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Taiwanese · Chinese

Taiwanese beef noodle soup

Non-vegetarian

紅燒牛肉麵 · hóng shāo niú ròu miàn

Chunks of beef shank braised for hours in a deep, spiced broth of chilli bean paste, soy sauce, star anise and tomato, served over thick wheat noodles with greens.

Taiwanese beef noodle soup is a Taiwanese noodle dish, ready in about 3 hours and made with beef chuck, chilli bean paste (doubanjiang) and soy sauce. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Savor the flavors of authentic Taiwanese beef noodle soup garnished with green onions.
Photo: Markus Winkler / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
20 min
Cook
2 h 40 min
Total
3 h
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
551

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Put the beef in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse.

    • 12 min
    • high heat

    Food safety: Wash hands and boards after handling raw beef.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil in a heavy pot and fry the ginger, garlic (opens in a new tab), spring onion (opens in a new tab) whites and onion (opens in a new tab) until browned at the edges. Add the chilli bean paste (opens in a new tab) and fry until the oil turns red.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the beef, tomato (opens in a new tab), spices, wine, soy sauce (opens in a new tab) and sugar (opens in a new tab) and stir for 2 minutes, then pour in the water.

    • 4 min
    • medium-high heat

  4. Step 4

    Bring to a boil, cover and simmer gently for 2–2½ hours until the beef is very tender. Skim, fish out the whole spices and season with salt.

    • 135 min
    • low heat

  5. Step 5

    Cook the noodles, adding the bok choy (opens in a new tab) for the last minute. Divide between deep bowls, top with beef and plenty of hot broth and the spring onion (opens in a new tab) greens.

About this dish

Origin
Taiwan · Commonly attributedThe red-braised style is widely credited to cooks in Taiwan after 1949, drawing on Sichuan flavours; details of its invention are debated.Also popular in ChinaMore food from Taiwan
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Noodles · Soups · Main courses
Cooking method
Braised, Simmered, Boiled
Taste
savoury, spicy (chilli heat), aromatic / warmly spiced, rich
Diet
Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · High-protein · Low-fat
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Batch cooking
Cook more with
Beef chuck · Chilli bean paste (doubanjiang) · Soy sauce · Udon noodles · Fresh ginger · Garlic
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Blanching · Braising

Allergens

  • Contains: Wheatfrom chilli bean paste (doubanjiang), shaoxing wine, soy sauce, udon noodles
  • Contains: Glutenfrom chilli bean paste (doubanjiang), shaoxing wine, soy sauce, udon noodles
  • Contains: Soyfrom chilli bean paste (doubanjiang), soy sauce

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

551 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 747 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 33%
  • Carbohydrate 46%
  • Fat 21%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy551 kcal74 kcal
Protein44.6 g6 g
Carbohydrate63 g8.4 g
Net carbohydrate57.4 g7.7 g
Sugars——
Added sugars2.1 g0.3 g
Fibre5.7 g0.8 g
Fat12.6 g1.7 g
Saturated fat3.3 g0.4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol96 mg13 mg
Sodium2668 mg357 mg
Salt equivalent6.7 g0.9 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1135 mg
Calcium
192 mg
Iron
5.6 mg
Magnesium
99 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
204 µg
Vitamin C
46 mg
Vitamin D
0.2 µg
Vitamin B12
3.5 µg
Folate (DFE)
87 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): sichuan peppercorns.
  • Chilli bean paste (doubanjiang): Miso (FDC 172442) as a stand-in: both are salted fermented soybean pastes; doubanjiang adds chilli and broad beans.
  • Star anise / anise: Anise seed (FDC 171316) used as a stand-in for star anise.
  • Shaoxing wine: Sake (FDC 167723) used as a stand-in for Chinese rice cooking wine.
  • Udon noodles: Dry somen (FDC 168908) used as a stand-in; both are plain Japanese wheat noodles.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Make the broth a day ahead: the flavour deepens and you can lift off the set fat.

Common mistakes

  • Boiling the broth hard, which makes the beef tough and the soup cloudy.

Serve with

  • Serve with pickled mustard greens (suan cai) and chilli oil at the table.

Storage

  • Refrigerate the beef and broth for up to 4 days or freeze for 3 months.

Reheating

  • Bring the broth back to a full simmer; cook the noodles fresh.

Variations

  • Clear-braised beef noodle soup (Taiwan): Qing dun: a lighter broth without chilli bean paste or dark soy, seasoned mainly with salt and aromatics.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 3, 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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