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When we visited California, we went to Din Tai Fung and had their House Beef Noodle Soup. Our lives were changed at that point and sadly there are no Din Tai Fung’s in Utah. After countless video and recipe research, this is my take on Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup – made easier in an Instant Pot. There’s a lot that goes in the pot, but trust me – it’s worth it. Head over to your local Asian Market for most things if you can’t find them in a supermarket.
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs Beef Chuck Roast (whole)
- 3 Tablespoons Oil (High heat - Veg, corn, canola, etc.)
- 1 Tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Zhen Jiang Vinegar
- 1/3 cup Shaoxing Wine
- 1/2 Teaspoon Toasted Sesame oil
- 1 Teaspoon of Kosher Salt + more for seasoning beef
- Black Pepper to taste
- 1 Multi-purpose Chinese Spice Bag (Info below)
- 3 Tablespoons of Rock Sugar (If you don't have rock sugar, sub brown sugar and reduce to 1 1/2 Tablespoons)
- 2 heaping Tablespoons Chinese Soybean paste
- 2 heaping Tablespoons of Korean Hot Pepper Paste (Gochujang)
- 6 cloves of garlic (smashed)
- 1 2 inch knob of Ginger (sliced thinly)
- 1 Onion (quartered)
- 1 Tomato (quartered)
- 1 small Orange, Tangerine, Cutie (some form of small orange citrus)
- Remove the peel from the fruit. Carefully remove the pith or white bit from the inside of the skin. Leaving it on can cause a bitter taste - you mainly want just the outer "zest" but large pieces, don't use a zester.
- 4-5 Green Onions (Scallions) - (Cut into large pieces, set aside lower 3rd for soup garnish)
- Cilantro (For garnish - optional)
- Chili Oil (to taste, added to finished individual bowl of soup)
- Baby Bok Choy (Addition to finished soup 1 per bowl)
- 6 cups Water
- Noodles (We used fresh Da Xi Bei GunGun Noodles 110g serving per person - You just want a hefty noodle like thick spaghetti)
- Good quality paper towels
Instructions
- Add 2 Tablespoons of oil to a large heavy duty pan for browning your beef. Make sure the pan is screaming hot. Meanwhile, wash and dry your roast - make sure it is VERY dry. Liberally salt and pepper both sides of the beef.
When your pan is ready - carefully lay the beef into the pan and make sure it has good contact. You can either brown your been entirely now, or flip it while moving on to step 2 - continuing to rotate and move it so that the entire roast is browned on all sides. It's totally fine to just let it sit there and form an amazing crust - keep that pan on high heat. - Turn your instant pot to Saute and add 1 Tablespoon oil, Onion, Ginger, Garlic, Scallion tops, and citrus peel. Saute until onions begin to soften.
- Add Tomato, sugar, hot pepper paste, soybean paste, to the instant pot - saute until the tomato softens and the bottom of the pot begins to caramelize.
- Deglaze the instant pot with the Shaoxing wine, scraping all the bottom bits. Add Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Worcestershire, and Sesame Oil - stir to combine. Scrape the bottom of the pot again.
- Turn the instant pot off and carefully place beef in the pot using tongs.
- Pour off excess oil from the pan used to brown the beef, place back on high heat. Squeeze your citrus fruit to release the juice to deglaze the pan. Scrape everything up, add this to the instant pot.
- Add Water, a large pinch of salt, and your spice packet. Push down to soak the packet in the water and try to get it tucked down the side of the pan - lift the beef up if needed. Your pot should be right to the max line if you're using a 6qt - use less water if you're getting close to hitting the line.
- Put the lid on the instant pot and set to High pressure for 1 hour. When the timer goes off, quick release pressure.
- Depending on the size of your Baby Bok Choy, leave whole, slice in half, or quarters. Steam these - I like to do them in the microwave with a bit of water, lid on w/ vent, for 3 minutes. Poke to see if they're tender, if not, add 2 minutes. You can also steam them on the stove until tender. Make sure to salt them lightly when finished steaming or before cooking if using the microwave.
- Back to the instant pot - Remove spice packet, squeeze and discard. Remove beef and set aside. Strain the liquid into a separate container, press against it to get as much broth out as possible, discard roughage.
- Technically this step is optional if you don't mind a lot of oil. You want to skim 90% of the oil off of the top of the broth - and there will be a lot. I skim with a spoon first until most of it is gone, then use a quality paper towel and gently let it lay on top of the broth to soak up the excess oil. Lift the towel and let it drip, discard. Do this twice if needed. You want some oil to remain, but you don't want a layer on top of your soup.
- Add liquid back to instant pot to keep it warm. Test for salt, add more if needed.
- Cook your noodles - Follow package directions for al dente, you don't want them to be overly squish since you'll be adding hot broth to them.
- Slice your beef against the grain into portions. 2-3 slices of beef is optimal per serving.
- Place a serving of noodles into each bowl. Add hot broth to the noodles (2-3 ladles full), beef, bok choy, thinly sliced scallions, cilantro (optional), and drizzle of chili oil if you want more spice (optional).
- Serve your soup and enjoy!
Notes
If you want to do this on the stove or in a Slow Cooker - try 3-4 hours simmering or on Med-High in the crock pot with the lid on. You just need your beef to be tender.
For the Spice Packet
If you’re unable to get the packets, you can make your own using the spices below. Trust me, the spice packet is WAY easier and once you know what they look like, it’s easy to find. You’re looking for a small cardboard package that says there are 3 packs in it.
- 2 Star Anise
- 1 Chinese Cinnamon Stick (Sub 1 Tablespoon standard Cinnamon stick)
- 1 Tablespoon Fennel Seeds
- 1 Tablespoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 Tablespoon Coriander Seeds
- 1 Tablespoon Sichuan Peppercorns (optional)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Allspice
- 2 Bay Leaves
