Beef noodle soup


Beef noodle soup is a noodle soup made of stewed or red braised beef, beef broth, vegetables and Chinese noodles. It exists in various forms throughout East and Southeast Asia. The clear broth beef noodle soup was allegedly invented by the Hui people during the Tang dynasty and is commonly known as Lanzhou beef noodle soup. The Sichuan beef noodle soup or red-braised beef noodle soup was first created by Kuomintang veterans in Taiwan; this variation became commonly known as Taiwanese beef noodle soup.
In overseas Chinese communities in North America, this food can be found in Chinese and Taiwanese restaurants. In Mainland China, a large bowl of it is often taken as a whole meal with or without any side dish. In Taiwan, beef noodle vendors may also have optional, often cold side dishes, such as braised dried tofu, seaweed or pork intestine. Beef noodles are often served with suan cai on top, green onion and sometimes other vegetables in the soup as well.
Beef noodles are often served as fast food in mainland China, with Mr. Lee being the largest chain. In Taiwan, it is sometimes considered a national dish and every year Taipei holds an annual Beef Noodle Festival, where various chefs and restaurants compete for the title of the "best beef noodles in Taiwan". Due to influences from the influx of immigrants from mainland China in the early 1900s, the Taiwanese version of beef noodle soup is now one of the most popular dishes in Taiwan.

Variations

In Chinese, "牛肉麵" literally means "beef noodles". Mainland Chinese and Hong Kong restaurants may have a tendency to distinguish between "牛肉麵" "beef noodles" and "" "beef brisket noodles", with the former containing either beef shank or beef slices and the latter containing only brisket. It is sometimes served with wontons. In Taiwan, "牛肉麵" typically consists of either brisket or shank only, though many restaurants also have tendon or a more expensive option with both meat and tendon and occasionally with tripe;, usually denotes a bowl containing all three. If one orders "牛肉湯麵" or "beef soup noodles" in a restaurant in Taiwan, Mainland China or Hong Kong, they might be given a cheaper bowl of noodles in only beef broth but no beef. If one orders a "牛肉湯" or "beef-soup", they could be given a more expensive bowl of beef broth with chunks of beef in it but without noodles. In Tainan, beef soup denotes a distinct and local specialty, where sliced beef is blanched in hot soup and accompanied by shredded ginger.
, Thailand. This is the Thai version of braised beef noodles
There are two common variations of beef noodle which differ in the way the broth is prepared: braised beef noodle soup and clear broth beef noodle soup.

Clear broth beef noodles

The Chinese Muslim style of beef noodle is also known as clear-broth or consommé-stewed beef noodle. It often uses halal meat and contains no soy sauce, resulting in a lighter taste that may be flavoured by salt and herbs. Local lore attributes its creation with a Hui Chinese man from Lanzhou named Ma Baozi. In Lanzhou, Gansu, Lanzhou Beef Lamian is usually served with clear soup and one hand-pulled lamian noodle per bowl. In halal restaurants, only quality local beef from the Southern Yellow cattle prepared by the local halal butcher is used for the beef noodle. Chinese radish and the specially cooked spicy oil are also indispensable partners to Lanzhou beef noodles. Together with hand-pulled noodle, clear soup and herbs, they are called "Yi Qing Er Bai San Hong Si Lu Wu Huang". "Yi Qing" literally translates to "One Clear", which is the soup. "Er Bai" means "Two White", which is Chinese radish. "San Hong" means "Three Red", which is spicy oil. "Si Lu" means "Four Green", which is the herb."Wu Huang" means "Five Yellow", which is the hand-pulled noodle.

Braised beef noodles

When soy sauce is added, the soup is called red roasted or braised beef noodles. Braised beef noodle soup was invented in Taiwan. It is sometimes referred to as "Sichuan Beef Noodle Soup", especially in Taiwan. The beef is often stewed with the broth and simmered, sometimes for hours. Chefs also let the stock simmer for long periods with bone marrow; some vendors can cook the beef stock for over 24 hours. The dish can also be found overseas as is the case in American Sichuanese restaurants.
The dish was introduced to Taiwan by Kuomintang Sichuan province veterans who fled from mainland China to Kaohsiung, Taiwan and served in military dependents' villages. The Taiwanese traditionally had an aversion to the consumption of beef even into the mid-1970s because cattle were valuable beasts of burden so originally the dish was only eaten by the mainland Chinese. However, the dish became more accepted over time and is now one of Taiwan's most popular foods. It is believed that the popularity of this noodle soup broke the beef-eating taboo and also paved the way to Taiwan later embracing American foods that utilized beef. The Taiwanese variation is significantly less spicy than its Sichuanese predecessor and there are several variations with the soy-based broth, such as tomato, garlic and herbal medicine. The tomato variation is popular in Taiwan and features chunks of tomatoes in a rich red-coloured tomato broth with or without soy sauce. The herbal medicine variation is usually served without suancai as a topping and may be accompanied by a chili paste made from beef lard.

Other varieties

In Thailand, kuaitiao nuea pueay is a similar dish. In Vietnam, Bò Kho is a beef stew sometimes served with noodles, that is similar to Taiwanese braised beef noodles. Pho is also a Vietnamese noodle soup that contains broth, rice noodles called bánh phở, herbs, and meat, primarily made with either beef or chicken. In Philippines, Beef Mami is very popular, and can also be combined with Pares.
Yaka mein is a type of beef noodle soup commonly found in Chinese restaurants in New Orleans. It consists of stewed beef, spaghetti noodles, hard-boiled egg and chopped green onions, with Cajun seasoning, chili powder or Old Bay-brand seasoning.