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A steaming bowl of homemade beef noodle soup topped with scallions and cilantro, made in Gina's kitchen

Gina's Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

A rich, spiced, slow-braised beef noodle soup inspired by Gina's night in a Taipei market, now built for your own kitchen.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 4 bowls
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2.5 lbs beef shank, cut into large chunks or beef short ribs
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3 tbsp doubanjiang (fermented chili bean paste)
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1 piece fresh ginger, sliced about 3 inches
  • 4 whole scallions, cut into sections plus more sliced for garnish
  • 2 whole star anise
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine
  • 2 tbsp rock sugar or brown sugar
  • 8 cups beef broth or water
  • 2 whole tomatoes, quartered
  • 1 lb fresh thick wheat noodles dried works as substitute
  • 4 heads baby bok choy, halved
  • 1/2 cup pickled mustard greens for serving
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro for garnish

Method
 

  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the beef shank chunks for 3 to 4 minutes to remove impurities, then drain and rinse.
  2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat and fry the doubanjiang, garlic, and ginger until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
  3. Add the blanched beef, scallions, star anise, and cinnamon stick, stirring to coat the beef in the spiced paste.
  4. Pour in the soy sauce and Shaoxing wine, let it bubble for a minute, then add the rock sugar and tomatoes.
  5. Add the beef broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 to 2.5 hours until the beef is very tender.
  6. About 15 minutes before serving, cook the wheat noodles according to package directions and blanch the bok choy in the simmering broth.
  7. Divide the noodles among bowls, ladle the beef and broth over top, then finish with bok choy, pickled mustard greens, sliced scallions, and cilantro.

Notes

Blanching the beef before braising is the step most home cooks skip, but it keeps the final broth clear and clean-tasting instead of cloudy.