Here now is a guide to Taiwanese beef noodle soup. Try making it for dinner tonight!
Mainland Chinese cuisine is inexorably linked to its Taiwanese (island) counterpart. There are many overlaps, which makes a lot of sense when you consider the exodus that occurred after the end of the Chinese Civil War, which saw Taiwan become a refuge for those citizens who wanted to escape the chaos. Over time, though, beef went from a type of meat that was rarely touched to one that became increasingly popular. Here now is a guide to Taiwanese beef noodle soup. Try making it for dinner tonight!
The Broth is the Most Important Part
As with any type of noodle soup, you’ve got to consider what kind of broth you’re going to use. Carrots and apples can both make the broth sweeter than you might expect. Boneless shanks (instead of bone-in) also make the recipe simpler to follow. Hot bean paste can help make the broth spicy, as do dried chiles. Browning the meat can also heighten the flavor involved, especially before the aromatics enter the picture.
Cooking Up the Aromatics
Now that we know what to expect in the broth for the beef noodle soup, the next step is to add the aromatics to the mix. Ginger, garlic, and dried chilies all kick the flavor up a notch. Once they are nice and fragrant, rice wine, soy sauce, black vinegar, and sugar are introduced.
Throw In Some Tomatoes
Believe it or not, tomatoes are also important. Although beef noodle soup recipes around the world differ (both among professional chefs and home cooks) it seems to be a fact that tomatoes are essential. That said, the tomatoes should be added relatively early in the cooking process. Since you’ve taken the time to do this, you won’t notice the tomatoes overpowering everything else as a result. The tomatoes have MSG that occurs naturally – that’s what contributes to the depth of flavor and that appealing umami aspect. Onions, star anise, and peppercorns (most often of the Sichuan variety) get thrown into the pot of soup.
The Value of QQ
You might only associate QQ with those tasty tapioca pearls found in bubble tea. Even so, that isn’t the only place you will come across that mysterious, unnameable flavor sensation. QQ loosely translates to bouncy or chewy. Oxtail and beef shank are often combined to make this texture more apparent in a humble bowl of beef noodle soup. But if you’re not a fan of tendons, then beef chuck might be more to your taste.
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