Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
Slow-braised beef shank in soy, doubanjiang, and aromatics — Taiwan's national dish.
Ingredients
- 1000 g Beef shank
- 400 g Wheat noodles
- 2 tbsp Pixian doubanjiang
- 2 Tomato
- 40 g Ginger
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 2 Star anise
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 80 ml Light soy sauce
- 30 ml Dark soy sauce
- 100 ml Shaoxing wine
- 30 g Sugar
- 2 heads Bok choy
- 2 tbsp Peanut oil
- 30 g Salt
- 4 Scallions (optional)
- 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn (optional)
- 2 Dried chilies (optional)
Method
- Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- While the water heats, cut the beef shank into large cubes.
- Blanch the beef in the boiling water to draw out the scum, then drain and rinse.
- Halve the tomatoes. Slice the ginger. Smash the garlic. Halve the scallions.
- Heat the peanut oil in a Dutch oven. Sweat the ginger, garlic, and scallions until fragrant.
- Stir in the doubanjiang and Sichuan peppercorns. Fry until the oil turns red.
- Splash the Shaoxing wine around the rim. Add the tomatoes, blanched beef, light soy, dark soy, sugar, star anise, cinnamon stick, and dried chilies.
- Cover with water by a couple of centimetres. Bring to a simmer, then drop to the barest bubble.
- Braise covered, stirring occasionally, until the beef is fork-tender.
- Bring a fresh pot of water to a boil and salt it heavily.
- Blanch the bok choy briefly until just tender. Scoop out and divide between the bowls.
- Drop the noodles into the same water and cook until tender.
- Drain the noodles and divide them between the bowls.
- Ladle the broth and beef over the noodles. Finish with the scallion greens.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
Taiwanese beef noodle soup, niurou mian, is widely regarded as Taiwan's national dish, a bowl of slow-braised beef and wheat noodles in a deeply savory, spiced broth. Its defining character comes from doubanjiang, the fermented chile-bean paste from Pixian, fried until its oil runs red, layered with soy sauces, Shaoxing wine, and a warm spice bundle of star anise, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorn, and dried chile. Beef shank is the traditional cut, prized because its connective tissue turns silky and gelatinous over a long braise while the meat holds together in tender slices. This is a dish about time, not shortcuts.
The long, roughly three-hour cook is what builds the broth's depth: blanching the shank first draws out impurities for a clean base, and frying the aromatics and bean paste before liquid goes in develops the rich, mahogany color and complexity the soup is known for. The result is savory, gently spicy, and rounded by tomato, with a broth that tastes like it's been simmering all day because it has. Ladled over springy wheat noodles with a handful of blanched bok choy and scallions, it's a substantial, high-protein bowl that eats as a full meal and rewards making a big batch for a crowd or the week ahead.
Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup?
A serving has about 740 calories — 57.8g protein, 80.9g carbs, 18.5g fat, 6.2g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 57.8g of protein, roughly 31% of its calories.
Is Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Wheat noodles, Pixian doubanjiang, Light soy sauce and other gluten sources. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for those ingredients to make it gluten-free.
How long does Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup take to make?
About 200 minutes start to finish, but only around 24 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out scallions, sichuan peppercorn, dried chilies — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup make?
This recipe makes 5 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.