Chinese Beef, Vegetable and Noodle Soup

Of late I've been seeking some good solid comfort food, a dish the whole family will love, this is just one example in the arsenal. Steaming beef noodle soup is a comfort to enjoy. Tender mouthfuls of beef and chewy noodles in a savoury, aromatic broth that will warm you through and through whilst providing you with some delicious vegetables too.

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 120 mins

Total Time 2 hrs 10 mins

Cuisine: Asia, Chinese

Courses: Soups

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed
1 inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and sliced (plus extra for serving)
4 spring onions sliced into circles
227 g stewing beef cut into cubes
1 star anise
½ tsp Chinese 5 spice
1 cinnamon stick
1000 ml beef stock
1 splash dry sherry
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp low sodium dark soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
227 g chinese flat noodles
6 leaves Chinese cabbage shredded
6 leaves pak choi
salt and black pepper

Instructions

1
You can use a wok, a deep skillet or a sauté pan for this soup. Begin by heating the oil in your pan of choice over a high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, spring onions and the beef, allow it to brown on all sides stirring at all times to encourage colourisation.
Brown in batches if your pan is crowded. Too much beef at once lowers the pan temperature and causes the meat to steam rather than develop a good crust.
2
Add the sherry and season with a little salt and pepper then allow the sherry to cook out for 1 or 2 minutes prior to covering with the beef stock. From there add the star anise, 5 spice and the cinnamon stick, and bring to a boil.
3
Lower the heat and simmer for 1 to 2 hours, until the meat is tender. If the liquid dissipates during cooking, add a little water to replenish, alternatively place a lid on the pan which shall keep the level constant.
Keep the liquid at a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil. Stewing beef becomes tender through time at moderate heat; vigorous boiling can toughen the meat and reduce the broth too quickly.
4
Once the beef is tender, discard the star anise, ginger slices and the cinnamon stick and set the meat to one side. Heat the remaining broth through whilst adding both the dark & light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and fish sauce. Do not be mistaken by the names, light soy sauce has more sodium than dark soy sauce.
5
At this stage taste the broth to determine if the flavour is too intense or if there is too much umami, if so, add more water if you desire.
6
Bring an additional pan of water to the boil and cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, being careful not to let them get too soft. This is usually packet instructions minus 2 minutes. A great alternative is to boil a kettle and cover the noodles in a bowl and leave them for circa 10 minutes.
Treat the packet directions as the starting point because noodle thickness varies. Stop while they still have a little bite; they will soften further when the hot broth is added.
7
Whilst the noodles cook or hydrate, depending upon your method of choice, add the Chinese cabbage & pak choi to the soup & cook until tender, but not soft, 1 to 3 minutes should suffice depending on your desire.
8
Strain the noodles and portion them equally between the bowls. Divide the beef between the bowls and pour over the hot soup.
9
Serve with dried chilli flakes should your guests require them.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 6

Amount Per Serving
Calories 279.06kcal

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 10.96g17%
Saturated Fat 2.16g11%
Sodium 1221.28mg51%
Total Carbohydrate 30.78g11%
Dietary Fiber 1.77g8%
Sugars 2.06g
Protein 15.26g31%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Note

Colour means flavour, don’t avoid or lessen the time browning the beef. That’s where the soup starts to build its deep, umami flavour. Understand that the beef is controlling this recipe from the outset, be respectul to the cooking time. Rushing will only result in beef that’s tough, chewy and disappointing; so plan ahead.