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Active Time
40 min
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Total Time
4 1/2 hr
This rich soup is hearty enough to serve as a main course. Dried tangerine peel and star anise impart an exotic note, and pickled mustard greens provide contrast to the beefy broth.
Ingredients
Makes 4 main-course servings
Special Equipment
Step 1
Bring water, soy sauce, rice wine, brown sugar, ginger, white parts of scallion, garlic, cilantro stems, tangerine peel, star anise, and red pepper flakes to a boil in a 5- to 6-quart pot, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Add short ribs and gently simmer, covered, turning occasionally, until meat is very tender but not falling apart, 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours. Let meat stand in cooking liquid, uncovered, 1 hour.
Step 2
Transfer meat to a cutting board with tongs and discard bones and membranes, then cut meat across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. 3Pour beef broth through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a bowl and discard solids. Skim fat from cooking liquid and transfer liquid to a 3-quart saucepan. Add chicken broth and meat and reheat soup over moderately low heat.
Step 3
Meanwhile, cook noodles in a 6- to 8-quart pot of (unsalted) boiling water until tender, about 7 minutes (14 to 15 minutes for linguine). Drain noodles well in a colander and divide among 4 large soup bowls.
Step 4
Ladle broth over noodles and top with meat, scallion greens, bean sprouts, pickled mustard greens, cilantro sprigs, and red chile (if using).
Step 5
*Available at some Asian markets.
Step 6
**Available at some Asian markets and Uwajimaya (800-889-1928).
Meat and beef broth can be cooked and strained 3 days ahead. Cool completely, uncovered, then chill meat in broth, covered. Skim fat before adding chicken broth.
Leave a Review
Reviews (28)
Back to TopMade this for family with some adjustments based on previous reviews. *It was MUCH tastier after it was refrigerated for one day and re-heated* I used 6 cups of water, 4 cups of BEEF stock. reduced soy sauce to approx 3/4-right under 1 cup doubled the ginger, garlic, and cilantro stems. 3 star anise instead of 4 Udon noodles Added Bok Choy (add at 10 minutes left of cooking time). * I didn't let the meat stand for 1 hour and I added the broth with the soup in the beginning as I did not have as much, which is probably why it as much better after I let it sit overnight and reheated it* Hope that helps. I was born in Taiwan, raised here, and it's pretty darn close AFTER allowing it to sit overnight.
karenmao12110864
Washington, DC
11/13/2014
This is way too salty, even using low-salt soy sauce. I'm quite disappointed considering how excited I was to try this old, clipped article I'd been saving. Now that it's a few years later I bet I can find a more authentic version online that's better balanced. Since I know what the key seasoning ingredients are now, I can try again I suppose. It's frustrating to have to try to figure out how to unsalt it though, so I might just search around for a better version to try.
dolci
Walnut Creek, CA
8/4/2014
Hi, I saw this competition where they are looking for people that can cook the national dish of their country. I think this might be of interest to you since you already have made this recipe :) Read more about it on their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/IngredientMatcher and in this presentation: http://www.slideshare.net/IngredientMatcher/competition-from-ingredient-matcher-cook-your-national-dish-25773568 Good luck!
TheLadyCook
Boston
9/28/2013
Ok, I had a Taiwanese buddy introduce this to me in grad school. Been making it EVER since. This is pretty spot on, from what I know (I'm an "honorary asian" white boy). I'll tell you what, I don't differ too much from the recipe. It's spot on from my meager experience. I have a ranch99 around the corner, so I have the luxury of most ingredients, but here's my 2 bits... I don't worry about the mung beans, or mustard greens, although the better 1/2 likes 'em (she's Chinese). I drop the 4 anise to 3 (it's powerful enough) and cook it in a dutch oven a good 3 hours. My buddy says the traditional way is in a clay pot, low and slow for hours. The only other thing he adds (and I do), is four tomatoes (quartered) a 1/2 hour from done. Adds a nice touch. Oh, one other thing. Definitely try this with a good pound of Oxtails. You'll NEVER look back. GREAT RECIPE. It's one of our favs for life!!!
whitedragonjack
Oakland, ca
3/28/2013
Delicious, satisfying. I used 1/4 cup soy sauce, no wine or sherry, onion instead of scallion, no cilantro (had none), and locally raised short ribs I'd cooked before (simmered a half hour total in this soup). Bucatini was a good substitute for the recommended noodles.
foodgroup
3/9/2012
This is nothing like the noodle soups I've had in Taiwan, as some others have mentioned. The main problem is that the soy sauce overpowers everything else. I've found that Chinese recipes adapted by Americans tend to have this issue, and I hope someday that they realize there's more to Chinese cuisine than soy sauce. The flavors are so complex and so varied from Taiwanese to Hong Kong to Szechuan and back that drowning everything in soy sauce is a disservice and a shame. I was worried about the star anise being too strong as others have mentioned, but I couldn't taste it at all over the soy sauce. The next time I make this, I will only use a quarter cup, and light soy sauce as opposed to dark.
lilyson
Bothell, WA
4/13/2011
Oh, and I would only add 2 anise. The ones sold in the US are usually much bigger.
diablofoodie
NYC
1/22/2011
这道菜是好的,但这不是一样好或非盟thentic as it could be without the spice pack. The spice pack, which you can purchase at a Chinese grocery store (tell them that you're making niu rou mian) should have some Sichuan peppercorns and various other spices to give this a bit more of a kick. As is, it's a pretty good soup. But if you're looking for a recipe that matches what it should taste like in your memory, it falls a bit short.
diablofoodie
NYC
1/22/2011
tasty! i used organic, free range ribs. started it in a pot, then finished in slow cooker. substituted organic dried orange peels since the peels at the asian store were low quality. used sherry instead of rice wine & it wasn't too salty. added a bunch of bok choy. this is best made in advance; then the fat is a cinch to remove. needs a bit more heat, will increase red pepper flakes & add a bit of tabasco next time. might be nice with a bit of lime juice at the end too.
mskitte
sf, ca
5/21/2010
Substituted asian rock sugar for brown sugar, upped the ginger and garlic, and used a spice pack instead of the tangerine peel. Cut down the star anise to two since the spice pack also has it. Used 3/4 C dark soy sauce and increased water to 7 cups. Beef shank is a must! Delicious! Just like my Taiwanese Mom makes.
alizekel
New York, NY
3/30/2010
This recipe was VERY disappointing. Nothing like what I had in Taiwan. Note the following: star anise flavor was too strong and overpowered the whole dish.
Anonymous
11/9/2009
Delicious. Ingredient modifications: left out the tangerine peel, used low-sodium soy sauce and chicken broth. I'd recommend tasting as you season so that you get the right amount of saltiness. I would also recommend spinach, baby bok choy, or napa cabbage over bean sprout. Also, there's nothing wrong with eating the tendon ;)
Jennafi
9/1/2009
almost as good as my mom's homemade noodle soup. be careful with the star anise it might take you a few times to get the number right. my non-chinese friends didn't appreciate 4 whole stars. otherwise, the recipe was very easy to follow. i'm not much of a cook but this recipe turned out great!
yvolee
houston, tx
6/10/2009
this was a lot of worl for a blah soup. Star anise was a bit overwhelming, other than that, flavorless.
Anonymous
5/14/2009
A fantastic recipes. Some tips: 1) Use dark soy sauce. If you are using generic supermarket soy sauce it will likely be too salty. The chinese cooking wine (if you are using that instead of sherry) is also salty. So you can start with 1/2 cup of dark soy sauce for making the soup, and then just add dark soy sauce to taste when the soup is done. 2) If you are going to skim the fat, boil the ribs first for an hour, chill, skim fat, and then add the herbs & spices. This adds significant cooking time (we chill overnight) but much of the flavour in the broth would otherwise be lost if tossed out with the fat. 3) With the exception of the bean sprouts & fresh cilantro, the soup itself freezes very well.
jingshi
Toronto, ON
3/16/2009
