A fiery crimson broth of beef bones, doubanjiang, and tomatoes, loaded with meltingly tender beef chunks and springy wheat noodles — the spicier, bolder cousin of Taiwan's classic beef noodle soup.
Ingredients
800g beef shank or chuck, cut into 4cm chunks
500g beef bones
2 tbsp doubanjiang (chili bean paste)
3 tomatoes, quartered
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, quartered
6 cloves garlic, smashed
40g ginger, sliced
3 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp rock sugar
2L water
400g fresh wheat noodles
Bok choy, halved
Scallion, sliced
Pickled mustard greens
Instructions
1Blanch beef chunks and bones in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly.
2Heat oil in a large pot. Fry doubanjiang for 1 minute until fragrant and oil turns red. Add onion, garlic, and ginger; cook 2 minutes.
3Add blanched beef and bones. Sear pieces on all sides for 3 minutes.
4Add tomatoes, soy sauces, rice wine, rock sugar, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, and water. Bring to a boil.
5Reduce to low simmer, cover, and braise for 2.5 hours until beef is fork-tender and broth is deeply flavored. Skim fat periodically.
6Remove bones and whole spices. Season broth with salt as needed.
7Cook noodles separately in boiling water. Blanch bok choy. Place noodles in bowls, ladle broth and beef over. Top with bok choy, scallion, and pickled mustard greens.
Did You Know?
Taipei holds an annual Beef Noodle Festival where chefs compete for the title of best beef noodle soup in Taiwan — previous winners have seen their shop queues stretch to three-hour waits.