Step by step
Recipe for Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
Ingredients
For 4-5 servings
- 1 Win Son Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup spice kit
- 1 lb whole, boneless beef shank
- 1.5 lb oxtails
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp neutral cooking oil
- 1 red onion, quartered
- 4-inch pc fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1 whole head garlic, cloves peeled and smashed
- 1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, chopped to 2-inch segments
- 750 ml Taiwanese rice wine (Michiu), or Shaoxing rice wine
- 1 c soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dried orange peel
- 2 lbs Asian dried wheat noodles, wide and flat
- 1 c pea shoots, rinsed and cut to bite-size pieces
- ½ c chopped scallions
Step by step
step 1
Preheat oven to 425°F. Rub the shanks and oxtails in the tomato paste to coat all over. Place on an oiled sheet pan and roast for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
step 2
In a stockpot, heat the oil. Toss in the red onion, ginger, garlic, and scallions. Stir and cook over low heat until the aromatics are very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice wine and bring to a boil. Then add the soy sauce, 6 cups water, the shank, and the oxtails. Bring up to a boil again, then reduce the heat to a low simmer.
step 3
Combine spices from the spice kit and orange peel, secure in a sachet (like a tea ball), and add to the pot.
step 4
Cover with a lid and ensure the simmer is a very gentle but steady bubble, typically as low as the heat will go without turning off.
step 5
After 4 hours, check on the shanks and oxtails and ensure that the meat is becoming tender but not falling apart. You want the shanks to be just firm enough to be sliceable, and all the oxtail pieces intact but just about to fall out of their bones. When ready, remove the shanks and oxtails. Thinly slice the shanks after they are cooled.
step 6
Discard the spice sachet and strain the liquid with a fine-mesh strainer. Taste the broth for seasoning, adding a touch of soy sauce, if desired. You should have about 3 quarts (2.8L) of liquid in the end.
step 7
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to the directions on the package.
step 8
Divide the noodles among four to six serving bowls. Pour about 2 cups of hot broth into each bowl and immediately stir the noodles. Divide the pea shoots into each bowl, submerging them in the broth to gently poach. Arrange the braised beef shank slices and the oxtails in each bowl and top with scallions. Enjoy!
