Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup: The Bowl That Took Four Hours and Was Worth It

In Taipei, noodle shops dedicated entirely to beef noodle soup operate for decades, serving the same bowl to generations of the same families. The recipe varies by neighborhood and chef, but the foundation is consistent: braised beef shin in a broth built from doubanjiang, soy, and aromatics, served over thick chewy noodles.

This is a four-hour commitment on a slow weekend. Start after breakfast and eat for lunch.

The beef

Use beef shin on the bone — about a kilogram. Blanch it first: bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the beef, and cook for five minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. This removes impurities and gives you a cleaner broth.

Brown the blanched beef in oil in batches until colored on all sides. Set aside.

Building the broth

In a large heavy pot, fry two tablespoons of doubanjiang in oil over medium heat for two minutes until fragrant and the oil turns red. Add six garlic cloves, a thumb of ginger sliced, and four spring onions. Cook for two more minutes.

Add the beef back in. Pour over a combination of dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, and water — roughly 100ml soy, 50ml dark soy, 100ml Shaoxing, and enough water to cover the beef by several centimeters. Add two star anise, a cinnamon stick, dried tangerine peel if available, and a teaspoon of chili flakes.

Bring to a boil, skim foam, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover and cook for three hours.

Finishing the broth

Remove the beef and set aside to cool slightly. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a clean pot. Taste and adjust — add soy for salt, a pinch of sugar if needed to balance.

Slice the beef or pull it into large chunks. Return it to the strained broth and keep warm.

The bowl

Cook thick wheat noodles separately according to package instructions. Place in a deep bowl. Ladle hot broth over the noodles. Top with two or three pieces of beef, a few leaves of blanched bok choy, a soft-boiled egg halved lengthwise, and a scatter of sliced spring onions.

A small bowl of broth on the side for additional sipping as the noodles are eaten is the proper setup.