The dish to eat in Taipei · Taiwan

Beef noodle soup

Name: Taiwanese red-braised beef noodle soup
Total time: 3 h 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Taiwan
Ingredients: 3 lb (1.4 kg) bone-in beef shank (or boneless shank plus 1 lb beef bones), cut into 2-inch chunks; 2 tbsp neutral oil; 6 slices ginger, 8 garlic cloves smashed, 4 scallions cut in lengths, 1 onion quartered; 3 tbsp spicy doubanjiang (chili bean paste); 2 tomatoes, quartered, and 1 tbsp tomato paste; 1/3 cup (80 ml) Shaoxing wine; 1/3 cup (80 ml) light soy sauce and 2 tbsp dark soy sauce; 1 tbsp rock sugar or brown sugar; Spices: 3 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, 1 tsp fennel seed (tied in cheesecloth); 10 cups (2.4 l) water; 1 1/2 lb (680 g) thick fresh wheat noodles; To serve: baby bok choy, pickled mustard greens (suan cai) chopped, sliced scallions, cilantro, chili oil

Photo: Peachyeung316, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source

Thick wheat noodles in a deep red-braised beef broth with chunks of tender shank, pickled mustard greens and scallion.

Taipei's comfort food was born from mainland soldiers' cooking after 1949. The city now holds a yearly festival to crown the best bowl.

Where to eat it Cook it at home

Where to eat it: the best three in Taipei

Lin Dong Fang Beef Noodles
Bade Road, Zhongshan
Order: Half-tendon, half-beef noodles, spiced up with their chili butter
A late-night favorite famous for its fragrant, slightly herbal broth.
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Yong Kang Beef Noodle
Jinshan South Road, near Yongkang Street
Order: Spicy braised beef noodles with tendon
Since 1963, the classic red-braised bowl near Yongkang Street.
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Liu Shandong Beef Noodles
Kaifeng Street, near Taipei Main Station
Order: Red-braised beef noodle soup with handmade noodles
A Michelin Bib Gourmand alley shop with chewy hand-cut noodles.
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All three are on Chef Amazing’s list The best beef noodle soup in Taipei, which you can save and take with you.

Cook it at home: Taiwanese red-braised beef noodle soup

Serves 6Time 3 hr 30 min

Beef shank turns gelatinous and tender in a broth built on doubanjiang, soy, tomato and star anise. Make it a day ahead if you can: it's better, and the fat is easy to lift off.

Pans and tools

Large heavy pot (at least 7 quarts)
Cheesecloth and string
Second pot for noodles

You’ll need

3 lb (1.4 kg) bone-in beef shank (or boneless shank plus 1 lb beef bones), cut into 2-inch chunks
2 tbsp neutral oil
6 slices ginger, 8 garlic cloves smashed, 4 scallions cut in lengths, 1 onion quartered
3 tbsp spicy doubanjiang (chili bean paste)
2 tomatoes, quartered, and 1 tbsp tomato paste
1/3 cup (80 ml) Shaoxing wine
1/3 cup (80 ml) light soy sauce and 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp rock sugar or brown sugar
Spices: 3 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, 1 tsp fennel seed (tied in cheesecloth)
10 cups (2.4 l) water
1 1/2 lb (680 g) thick fresh wheat noodles
To serve: baby bok choy, pickled mustard greens (suan cai) chopped, sliced scallions, cilantro, chili oil

Steps

Put the beef in cold water, bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse well. This keeps the broth clean.
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Fry the ginger, garlic, scallions and onion 3 minutes until fragrant and lightly browned.
Add the doubanjiang and tomato paste and fry 1 minute until the oil turns red. Add the tomatoes and the beef and toss 2 minutes.
Add the wine, both soy sauces and sugar and cook 2 minutes. Add the spice bag and the water. Bring to a boil, skim, then simmer, partly covered, 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the beef is very tender.
Remove the spice bag and aromatics. Skim the fat. Taste and season: it should be rich, savory and gently spicy.
Boil the noodles in a separate pot according to the package (usually 4 to 6 minutes), adding the bok choy in the last minute. Drain.
Divide the noodles and bok choy among large bowls, add several chunks of beef and ladle over plenty of broth.
Top with pickled mustard greens, scallions and cilantro, with chili oil at the table.

Chef’s tips

Shank with tendon gives the best texture; ask a Chinese butcher.

Cook the noodles separately; cooked in the broth they make it starchy.

The broth freezes well for quick bowls later.

Contains: Wheat, soy.

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