Spicy Chinese Beef Noodle Soup is an aromatic dish that is scented with star anise, cinnamon, fennel, cumin and Szechuan peppercorns. My dad used to make a version of this soup noodle dish. Over the years, I’ve made this comfort dish, often following my aunt’s recipe.
I love Asian noodle soups, and this is one of my favorite comfort foods. Although traditionally, the soup recipe does not include vegetables, I added daikon radish and carrots to bulk up the recipe with less meat than usual. I’m still enjoying my favorite noodle soups, just with a little less noodles and a little less meat. Now, I enjoy my noodle soups with double the amount of vegetables (this dish is served with baby bok choy, in addition to daikon radish and carrots that are cooked in the soup) that are typically served with the dish.
Beef shank is commonly used and can be found in most Asian grocery stores. However, beef chunk or brisket can be substituted. The beef is first simmered a short while to remove any impurities before cooking the dish. Pressure cooking is a great way to speed up the cooking process, so I used my Instant Pot in this recipe. However, you can easily make this dish on the stovetop; it will just take longer. The general rule of thumb that I use is pressure cooking takes 1/3 the amount of time as regular stovetop cooking.
Spicy Chinese Beef Noodle Soup looks like a simple, humble dish, but is so much more complex. The broth is richly flavored with strong, aromatic spices like star anise, cinnamon, fennel, cumin and Szechuan peppercorns.
Dark soy sauce adds rich color, and hot Szechuan bean sauce adds umami and a little spiciness. This soup is really not very spicy, but I think it’s the best way to prepare it. Chili bean sauce or spicy chili crisp can be served alongside the noodle dish for those who like spicy foods.
To plate up this dish, nestle some cooked noodles in a bowl. Ladle some of the spicy beef soup on top and arrange cooked baby bok choy on top. Choose a few pieces of meat, daikon and carrots and place on top of the noodles. Garnish with chopped mustard greens, scallions and cilantro. Drizzle a little sesame oil on top and serve with ground white pepper on the side.
Spicy Chinese Beef Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless beef shank or chuck cut into 1 1/2" chunks
- 4 slices fresh ginger
- 1/4 cup Shaoshing wine
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 4 slices fresh ginger
- 6 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 onion cut up
- 4 dried chilies, torn or substitute 1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 4 scallions cut into 2" lengths
- 1 tomato quartered
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons spicy Szechuan bean paste
- 1/4 cup Shaoshing wine
- 1/4 cup dark soy sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 daikon radish peeled, cut into chunks
- 4 carrots peeled, cut into chunks
- 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 4 cups beef broth
Spice Bag
- 2 tablespoons Szechuan peppercorns
- 4 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick 3" long
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 3 bay leaves
To Serve
- 24 ounces fresh Chinese noodles
- 8 cups baby bok choy trimmed, cut up, cooked in water until tender
- spicy pickled mustard greens or mustard stem chopped fine
- 4 scallions minced
- 1/2 cup cilantro minced
- sesame oil
- white pepper
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to boil; add beef chunks, ginger and wine. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to simmer and cook 10 minutes. Strain beef.
Wrap Spice Bag ingredients in cheesecloth and tie together with string.
Heat oil in Instant Pot using saute function. Add ginger, garlic, onion, scallions, tomato, and dried chilies, and stir briefly until fragrant; add tomato paste and spicy bean paste and stir until fragrant. Add wine, dark and regular soy sauces, scraping any bits and pieces from the bottom of the pot. Add beef, daikon, carrots, five spice powder, and brown sugar. Add Spice Bag and beef broth. Beef should be covered with liquid; if not, add a little more water until beef is just covered.
Cook on high pressure for 70 minutes, then let pressure naturally release. Beef should be very tender.
To Serve
Portion out noodles. Ladle sauce from beef on top of noodles. Arrange bok choy on top. Spoon beef on top. Garnish with scallions, cilantro, and pickled mustard greens. Drizzle with some sesame oil and serve with white pepper.
If you like this noodle soup recipe, you might also like:
Vietnamese Beef Pho Noodle Soup
Sweet and Spicy Spiralized Cucumber Tomato Arugula Salad Recipe {Daniel Plan Recipe}
18
It’s my favourite!! Wish I were holding that bowl of goodness now :-))