By Andrea Nguyen
Tomorrow my husband and I will be celebrating our 14th wedding anniversary. (I was a child bride. Ha! -- NOT.) We were discussing what we should do, where we could go out, what we had eaten on past anniversaries. We didn’t make any concrete plans but I started thinking about the meals we shared when we first started dating in 1989. Yes, we’re an old couple.
One of our favorite places was the Mandarin Deli in Chinatown, Los Angeles. It was a hole in the wall that my sisters introduced me to when they were attending USC down the way. I loved the Mandarin Deli’s giant pot stickers that burned my mouth with their hot juices (they’re mentioned in Asian Dumplings).
An order of dumplings was always paired with hot bowls of beef noodle soup (牛肉麵, niu rou mian). Its inky spicy broth, plump wheat noodles, and chunks of red-cooked beef were perfect with the dumplings. It was good in the cooler months as well as the hotter months. I ate it year round.
Since then, I’ve made various versions of the soup from recipes found in Irene Kuo’s classic, The Key to Chinese Cooking, and Fuschia Dunlop’s enlightening work on Sichuan cuisine, Land of Plenty. I’ve also ordered plenty of beef noodle soup from Taiwanese joints, such as A&J Restaurant, which has outposts in Southern and Northern California.
Overall, I like the Taiwanese version of niu rou mian (literally beef meat noodles) better than other versions of the Chinese soup. The Taiwanese take usually has more complexity in the broth but I didn't know why until this past weekend.
Leafing through some new books I'd received, I found a Taiwanese beef noodle soup recipe in a surprising place: The Newlywed Kitchen cookbook. Seattle-based author Lorna Yee included lots of fun, romance inspiring western recipes in her first publication. Indulgences such as supergooey Philly cheesesteak sandwiches and Nutella doughnuts are bound to lure people into messing around in the kitchen.
But I was attracted to Lorna’s Taiwanese beef noodle soup recipe, a reflection of her Chinese Canadian roots. I met Lorna earlier this year when I was in Seattle and she’s a smart, thoughtful cookie.
Her recipe introduction mentions how the Taiwanese adore beef noodle soup like Americans yearn for burgers. This is the kind of food that you obsess over. What makes it good? How do you do it?
What I liked about Lorna’s recipe is that she sears the beef first and then adds fresh chile along with black bean chile sauce for heat and depth. Star anise, Sichuan peppercorn, and five-spice powder flavor the broth nicely with piquancy.
Most Chinese beef noodle soup recipes I’ve tried omit the searing, five-spice powder and employ dried chiles. Lorna’s technique reminded me of a bit of how I make Vietnamese bun bo Hue spicy beef noodle soup (see Into the Vietnamese Kitchen for a recipe).
I dug out a frozen chuck roast from my 2010 grass-fed beef CSA, thawed it, and went to work. Well, it wasn’t much work as the pot simply simmered on the stove for a couple of hours. The result was fantastic, actually better than what Rory and I remember from the Mandarin Deli. The deli closed years ago but now we’ve got Lorna’s recipe to take us forward. Hurray.
RECIPE
Spicy Beef Noodle Soup
Niu Rou Mian
The spicy beef noodle soup recipe here is my adaptation of Lorna’s, which employs beef shank or short ribs and black bean sauce. I had chuck and favor chile bean sauce over black bean and chile sauce as the former offers greater heat. Made with broad (fava) beans, Chinese chile bean sauce is called dou ban jiang and is what’s used for Sichuanese ma po tofu; look for it in jars at a Chinese market. Ming Teh brand from Taiwan is reliably good.
Serves 6
Soup
3 pounds bone-in beef chuck roast, cut into 4 pieces
Salt
3 tablespoons canola oil
10 garlic cloves, bruised
Chubby 1 ½-inch fresh ginger, cut into 6 slices, each one bruised
5 fat scallions, halved crosswise
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
4 star anise (32 points total)
Generous 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns
3 Thai or Serrano chiles, split lengthwise
¼ cup chile bean sauce
⅓ cup Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1 ½ ounces yellow Chinese rock sugar
6 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
10 cups water
1 pound broccolini, broccoli, or baby bok choy, cut into bite size pieces
1 pound fresh or dried thick Chinese egg noodles (sometimes labeled Shanghai noodles)
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro
1. Pat the beef dry and then season all over with salt. In a 5- or 6-quart pot, heat the oil over high heat. Sear the beef on both sides until there is some browning, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
2. Add 1 teaspoon salt, and all the remaining soup ingredients: garlic, ginger, five-spice, star anise, peppercorns, chiles, bean sauce, rice wine, rock sugar, both kinds of soy sauces, and water.
3. Bring to a boil, skim off the scum that floats to the top. Lower the heat to medium-low to gently simmer. Cover and cook for about 2 hours, until the beef is tender. The broth will simmer under cover.
4. Turn off the heat, move the lid askance so that there’s about a ½-inch opening. Let the soup cool. The beef will finish cooking to fork tenderness as the broth cools and concentrates in flavor. (If you make the soup in the evening, let it sit overnight and it will be ready for lunch the next day!)
5. Remove the meat and set aside. Strain the broth into another pot. Discard the solids. Reheat the broth over high heat.
6. Meanwhile, cook the vegetable and noodles in a large pot of water. Divide among soup bowls. Cut the meat into ½-inch-thick pieces; if it the beef is cold, use a mesh strainer or skimmer to warm it in the hot broth. Divide it among the bowls.
7. Bring the broth to a boil, taste and adjust the flavors. Ladle the broth into the bowls. Top with cilantro and serve.
Where have you found good Chinese or Taiwanese spicy beef noodle soup? If you make your own, what is your approach (secret)?
Related recipes: (on Asian Dumpling Tips)
- Chairman Mao's Red-Cooked Pork Belly
- Braised Pork Belly Buns (a Momof*cku-esque type of stuffed bao)
More Recipes: All
- Vietnamese Bolognese (Bo Kho Meat Sauce)
- Hawaiian Tofu Watercress Salad Recipe
- Vietnamese Chile Sauce Recipe (Tuong Ot Vietnam)
- Persimmon Spice Cookies
Reader Interactions
Comments
Belinda @zomppa
I LOVE spicy noodle soups. I would eat one now. Congratulations on your wedding anniversary!
Gastronomer
Child bride??! LOL. Thanks for the recipe, Andrea. I'm going to try to make it.
twitter.com/aqnguyen
@Gastronomer: Spicy beef noodle soup to spice up your newlywed life!
Enjoy the soup, gals.Su-Lin
Fabulous! I've been looking for a recipe for this and will definitely try it!
Anh
Thank you, Andrea! I like this noodle soup a lot. There's a store in Sydney Chinatown where I always get this from!
Ellie
Happy anniversary! Thank you so much for this recipe. My hubby has been talking about this soup ever since he came back from a business trip in Taiwan. I will definitely be trying this one.
anh
Happy anniversary! Your writing style literally makes the food jump out from the computer screen.
Thank you for taking the time to blog regularly.Nate @ House of Annie
Thanks for posting the recipe, and happy anniversary!
How about Bistro Moulin in Monterey? 😉Annette
Your noodle soup looks so delicious. My mouth is watering. Happy 14th anniversary cô Andrea.
Luuvu Hoang
Glad you found the book. Its a great recipe. Here's the cookbook trailer http://vimeo.com/10913985
twitter: @byluuvuRena Takahashi
Thanks for the recipe, Andrea - next time I have a roast on hand I'll try this out. Do you have a particular beef/meat CSA that you recommend? I've been looking for one. Congratulations to you and your husband - wishing you many many more happy years.
Lorna
To see such praise heaped on this soup from one of my personal culinary heros is too much. You've made my week, Andrea. Thank-you so much!
Happy Anniversary, and to many more.twitter.com/aqnguyen
@Rena Takahashi: I've been part of Morrisgrassfed.com for years. Joe Morris is a great steward of the land. 2010 shares may still be avail!
twitter.com/aqnguyen
Cheers to being married. Thanks for your good wishes. It's time to pop the Paul Bara bubbly we bought from @kermitlynchwine!
Patti
Congratulations on your anniversary. Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes. I am still making Pho ga from our meeting at the ICE in January. I'll be adding this recipe next as I love noodle soups so much. They make lovely lunchtimes for me at work.
Miffy
Congrats on your anniversary. Thank you for sharing this recipe, I made it last night for dinner and it was fantastic. I got rave reviews from my bf and his parents 🙂
Le
Thanks for using the proper pinyin names for the dish and the chile bean sauce. It's so confusing with all the bastardized names floating around out there.
moowiesqrd
My own wedding anniversary's coming up, too, and my husband LOVES niu rou mien. This is definitely going to be one of our meals soon! Thanks to you and Lorna for the recipe!
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idlehouse
Hi Andrea,
The best bowl of niu rou mian I've tasted comes from China Village restaurant in Albany, CA. I think they have changed chefs since 2007, but it's still worth it, especially when you order that noodle with the house made noodles. I love their pork intestine with glass noodles as well. Their fish noodle soup was also good.... Have you ever tried that restaurant? It has quite a fanbase on Yelp.Jen @ Tiny Urban Kitchen
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! I have been trying to make a really good beef noodle soup but every time my husband tells me the broth "does not have enough depth." I'm hoping that the searing and the fresh chilies will make a difference! It looks fantastic!
Cuisine Thai
Looks good! Thanks for the recipe!
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My experience of beef noodle soup in Taiwan HBN than yours. Although not the stars, has been strong, with good taste and deep pasta. That said, if I wanted, it is unlikely that meets all the requirement.
Anna
Thank you for a wonderful recipe. My husband and I love this dish. I made this last night and it was a hit! It's definitely going to be in heavy rotation in my house. The only problem is that I can't feed it to my 4 and 5 year olds - too spicy for them. But I know they'll grow into it.
Acraftykindoflove
this looks so great! I've been looking for a good recipe! I can't wait to try this!
Carol
Thank you so much for this recipe. I've been looking for a good version of this dish ever since I had an amazing introduction to it during a visit to Vancouver. That restaurant has now gone, and there is nothing even close in Toronto. Will definitely try your version - it sounds wonderful - and I have always loved chili bean sauce as an ingredient!
Teri
Mandarin Deli is now located on Reseda Blvd in the San Fernando Valley. Same owners, same recipes, menu has expanded but the same great noodles I remember having as a kid. Like you, I too love their Spicy Beef Noodle Soup and fried dumplings. Since I live several hours away now, I can make it at home when the craving hits. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
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marlon
I'm hoping that the searing and the fresh chilies will make a difference! It looks fantastic!
Dawn
Jason Yang (https://www.facebook.com/JasonYangOfficial) mentioned the dish in his FB post yesterday/today. Had to look it up. Thank you for this post.
