Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup 牛肉麵

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup 牛肉麵 is a hearty dish featuring tender chunks of beef simmered in a rich, flavorful broth with aromatic spices like ginger, garlic, and dried chilies. Served with thick wheat noodles and garnished with fresh herbs and pickled vegetables, it's a beloved comfort food in Taiwanese cuisine, perfect for warming up on chilly days.

Ingredients:

For the soup:

- 400-500g beef

- 1 Carrot

- 1/3 Radish

- 2-3 small tomatoes

- 1/2 onion, quartered

- 1 tbsp oil

- 2-3 slices ginger

- 4-5 cloves garlic

- 2 dried chillies

- 1 tbsp sugar

- 2 tbsp doubanjiang (chili bean paste)

- 2 tbsp soy sauce

- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce

- 15ml rice wine

- 2 bay leaves

- 1/2 teaspoon 5 spice powder

- Water

- Additional: Noodles, Bok choy

Instructions:

1. Prepare Ingredients: 

- Start by cutting the beef into smaller pieces. 

- Peel and slice the carrot and radish. Cut tomatoes in chunks. Quarter the onion, slice the ginger, and crush the garlic cloves.

2. Sauté Aromatics:

- In a pot or wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat. 

- Add the sliced ginger, crushed garlic, bay leaves and dried chillies (if using). 

Stir-fry for about 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

3. Sear Beef: 

- Add the beef to the pot and stir-fry until it's browned on all sides, approximately 2-3 minutes.

4. Seasoning:

- Add in the sugar, doubanjiang (chili bean paste), 5-spice powder, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and Shaoxing rice wine. 

- Stir well to coat the beef evenly in the seasoning mix. 

- Cook for about 2 minutes until the sauce starts to bubble and thicken slightly.

5. Add Vegetables and Liquid:

- Toss in the vegetables. 

- Pour in enough water to cover all the ingredients in the pot. Adjust the seasoning according to your taste preference.

6. Simmer:

- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. 

- Cover the pot and let the soup simmer gently for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally, or until the beef is tender and the flavors have melded together.

7. Serving:

- While the soup is simmering, cook the noodles and bok choy in a separate pot of boiling water. Drain and set aside.

- Ladle the hot beef and vegetable soup over the noodles. Garnish with chopped green onions if desired.