Hot Beef Noodles: Taiwanese?! Chinese?! I don’t know but it’s 🔥
So, I’ve been looking for a copycat recipe the Caution Hot Noodles in Kapitolyo, Pasig but Google got me confused between Taiwanese Beef Noodles and Chinese Beef Noodles. It’s been so long since I tried it ever since we relocated to the province.
And since I was searching, Google is confusing me with the recipes. Now I’ve been trying to figure out the origins of hot beef noodles for ages and I’m still not 100% sure. Is it Taiwanese? Chinese? Who even knows anymore?
All I know is that I made a batch last weekend using my new fave sauce, Dandan Sichuan Red Chili Oil Soy Bean Paste I got from Shopee, and wowza, it was amazing!
So from what I can gather, hot beef noodles (zhajiangmian) originated in Xuchang, a city in China’s Henan province. Makes sense because the Chinese love their beef noodles, amirite? But over the years, Taiwanese immigrants incorporated it into their cuisine too. Now you’ll find hot beef noodle soup shops all over Taiwan with the signature Dandan noodles, tender beef slices, and rich broth.
I hope that helped a bit to know where it came from but now all that matters is that it’s delicious!
As I was saying earlier, I was looking for the Caution Hot Recipe because someone from Let’s Eat Pare shared a picture, and poor me who’s from the province can’t satisfy the cravings. When I saw the Dandan sauce at Shopee I knew I had to try this hot beef noodle soup at home if only to satisfy my cravings.
That sauce is no joke – it packs serious heat but also tons of umami from the soy and chili. Made a simple broth with beef shank, star anise, ginger, vinegar, and laurel -there’s a lot I know but these are ingredients you can often find in the Filipino kitchen so not really a problem. Then added the noodles, and beef, and ladled that magic red elixir all over top. I used this Spicy Beef Noodle recipe from The Wok of Life with a bit of addition and omissions here and there to make it fit the Filipino Kitchen.
Now let me set the scene for you – it was a rainy afternoon here on the island, perfect soup weather. I settled into the couch with my bowl, grabbed my spoon, and BAM…an explosion in my mouth! The richness of the beef fat just melted on my tongue. I used our famous Marinduque Miki and those noodles soaked up all the sauce. And don’t even get me started on that Dandan – each spicy, salty, numbing bite had me wanting more and more. Not as copycat as I hoped but as is with anything homemade, it was honestly better than the Caution Hot hot noodle soup in my memory.
So if you’re feeling down or need a pick-me-up noodles, this hot beef noodle soup is comfort in a bowl. And if you wanna spice it up even more for a Level 2 goodness, you gotta get your hands on some of that Sichuan pepper. Or you also gotta try this Donardo’s Chili Garlic Hot Sauce!
And it’s actually pretty easy to do and stock up -once you have the soup done. If you love soups, this will be your new go-to lazy meal. Trust Ajumma April! (err, sorry, that is a Korean reference, not Chinese or Taiwanese).
Ingredients
Shopping List:
- fresh or dried noodles of your choice (I recommend rice noodles or egg noodles which can hold up better than wheat ones)
- 1/4 cup spicy bean paste (Dandan Sichuan Red Chili Oil Soy Bean Paste)
- 1 kl Beef chuck roast or boneless short ribs (ask your butcher to cut into chunks for you)
- Ginger (about 2-3 thumb size)
- Scallions (or spring onions)
- 1/4 cup white rice vinegar or Shaoxing rice wine) (substitute any white vinegar but lessen it so its not too sour)
- Tomatoes (cut in small chunks)
- Baby bokchoy (or pechay)
Pantry Items:
- 3.5 L of water
- 1 tbsp Cooking oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp liquid seasoning
- 1 Beef cube
- 1 tbsp Brown sugar
- 2 heads garlic (pounded and peeled)
- 1 large onion (cut into chunks)
- 5 star anise
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns (black peppercorns will do in a pinch)
Instructions
- Place the beef chuck roast or short ribs into one large stock pot and cover with water. Add the beef cube, ginger slices, whole scallions, rice vinegar, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove scum.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in another stock pot over medium low heat. Add Sichuan peppercorns, garlic cloves, sliced onion, star anise and bay leaves. Cook until soft.
- Stir in spicy bean paste and cook for 2 more minutes. Add diced tomatoes and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in soy sauce and sugar, then remove from heat.
- Once beef has simmered 10 minutes, remove meat, ginger and scallions with a slotted spoon to the second pot. Add stock from first pot through a fine mesh strainer. (or not if you prefer chunky soup -just remove star anise and laurel)
- Bring combined pot to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to low simmer for 1-3 hours until beef is tender.
- While simmering, quick cook book choy in a pot of hot water.
- Use the same water to cook noodles until al dente. Drain and divide among bowls.
- Once soup is ready, bring back to a boil before serving. Ladle hot soup and beef over noodles.
- Garnish with scallions or spring onions. Enjoy!
Notes
Pairings:
Enjoy with pot stickers, dumplings or spring rolls for a complete meal.
Leftovers: Allow soup to cool completely before portioning into containers. Can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days or freezer for 2-3 months. Reheat over medium, adding more liquid if needed.
Hacks: You can use a pressure cooker to cut down simmering time to 30-45 minutes.
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#hotbeednoodlesoup #sichuancuisine #taiwanesefood
