Taiwanese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (Niu Rou Mian)

Name: Taiwanese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (Niu Rou Mian)
Total time: 3 h
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Taiwanese
Ingredients: 2½ lb boneless beef chuck, in 2-inch chunks; 3 tbsp doubanjiang; 6 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp dark soy sauce; ⅓ cup Shaoxing wine; 2 Roma tomatoes, quartered; 1 onion, quartered; a 1½-inch piece ginger, sliced; 8 garlic cloves, smashed; 1 bunch green onions (whites in pieces, greens sliced); 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns; 4 cups beef broth; 1 lb dried wheat noodles; 1 lb baby bok choy, halved; cilantro to serve; 2 tbsp brown sugar; 1 tsp five-spice powder; 3 star anise; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 tbsp tomato paste; 2 tbsp oil; 5 cups water; salt

DinnerTaiwanese180 minServes 6835 kcal50 g protein

Photo: The original uploader was 未命名 at Chinese Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Taiwan's national dish: chunks of beef braised for hours in a deep, star anise-scented broth spiked with chili bean paste, served over chewy wheat noodles with bok choy and cilantro. It's a weekend project that feeds a crowd.

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Ingredients

2½ lb boneless beef chuck, in 2-inch chunks
3 tbsp doubanjiang
6 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
⅓ cup Shaoxing wine
2 Roma tomatoes, quartered
1 onion, quartered
a 1½-inch piece ginger, sliced
8 garlic cloves, smashed
1 bunch green onions (whites in pieces, greens sliced)
2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
4 cups beef broth
1 lb dried wheat noodles
1 lb baby bok choy, halved
cilantro to serve

From your pantry: 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp five-spice powder, 3 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 2 tbsp oil, 5 cups water, salt.

Instructions

Cover the beef with cold water in a large pot, bring to a boil for 2 minutes to release the scum, then drain and rinse the beef and the pot.
Heat the oil in the pot over medium. Cook the onion, ginger, garlic and green onion whites until fragrant and lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the doubanjiang, tomato paste, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon and five-spice and fry 1 minute.
Add the beef and tomatoes and stir to coat. Add the Shaoxing wine, soy, dark soy, brown sugar, broth and 5 cups water and bring to a boil.
Skim, cover partly and simmer on low until the beef is fork-tender, 2 to 2½ hours. Taste and add salt if it needs it, and fish out the whole spices if you like.
Cook the noodles in a separate pot of boiling water as the package directs, adding the bok choy for the last 1 to 2 minutes. Drain.
Divide the noodles and bok choy among big bowls, ladle in the beef and plenty of broth, and top with green onion tops and cilantro.

Tip: Beef shank is the traditional cut and gives the most gelatinous broth. Serve with pickled mustard greens and chili oil at the table, the way Taipei noodle shops do.