A few months ago I shared a recipe for a Spicy Beef Stew that’s very common in China especially in Sichuan province. The post was well received and I was quickly asked by one of the readers to also share a recipe for beef noodle soup – a very popular one bowl meal that was developed from the mentioned beef stew.
I finally got around to make the spicy beef stew again and of course I did not forget about the reader’s request so here we are the very delicious Spicy Beef Noodle Soup from Yi’s kitchen!!
Wait, before we dive into the recipe part it’s worth to point out this version of spicy beef noodle soup is only one of a handful famous beef noodle soup varieties. I also like the hand-drawn beef noodle soup from Lanzhou and I am big fan of the versions from Taiwan (from what I read there are many different varieties in Taiwan alone!).
Enough said, to make this noodle soup, you’ll definitely need the spicy beef stew (refresh your memory here). If you can make the stew a day in advance so the beef would fully absorb the flavors. The picture shown is a stew made with beef brisket and tendon.
Make the broth ahead of the time. I have boiled this pot of beef bone for about 3 hours. You can certainly substitute the beef stock with other kinds of stock.
I add some personal twist to this traditional Sichuan version by using sour mustard green as a topping. Sour mustard green is widely used in Taiwanese beef noodles and I think it’s got a brilliant flavor so I conveniently borrowed the idea.
I like to use thinner noodles for my beef noodle soup because they can absorb more flavors from the broth. The best kind of noodle I can find is this freshly made thin noodle called Yang Chun Mian (陽春面). I like my noodles with a chewy bite so I usually cook them until al dente.
Once you have the noodles assembled with broth and toppings you are ready to go. However if you feel like adding a little more kick to the noodles you can add some homemade hot chili oil. The noodles taste just a bit better with some aromatic spicy oil in my option.
| Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (四川紅燒牛肉麵) |
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- 4 Oz Fresh Wheat Noodles
- 1 cup Spicy Beef Stew and the liquid (recipe here)
- Stock
- Baby Bok Choy
- Scallion, chopped
- Cilantro, Chopped
- Hot Chili Oil (recipe here, optional)
- Sour Mustard Green Topping (optional)
- Salt to taste
- Make the spicy beef stew in advance by following the recipe here. If you intend to use the beef stew for noodle soup you can omit the radish in the stew. I also find the stew made with beef brisket has better and stronger flavor than beef shank.
- Pre-make your stock of choice. For this noodle soup I like to stick to beef stock. However you can certainly use pork, chicken, or even vegetable stock (but why?). Make sure you flavor your stock with salt so it wouldn’t dilute the taste of noodle soup.
- To make the sour mustard green topping: coarsely chop the sour mustard green. I finished my homemade sour mustard green so I used the package one bought from Asian supermarket. In high heat, stir fry the mustard green with 1 tbsp of cooking oil for 1 minute. Add 2 dried chilies, 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 tbsp of sugar and fry for 3 more minutes.
- Boiling the fresh wheat noodles to al dente or your doneness of choice. Boil the baby bok choy with the noodles. Arrange both noodles in a soup noodle bowl.
- Pour about ¾ cups of hot stock onto the noodle. Pour another ¾ cups of hot beef stew broth in to the soup bowl. Mix the noodles with the broth by picking the noodles up and down in chopsticks. Add additional stew liquid if necessary. Add salt to taste if necessary.
- Top the noodles with bok choy, beef from the stew, and sour mustard green (optional). Add hot chili oil if desired. Lastly garnish with scallions and cilantro.
Now you go ahead and enjoy this bowl of hearty spicy beef noodle (right away!)
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{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you so much! I made it and really happy with the result
I will try your other recipe for sure.
it’s my pleasure!
Loving your website! Spicy beef noodle soup is just music to my ears and your version looks as authentic as it can get. Love love sichuan food especially with all the heat from the dried chillies and peppercorns! Can’t wait to try the beef stew, looks so yummy!
thanks a lot Fern. Yeah this beef noodle soup is one of my favorites. Hope you get to try it!
Your noodles looks delicious as usual!
*DROOLS* so amazing Yi! This is a dish I must always have when I go to Taiwan! You’re right, there are so many different varieties there…it’s hard to find a favourite! I haven’t seen any beef noodle soup plated as nice as yours…makes me so hungry! Wish someone could make it for me right now..hahaha.
Thanks Viv. I’ve heard so much about Taiwanese beef noodles but unfortunately the closest ones I’ve had so far are from Taiwanese restaurants in NYC. Can’t wait for a trip to TW soon!!
I LOVE beef noodles. I can’t decide if i like the one with the stick sauce or the one in a clear broth or the one in a stew-like sauce, they’re all just delicious to me. this sounds just brilliant!!
Looks Great Yipeng!
Hi Brandon, thanks for the shout out!
I’m sending this link to my husband who eats beef noodle soup ALL THE TIME during lunch time (because I don’t cook). He’s crazy about it. Maybe he’ll make it for us! I’m writing my request here so he might read it too. LOL. Thank you so much for the recipe Yi! Your noodle looks EXCELLENT!
Thanks Nami. I hope your husband will cook this soup noodle for the whole family soon
Just stumbled on your blog. And one of my favorite dishes of all time was the most recent recipe! Love it! looking forward to trying out your recipes!
Hello Cindy, thanks for visiting the site. I would love to hear from you if you get to try this recipe. Thanks!
I love this beef noodle soup, very tasty and spicy…one of my favorite noddle soup dish. I never made it myself…your look delicious and very homy.
Hope you are having a wonderful week Yi
Thanks Juliana. You have a great week as well!
Yum! This is one of my favorite noodle soup! I know I can eat this everyday and not get bored.
Can’t wait to try your recipe.
Thank you Amy.
The sour mustard definitely balances the entire dish very well – I agree with you.
yup nowadys sour mustard has become a must in my beef noodle soup.
Why do you need the extra broth? I thought beef noodle soup was just noodles with beef stew? Or is it due to the stew is too rich by itself? Thank you!
I used to serve the noodles with just the stew and it was fine. Then I realized that if I wanted the beef to be more flavorful I’d have to use more spices and salt in the stew, causing the stew broth too salty for the noodle. That’s when I got the idea of making an extra rich stew and balance the stew broth with some regular broth.
Oh My Goodness! It’s a cold cold day at Houston and I’ve been craving spicy beef noodle soup, yours looks absolutely delicious, the photography is so beautifully done! Too bad there’s no beef in the fridge and I am too cold to go to the store, must make soon though… Thank you for sharing Yi!
It’s my pleasure Jeno. Hope you get to make some of this soon!
Great shots! The bowl of noodle in the first few pictures really comes to life, I can just taste it!
Thanks Lindsay.
Yum, the beef noodle soup looks so delicious. I think I will substitute the wheat noodle with rice noodle to make this gluten free. Do you recommend the wide rice noodle or the thin kind?
Hi Health Bee, have you heard of pho? It’s a kind of Vietnamese rice noodle. I think pho would be perfect for this beef noodle soup because it absorbs flavor very well.
Thanks Yi. I will try it out with some pho noodles.