I eat Beef Noodle Soup at least once a month. I’m a big wonton, BBQ duck, and noodle soup person, but every once in a while, you need that pure beef noodle soup. Beef shin is challenging to find; you’ll have to go to a real butcher shop. So it’s not actually that difficult. You’ll enjoy making this. Like most good things, this will take some time to make the shin and the broth so it’s perfectly balanced with taste and texture. You want the shin to melt in your mouth up to a point because all the connective tissues and tendons do have the slightest bite to them. Don’t cheat on the time, because if you do, you’ll cheat yourself with flavor. Good luck.
Beef Noodle Soup
SERVES 4
PREP TIME: 2½ HOURS
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds beef shank
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 yellow onion, quartered
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- One 2-inch piece ginger, sliced
- 2 tablespoons doubanjiang
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 star anise pods
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ cup rice wine
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rock sugar
- 10 cups water
- 1 pound dried white wheat noodles, medium-thick
- Kosher salt
- 3 baby bok choy, halved
- 6 scallions, thinly sliced
- ½ cup cilantro, stemmed
- Chili crisp, for garnish
Directions:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the beef and blanch it for 4 minutes. Drain and rinse the beef under cold water to remove any impurities. Set the beef aside.
- In a large, clean pot over medium heat with your neutral oil heated up, add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add the doubanjiang and continue to stir until it is lightly caramelized, about 1 minute. Next, add the cinnamon stick, star anise, and bay leaves and cook until aromatic. Add the rice wine and cook until reduced by half (this will also cook off the alcohol). Stir in the soy sauce, rock sugar, and water, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Return the beef to the pot. Cover and simmer until the beef is tender enough to pierce with a knife but doesn’t fall apart, about 2 hours. Skim off any impurities that rise to the surface.
- While the broth is simmering, cook the noodles until they are tender and chewy. Drain and set aside.
- When the stock is ready, set the beef aside and strain the stock through a fine- mesh strainer into a large vessel. Discard the solid ingredients. You should be left with a dark flavorful broth. Return the strained broth to the pot with the beef and bring it to a gentle simmer. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt as needed.
- Remove the beef from the pot and turn off the heat. Let’s arrange all the sides on the table. Put the noodles, bok choy, scallions, cilantro, and chili crisp in different plates and bowls. Slice your beef into ½-inch slices and arrange on a plate. Then take your pot of broth and put on a trivet on the table. Now your guests can make their own delicious beef noodle soup with the toppings piled high.
Soups, Salads, Sandwiches by Matty Matheson. Matty Matheson, known for his bold, innovative flavors, has created a cookbook that will revolutionize how you think of these kitchen basics. This book is for anyone and everyone, offering up Matty’s signature twists on the classics, delivered with minimal effort for maximum flavor. Packed with character, personal stories, scrumptious recipes, and vivid photographs of a day-in-the-life with Matty and his family, Soups, Salads, Sandwiches will have you fearlessly whipping up your own combinations in the kitchen.
Excerpted from Matty Matheson: Soups, Salads, Sandwiches by Matty Matheson. Copyright © 2024 Matty Matheson. Photographs by Quentin Bacon. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
