Aromatic Beef Noodles

This is a recipe for Aromatic Beef Noodles. The beef needs to be braised for about 3 ½ hours until they are tender. The aromatic broth is infused with several spices like garlic, ginger, cassia bark, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorn. The chili bean paste adds a slight hint of spiciness to the soup. Do try making this tasty beef noodles at home.


Aromatic Beef Noodles
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

800 g Beef Brisket (Flat Cut) or any Brazing Beef, cut into 3 pcs or large chunks, blanched and drained
2 Tbsp Peanut Oil
5 Cloves Garlic, peeled and finely chopped
6 Stalks Scallions, finely sliced
30 g Fresh Ginger, smashed
2 Pcs Cassia Bark
2 Star Anise
½ tsp Whole Sichuan Peppercorn
¼ tsp Fennel Seeds
3 Cardamom Pods
3 Tbsp Chili Bean Paste (Toban Jiang)
2 Tbsp Shaoxing Rice Wine
1 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
8 Cups of Water
Sea Salt to taste

400 g Dried Wheat Noodles or Soba
Small Bunch Bok Choy, blanched
2 Stalk Scallions, finely sliced

Method

Heat the peanut oil in a large casserole over high heat. Brown the meat pieces on all sides. Set aside.

In the same pot, lower the heat to medium. Mix in the garlic, scallions, ginger, cassia bark, star anise, Sichuan peppercorn, fennel seeds, and cardamom pods and cook until fragrant.

Then add in the chili bean sauce and give it a quick stir. Add the rice wine, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then add in the beef. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 3 ½ hours, or until the beef is very tender. Remove any impurities and fat on the surface. Season the soup with sea salt, if necessary.

When the beef is tender, remove with a slotted spoon and cut into smaller sizes. Discard the cassia bark, ginger, cardamom pods and anise seeds. Return the beef into the pot and simmer gently for about 5 minutes.

Cook the noodles according to the package instructions.

To serve, place some noodles into a large bowl. Then top it with some meat and bok choy and ladle the hot soup over the noodles. Garnish with some scallions. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6.