Niew Ro Mein Recipe

Blanch & Clean Bones

Place beef flank and bones in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes to remove impurities, then drain and rinse meat and bones under running water and rinse the pot.

Make the broth: return the blanched flank and bones to the pot and add 2200 ml fresh cold water. Add smashed ginger, garlic, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, bay leaf, and knotted green onion whites. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

Season & simmer: add soy sauce, dark soy, Shaoxing wine, and rock sugar. Reduce heat to low and simmer very gently, partially covered, for 2 to 2.5 hours until the flank is tender but still sliceable. Skim any foam occasionally.

Finish broth: remove meat and set aside to rest. Strain the broth through a fine sieve or cheesecloth into a clean pot, discard solids, and skim excess fat if desired. Taste and season with 1.5 tsp kosher salt, adjusting with light soy sauce/white pepper to taste.

Slice Flank

When the flank is cool enough to handle, slice thinly across the grain into 1/8–1/4-inch slices. Keep warm in a covered dish with a little broth to prevent drying.

Prepare noodles: bring a separate pot of salted water to a boil. Cook skinny flour noodles according to package directions (usually 2–4 minutes for fresh, 4–7 for dried) until just tender. Drain, toss with 1 tsp neutral oil to prevent sticking, and keep warm.

Blanch vegetables: in the noodle cooking water (or a separate pot of boiling water), blanch carrot slices 1.5–2 minutes until tender-crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon. Blanch broccoli florets 45–60 seconds until bright green and tender-crisp. Immediately plunge both into an ice bath to stop cooking and preserve color; drain when cool.

Reheat broth and assemble: bring strained beef broth to a simmer. Taste one last time and re-season. To serve one bowl: place a portion of noodles in a bowl, arrange sliced braised flank on top, add a few carrot slices and broccoli florets, ladle hot broth over to warm everything through, and garnish with sliced scallions, a drizzle of chili oil if desired, and cilantro.

Make dressing: whisk rice vinegar, light soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, salt, and chili flakes in a bowl until sugar dissolves.

Dress cucumbers: toss thinly sliced cucumbers in the dressing. Let sit at least 10 minutes (or refrigerate up to 1 hour) to marinate. Before serving, sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and adjust salt or vinegar to taste.

Roast peanuts: preheat a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tsp oil and peanuts; stir for 4–6 minutes until golden and fragrant. Sprinkle sugar, salt, chili powder, and five-spice, continue stirring 30–60 seconds to coat and caramelize lightly. Remove to a plate to cool; peanuts will crisp as they cool.

Cool & chop: once cool, roughly chop or crush half the peanuts for a crunchy topping and keep some whole for garnish.

Plate: serve each bowl of Niew Ro Mein with a side of chilled cucumber salad and a small dish or sprinkle of spicy roasted peanuts. Offer extra soy, white pepper, and chili oil at the table.

Timing & make-ahead: broth can be made 1–2 days ahead and refrigerated (fat will congeal for easy removal) or frozen. Peanuts and cucumber salad can be prepared earlier the same day. Reheat broth gently before assembling bowls.