Braised Beef Noodle Recipe

Trim and cube the beef

Trim excess fat from the beef chuck and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes so pieces braise evenly.

Brown the beef

Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pat beef dry with paper towels, working in batches so the pot isn't crowded. Sear beef cubes until deeply browned on all sides, 6–8 minutes per batch. Remove browned beef to a plate.

Sauté aromatics with spices

Lower heat to medium, add the remaining 1 tablespoon neutral oil, then add sliced ginger, smashed garlic and white parts of the scallions. Sauté 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Add star anise, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and black peppercorns and continue to toast 30–45 seconds to bloom the spices.

Deglaze and assemble braise

Pour in Shaoxing wine to deglaze the pot, scraping up browned bits. Add dark soy, light soy, rock sugar, Chinese five-spice and the seared beef back to the pot. Pour in beef stock and 1 cup water—liquid should mostly cover the beef (add up to 1/2 cup more water if necessary). Bring to a gentle simmer.

Braise

Reduce heat to low so the liquid is at a gentle simmer. Cover and cook 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, or until beef is fork-tender. Check every 30 minutes: skim any excess foam or fat from the surface and rotate meat so it cooks evenly.

Finish braise and season

When beef is tender, remove lid and increase heat to medium to reduce the braising liquid slightly for 8–12 minutes until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and up to 1/2 tsp white sugar if needed. Stir in sesame oil. Remove whole spices (star anise, cinnamon stick, bay leaves) before serving or leave for presentation if desired.

Scallions: reserve thinly sliced green parts for garnish. The white parts were used in the braise. Ginger and garlic used in step when sautéing aromatics.

Prepare vegetables

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch bok choy or Chinese broccoli 30–45 seconds until bright green and just tender. Remove and plunge into cold water to stop cooking, then drain and set aside.

Cook noodles

In the same pot of boiling water, cook fresh wheat noodles according to package instructions (usually 2–4 minutes) or dried noodles 4–6 minutes until al dente. Drain and briefly rinse under hot water to remove surface starch and keep noodles from sticking.

Heat braising beef into soup

Rewarm the braised beef and broth over medium heat. If braise has large pieces, shred or cut beef into bite-sized pieces. Spoon hot braising liquid over the noodles in bowls so each serving gets plenty of flavorful broth (about 1 to 1 1/2 cups broth per bowl). Add 4–5 pieces of beef per serving.

Soft-boiled eggs

If making eggs fresh: bring water to a gentle boil, add eggs and cook 6–7 minutes for jammy yolks. Transfer to an ice bath 3–4 minutes, peel and halve.

Assemble bowls

Divide noodles between bowls. Arrange braised beef on top, ladle hot braising broth over noodles, add blanched greens, half a soft-boiled egg, a drizzle of chili oil, sprinkle of sliced scallion greens and chopped cilantro. Add extra soy or chili oil to taste.

Final adjustments: Taste the finished bowl and add additional salt, a few drops of sesame oil, or a pinch of sugar to balance flavors. Serve hot.