This post is sponsored by the Certified Angus Beef ® brand in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.
I can't say I've always been a soup person. Which is really a shame, because I've discovered over the years, that soup really IS good food.
My husband, on the other hand, could eat soup 24/7, 365 days a year!
In fact, it's his undying love for a good bowl of hot soup, that made me realize what I had been missing all those years!
These days, I make soup about once a month during the Fall, Winter, and Spring months. Hubby is a huge fan of broth soups, like my classic Beef Vegetable Soup.
Me?
I like a little more pizzazz to my soup. That's why this spicy beef noodle soup is right up my ally.
This Chinese beef noodle soup has all the flavors! You'll get sweet, savory, salty, and spicy in each spoonful. That makes this recipe a winner in my book. This is definitely NOT your average beef noodle soup recipe!
While it has some of the same flavor profiles as Taiwanese beef noodle soup, it's much simpler and quicker to make than the classic soup.
Don't be intimidated by the list of ingredients below. This beef soup recipe comes together quickly and is ready to eat in about 45 minutes. Even with such a short cook time, the beef in this soup is melt-in-your-mouth tender. Using thinly sliced Certified Angus Beef ® sirloin strip steak in this soup is one of the keys to success. You'll get perfect results every time with the right beef, the right cut, and the tenderizing process known as "velveting".
What is velveting meat?
Velveting is the process used in many Chinese restaurants as a way to tenderize meat for use in quick cooking dishes such as stir fry. The most popular way to velvet meat involves marinating the strips of meat in a mixture of cornstarch, egg white, and wine. (You might remember when I used this method in this recipe for Easy Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry.)
However, another highly effective, yet much easier, way to achieve velveting is to combine the strips of meat with a little baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). Then, allowing the mixture to sit for a specified amount of time (about 30 minutes) and rinsing the meat and drying before cooking it. I used the baking soda method of velveting the beef for this soup recipe. The results were outstanding!
All Certified Angus Beef ® sirloin strip steaks must meet 10 specific standards to make sure they are extremely tender, juicy and always packed with flavor. It's the perfect choice for this Chinese beef noodle soup. The velveting technique just makes it that much better!
Tips for making Spicy Chinese Beef Noodle Soup
- Start with the best angus beef. Click here to find out where you can purchase Certified Angus Beef ® brand near you.
- Give the velveting process a try for melt-in-your-mouth tender beef strips.
- Prep and chop all the fresh ingredients ahead of time. This will allow you to be able to add the ingredients as they are called for without having to prep and chop them as you go.
- Take care when adding Sambal Oelek. This fresh ground chili paste packs quite a punch. If you don't have or can't find Sambal Oelek, Sriracha is a great substitute. Not a fan of heat? Feel free to omit it from the recipe. You'll still have a delicious, Asian flavored soup without it!
- For more robust beef flavor, choose a beef stock, not beef broth. Stock is made from beef bones and other ingredients. Broth is not made with beef bones, so it has a more subtle beef flavor.
- If you aren't a fan of rice noodles, substitute with any kind of prepared dried pasta. But keep in mind, the rice noodles do give it more authenticity.
- If you can't find fresh baby bok choy, you can substitute chopped regular bok choy or even baby spinach. You may need to adjust cook time for any substitutions.
How to make Chinese Beef Noodle Soup
Begin by gathering your ingredients. (see recipe card below) Some of these ingredients may seem exotic, but you should be able to find everything in most larger grocery stores these days.
Once you've chopped and prepped all the ingredients, velvet the beef strips as instructed in the recipe card below.
Next you'll begin building the soup by heating the oil in a large stock pot. Rinse and drain the beef well and add it to the hot oil, browning the beef quickly. Remove the beef to a dish and continue building the soup as instructed in the recipe card.
It really does all come together very quickly!
When the soup is done, take the prepared rice noodles and place on the bottom of your serving bowls. Ladle the hot soup with the beef and vegetables over the noodles. Garnish with sesame seeds, if desired. For extra kick, drizzle with a little hot chili oil.
The inspiration for this beef soup recipe came from the cookbook Weeknight Wonders by Ellie Krieger and from one of my favorite P. F. Chang's soups. However, the resulting recipe is all my own!
I hope I've inspired you to give this beef noodle soup a try!
Yield: 8 servings
Spicy Chinese Beef Noodle Soup
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 Min
Spicy Chinese Beef Noodle Soup is full of delicious vegetables, tender beef strips, and authentic rice noodles in a spicy Asian inspired beef broth. It's the perfect way to warm up on a cold evening!
Ingredients
- 1 pound, Certified Angus Beef ® sirloin strip steak, thinly sliced (about 1/4" thick)
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt and 1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- 2 TBSP oil (I used rice bran oil, but any oil with high smoke point will work), divided
- 10 oz. button mushrooms, thin sliced
- 2 inch piece of ginger, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 scallions, chopped
- 8 cups beef stock
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 - 2 TBSP Sambal Oelek (fresh ground chili paste)
- 2 TBSP fish sauce
- 2 TBSP granulated sugar
- 2 bunches baby bok choy (about 1/2 pound), chopped
- 1/2 pound snow peas (sliced in half if large)
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 4 oz. thin rice noodles, prepared according to package directions
- sesame seeds and hot chili oil, optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Velvet the beef by combining sliced beef and 1 tsp. of baking soda in a small glass bowl (do NOT use metal). You can massage it into the meat with your fingers. Let sit for 30 minutes, then rinse and pat beef slices dry with paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Heat 1 TBSP oil in large stock pot over medium high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add beef. Brown beef as if you were making stir fry. Work in batches if you need to, so you don't overcrowd the pan. This should take about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove beef to dish and set side. (Beef does not need to be cooked through. You're just giving it a layer of flavor by browning it. )
- To the pot, add in remaining oil, and the ginger and garlic. Stir around and cook for about 1 minute or until it becomes fragrant. Add in the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 6 to 7 minutes. Add in the scallions, and cook for one more minute.
- Add in the beef stock, soy sauce, sambal, fish sauce, and sugar. Stir and bring to a boil.
- When the soup comes to a boil, add in reserved beef strips, bok choy, and snow peas. Stir. Bring back up to a boil and cook for one minute. Take off heat and stir in grape tomatoes.
- To serve, place some noodles in a bowl and ladle soup over the noodles. Garnish with sesame seeds and drizzle with chili oil, if desired.
Notes
Velveting beef is a process many Chinese restaurants use to tenderize beef for dishes like stir fry. It's a very simple process and you'll be amazed at how tender the beef is in this quick soup once it's been velveted! This soup comes together pretty quickly, it's best to have all your ingredients prepped and on hand before starting. Sambal Oelek is quite hot. Feel free to adjust amounts as you like for your tastes. The amounts provided above were about right for my family's tastes. We do enjoy some heat. You can substitute Sriracha for Sambal Oelek if you like or leave it out entirely.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
395.28Fat (grams)
22.67 gSat. Fat (grams)
6.68 gCarbs (grams)
18.39 gFiber (grams)
3.36 gNet carbs
15.03 gSugar (grams)
8.04 gProtein (grams)
30.24 gSodium (milligrams)
1672.11 mgCholesterol (grams)
67.50 mgNutritional Information is an estimate.
Copyright © 2019 Renee's Kitchen Adventures
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