Beef Noodle Soup (牛肉麵)

*UPDATE: I made the noodle soup again! This time with a few twists, please see here for details.*

Winter isn't quite over yet. To warm us up, I made Taiwan-style Beef Noodle Soup (Niu Rou Mian).

It was my first time preparing Niu Rou Mian - I found the recipe on Tasty Meals At Home. They did not provide any measurements (just the ingredients), though. When I made mine, I made sure to use measuring cups/spoons so I could post them here. However, much like all other dishes, the measurements don't need to be precise.

I haven't had Niu Rou Mian in a while, but I think mine tastes very similar to the ones served at the restaurants. Spicy dark red broth, but at the same time fresh and sweet! Yum! As far as the flavoring part goes, I wouldn't change a thing about the recipe.

Next time though, I am using a different cut of meat. The best thing about Niu Rou Mian is the tender meat with fat and tendon. The Beef Round Top Round Roast cut I used had nearly no fat and no tendon, which resulted in tougher and chewier meat. Still good, but not great.

The Round Roast may be good in western beef noodle soup, though.

After more research, I found out the best cut to use is beef shank. And instead of cutting the shank into large cubes from the get-go, I will braise the whole piece of meat and slice it when it's time to serve. This way, the meat won't lose its shape and much of the fat/tendon content. Plus, the slices will make the dish more presentable, too.

Hubs loves Riu Rou Mein and I am happy that I can make it at home now. It's at least $8 or $9 for a bowl at the restaurant. At home, we can make several bowls for a lot less.

Will most definitely make it again!

Beef Noodle Soup:

- 1.5 pound Beef Round Top Round Roast, cut in chunks (recommend using beef shank or short ribs instead)
- 5-6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 3-4 ginger slices
- 1 large tomato, cut in wedges
- 1 large onion, cut in wedges
- 2 tbsp chili bean paste
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 3-4 star anise
- 1/2 cup regular soy sauce (for taste)
- 1/4 cup dark soy sauce (for color)
- 1/3 cup rice wine
- 6 cups water
- 2 stalks green onion, cut in 2" slices

1. Wash beef under cold water and removing any excess fat. Bring a big pot of water to a boil and flash boil your meat in order to remove any excess membranes/harmful/particles from your meat. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat up pot and add oil. Add garlic and ginger. Cook until fragrant.
3. Add tomato and onion wedges. Stir well.
4. Add beef, chili bean paste, sugar, regular soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and rice wine. Stir.
5. Add star anise, water, and green onions. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
6. Simmer for at least 2 hours. Longer (4-6 hours) for best results.
7. Serve over any variety of Chinese noodles! Enjoy!

Note: I like to cook the stew the night before actual serving so that all the flavors can come together overnight. On the day of serving, just simply bring the broth to a boil, cook some noodles and boy choy and assemble!

This picture is from our trip to Taiwan in 2005. This small restaurant in Taipei was especially busy. We tracked it down because of the great reviews in our Lonely Planet tour book. The line was out of the door!

I remember hubs sweating bullets while eating. Was it because the soup was spicy or was it because the restaurant had no air conditioning? I don't remember. It was scrumptious, though.