Chinese New Year Meal #5 - Red Braised Beef Noodle Soup (Hong Shao Niu Rou Mian)

There is a Chinese restaurant near my parents' house in Maryland called Michael's that makes a phenomenal version of hong shao niu rou mian (red braised beef noodle soup).  They also make a good wonton soup and a good pan-fried noodles, but that's beside the point.  I haven't found a restaurant in NYC that makes a version of hong shao niu rou mian that is anywhere near as good as the version from Michael's.  What makes Michael's version so good is that the broth is deeply beefy and flavorful and the beef is similarly flavorful and fall apart tender.  I also love the pickled mustard greens and cilantro on top.  So for last night's Chinese New Year Meal, I decided to try to recreate that soup, adapting a recipe from Fuchsia Dunlop's Hunan cookbook for Changde Rice Noodles with Red-Braised Beef.  Instead of rice noodles, we used fresh Chinese noodles made from wheat.  We also played with the amounts of spices and other ingredients and added a little sugar to give the broth some sweetness.  Then we made a homemade beef broth from beef shin bone (with a decent amount of meat still attached), scallions, ginger and more seasonings.

The braising liquid from the beef is super flavorful and delicious, but you just can't serve a bowl of it - it's too rich and heavily seasoned.  But we found that by straining a cup of that braising liquid and adding it into the homemade beef broth we ended up with a ridiculously delicious beef broth, that wasn't exactly a traditional hong shao niu rou mian broth, but was certainly delicious.  First and foremost, you could taste the beef, flavored with cinnamon, star anise, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, and fermented black beans.  Actually, the broth and the noodles were our favorite part of the dish.  Alex and I both agreed that while the beef was good, it wasn't as flavorful as we thought it would be given its 3 hour soak in the braising liquid.  I think part of the problem was that we used stew beef, which didn't have enough fat to really help soak up the flavor.  In the future I might use brisket, which has a lot more fat (and therefore a lot more flavor and a better texture) than stew beef.  Alex said this was his least favorite of the dishes that we have made for Chinese New Year thus far, but I'm not sure that I agree.  I will say that it was not my favorite meal we have made out of the five Chinese dishes we have made this far, but I thought that it was pretty freaking good - particularly the broth!  If I absolutely had to pick a favorite at this point it would probably be the Salt-Fried Pork.  Just so you know.

Recipe after the jump!

Red Braised Beef Noodle Soup (Hong Shao Niu Rou Mian)

Adapted from Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province

Fuchsia Dunlop

INGREDIENTS

For beef:

1 1/2 lb stew beef chunks (cut into bite size pieces)

2 tbsp peanut oil

3 tbsp chili bean paste

5 slices fresh ginger (each about 1/4-inch thick), unpeeled

1 cinnamon stick (or cassia bark if you have it)

2 star anise

1 tbsp Shaoxing wine

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 scallion

1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

4 cardamom pods

2 tsp sugar

For broth:

2-2 1/2 lbs. beef bones (we used shin bone with a good amount of meat still attached)

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

5 star anise

2 scallions

1 cinnamon stick

1 inch piece fresh ginger, crushed with a cleaver

For soup:

1 lb fresh Chinese wheat noodles

1 scallion, white and green parts, thinly sliced on the bias

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

Place beef in a large saucepan with enough cold water to just cover the beef.  Bring to a boil, skimming off the froth that rises to the surface.  Remove beef with slotted spoon and set aside.  Skim cooking liquid again.  Strain into a bowl and set aside.

Heat oil in a clean pot or wok over moderate heat.  Add chili bean paste and stir-fry until fragrant.  Add ginger, cinnamon, and star anise.  Continue to stir-fry until aromatic.  Toss beef in spices.  Add enough reserved cooking liquid to cover the beef by 1-inch.  Add remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, partially cover and simmer until tender, about 2-3 hours. 

Meanwhile, to cook broth add beef bones and enough water to cover generously to a heavy pot.  Bring to a boil, skimming off the oil and froth that rises to the top.  Add soy, star anise, scallions, cinnamon, and fresh ginger.  Reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer over low heat for 2 hours.

Cook noodles according to package instructions in a pot of boiling salted water.  Drain well.  

Add noodles to four soup bowls.  Remove beef from braising liquid using a slotted spoon.  Top noodles with beef, scallions, and cilantro to taste.  Strain one cup of braising liquid into the stock.  Season to taste with soy or salt.  Ladle stock into soup bowls.

Serve.