Spicy beef noodle soup
A slow beef broth and freshly cooked noodles meet only at serving time.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 40 min
- Total
- 2 hr
- Makes
- Serves 4
Your new skill: Practise timing and combining the separate parts.
A slow beef broth and freshly cooked noodles meet only at serving time. Keeping their pans separate stops loose noodle starch thickening the soup.
Your ingredients
Get ready: Two saucepans, frying pan, sieve, ladle and optional closed spice infuser.
- Stewing the beef: 600 g beef, cut in cubes
- Stewing the beef: 2 tbsp cooking oil
- Stewing the beef: 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Stewing the beef: 3 tbsp Sichuan chilli bean paste
- Stewing the beef: ½ tsp chilli powder
- Stewing the beef: 1500 ml hot water
- Stewing the beef: 1 thumb-sized ginger
- Stewing the beef: 2 spring onions, cut in sections
- Stewing the beef: 1 bay leaf
- Stewing the beef: 1 star-anise
- Stewing the beef: 1 small piece Chinese cinnamon/cassia cinnamon
- Stewing the beef: 10 Sichuan pepper
- Stewing the beef: 1 pinch fennel seeds
- Stewing the beef: ½ tsp sugar
- 4 portions noodles
- Spinach
- Fresh coriander, chopped
Let’s make it
-
Blanch the beef
Cover beef cubes with cold water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Skim off foam, drain and return beef to a clean pan.
-
Make a spiced broth
Warm oil in a frying pan and gently fry garlic, chilli-bean paste and chilli powder until fragrant. Add 1.5 litres hot water carefully and simmer for 5 minutes.
-
Braise patiently
Strain broth onto the beef. Add ginger, spring onions, whole spices and sugar, using a closed spice infuser if available. Simmer gently for 1–1½ hours, or until beef is fully cooked and tender. Remove whole spices before serving.
-
Cook noodles separately
Boil noodles according to their packet in fresh water. Add greens near the end, then drain.
-
Build the bowls
Divide noodles and greens among four bowls. Ladle over hot broth and beef and finish with coriander. Taste the broth before adding more seasoning.
What to try next
For another kitchen idea, explore Crunchy smashed cucumber salad and Classic egg-drop soup.
Keeping it: Cool promptly, put in a covered fridge container within 1–2 hours and use within 48 hours. Reheat only once until steaming hot throughout.
