip to C-mart to get the right bean paste. On my last trip I ended up with the Chinese version, which was only soybeans after close inspection. I was able to take my time today, and verified with that the characters matched – so this weekend is time for soup! Can’t wait. Thanks for the recipe!
Cool, hope it turns out!
It was delicious, and I’ll be adding this to my rotation! Two questions for you… 1) do you strain any of the fat off the top? I didn’t, but it was a pretty sizable layer, so I tried to agitate the soup before serving. 2) I noticed the broth wasn’t as “beefy” as when I’ve ordered the same from Taiwanese brunch spots. Do you think they are using beef stock instead of water? I believe their soup is almost opaque.
Thanks!
This looks so savory! Can’t wait to try it and I’m feeling fortunate for my proximity to many Asian markets. Thanks!
Thank you for an incredibly delicious and satisfying recipe!!!! This will be my go to beef noodle soup recipe from now on. Tried it for the first time in my Instant Pot, and it was great 🙂 Used the Lee Kum Kee chili bean sauce (toban djan) and it worked beautifully! My husband couldn’t stop eating this – Keep up the good work, and I look forward to trying more recipes from you in the future!
Great! Thanks so much for your kind words!
Jen
This recipe is legit!! When I couldn’t get in touch with my parents for the family recipe (they used to run a Taiwanese “small eats” cafe), I turned to your recipe and it was perfect! Thank you!
You’re welcome! Thanks for taking the time to comment. Much appreciated. 🙂
HI Jen – will have to try this recipe! Quick question – what noodles did you use? Did you buy from c-mart/hmart? If so what brand? thanks!
Hi Jen – will have to try this recipe. Question-where are the noodles from? cmart/hmart? If so, what brand is it? It looks yummy! thanks
Hi Kelly,
I sometimes buy the fresh, refrigerated noodles from a Chinese market (like Hong Kong Market or C-Mart in Chinatown). If I buy dry noodles I usually buy the Wumu brand from Taiwan.
Jen
hi Jen, thanks so much. The one above looks spaghetti-ish. Do you remember if it was fresh? if so does it look like that in the cooler aisle at chinese market? thx!! Love your blog
Hi Kelly,
I can’t remember any more if it was fresh. I do often buy the fresh packs of noodles at C-Mart in the refrigerated section, so it’s possible that it’s one of those. Sorry I can’t remember!
Jen
Hi Jen
I came upon your recipe for Taiwanese noodles by chance and tried it a couple of weeks ago. It was SO good that i’m making it again tonight, now waiting for the noodles and serving in a few minutes.
Thankfully, in Madrid there is a growing Asian community and the ingredients – fresh and otherwise – are readily available.
What a find this recipe was, many thanks!
Best regards
Elena
There’s an Hmart in Central Square?!? Who do y’all think you are – California?!? 😉
Great pictures, now I’m hungry…
Ha ha, I know! Central Square is very different now. Still waiting for my Chinese market (though HMart does a pretty good job!).
Hi! When do you add the cabbage?
You can either cook it separately and just add it on top, or add it after releasing the pressure from the pressure cooker. It might work if you put it in at the beginning, but I fear it would get too soggy!
I made your dish yesterday night, and it was sooooooo good!!!! Thank you for posting your recipe! I’m a big 台式紅燒牛肉麵 fan, and this is by far the tenderest beef shank I have ever tasted! So good! Thx again!
You’re the 2nd hit when Googling “pressure cooker beef shanks”…must mean the recipe is popular! Well I tried it out and knocked it out of the park on the very first try, so thank you so much. What a wonderful recipe. A few twists:
1) I used soba (buckwheat) noodles, which are a much healthier option than the usual wheat or rice noodles
2) I threw the bones in (including marrow), which makes the broth even richer, though I skimmed most of the fat off at the end
3) I used soy bean paste instead of broad bean chili paste because my wife can’t handle the spice, and it turned out fine
4) I had to dilute the broth to taste…it was a bit salty straight out of the pot…next time I’ll use half as much sauces
My wife was truly impressed…says it’s just as good as the best Taiwanese beef noodle joints in Vancouver, BC (and there are several dozen of them here).
Hi, I have made this a few times and it is truly delicious! The problem is my kids find it too spicy (even though I diluted their portion to make it less spicy). Do you have any other recipe like this that is non spicy? Or can I substitute the spicy broad bean paste with the non spicy one? Thanks!
I haven’t tried making the soup with the non-spicy broad bean paste, but it’s worth a try!
This looks delicious. Can this be made in a slow cooker instead?
Probably, thought it would need to be cooked for many more hours!
Jen
How many servings does this recipe provide? Can I also add carrots? Will they turn to mush in the pressure cooker?
Followed your recipe to the letter – adjusting only for the size of the 2.4 lb whole, boneless shank. I found your exact broad bean paste and noted that the jar has a “heat” indicator (a row of 5 chiles -mine had 3 red for medium). I used fresh Taiwanese thin noodles from H-Mart and the outcome was an unqualified success.
To be perfectly frank, I only had a canning-size pressure cooker until I ran across your post. I bought a Magefesa pressure cooker specifically for this recipe. I’m thoroughly pleased with the result.
Have you considered a sous vide version?
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I made it for my Taiwanese friends and they absolutely loved it! They said it tasted like the the soup that they get when they go back home! Our friend Peter said it was a very nostalgic moment when he tasted it. My friends now think I am a genius! I gave all the credit to you and told them where to find the recipe. Just wanted you to know. Thanks again!
this was delicious thank you for sharing!
This recipe is legit!!! So tasty and authentic.. I was really happy with both the flavor and tenderness of the beef. A keeper for sure!
Jen can you please make more recipe posts like this one? Simple but still delicious?
Hi,
I have made this recipe at least 10 times and everytime, I get loads of compliments. My dad, who grew up in Taiwan, also thinks this recipe is better than the beef noodle soup in the Taiwanese restaurants. So easy to do too. Thank you!!!
Julie
Aww, thanks! So glad you are enjoying it. 🙂