Name: Taiwanese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup: A Step-by-step guide
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 4 h
Cuisine: Taiwanese
Ingredients: 3 lbs of beef shanks; 12 Stalks of green onions (6 stalks for blanching, 6 stalks for the soup); 12 Slices of fresh ginger root (6 slices for blanching and 6 slices for the soup); 1 Tablespoon of sea salt (For blanching the beef shank only); 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil; 4 Roma Tomatoes – Cut into small wedges; 1 Medium yellow onion – Sliced; 8 Cloves of garlic – Roughly chopped; 6 Thai red chilies – (3 whole chilies for soup and chop the other three chilies as garnish); ½ Cup Fresh cilantro as garnish – Chopped; 4 Pieces of rock sugars; ½ Cup of Light Soy Sauce; ⅓ Cup of Dark Soy Sauce; ½ Cup of Chinese rice wine (Shaoxing Wine); 2 Tablespoons of Sesame oil; 4 Tablespoons of Chili bean paste; 6 Cups of water (You can add more as needed); 6 Star anise pods; 1 Cinnamon stick (Cut it to 3 inches long); 5 Dried Bay leaves

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What if I tell you you do not need to take an 18-hour flight to Taiwan or Google “Where is the closest Taiwanese food near you” in order to have some authentic and delightful Taiwanese spicy beef noodle soup right at home?

You read it right; I am showing you how to make this fantastic and hearty beef noodle soup in today’s post.

Let’s learn how to make this delicious and authentic Taiwanese noodle soup recipe at home with my easy-to-follow step-by-step guide. Discover what ingredients, spices, and techniques I use to create this iconic dish.

Chez Lalonde - Delicious and authentic Taiwanese spicy beef noodle soup with bok Choy, wheat noodles, and tender beef shank all contained in a big white bowl. A pair of chopsticks, spoon, and small saucer.

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This beefy, flavorful soup is known for its tender beef shank with a distinctive five-spice aroma that would make you want a second bowl before you finish the first one. I have had this noodle soup numerous times at local Taiwanese restaurants. But you know me, I always want to make restaurant-style food at home. So, I have tried to perfect this recipe for years and finally did it. Today, I will show you step-by-step instructions on how to prepare this fantastic dish.

Delicious Taiwanese spicy beef noodle soup contained in a white bowl. It is with a small sauce dish, chopsticks and Chinese spoon

Recipe Snapshot

EASE: Pretty easy to make. You need patience.
PROS: It is the best Asian comfort food ever.
CONS: Take some time to make.
WOULD I MAKE THIS AGAIN? I would eat this three times a day if I could.

What is Taiwanese spicy beef noodle soup?

Chez Lalonde - Taiwanese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup close up photo. Tender beef shank, bok choy, noodles in flavorful beef broth. Garnished with chopped green onions, cilantro, and Thai red chilies. Served with a big white bowl.

Taiwan is home to various delectable dishes; Taiwanese Spicy Beef noodles soup, AKA Niu Rou Mian in Chinese, is the most well-known and staple dish in Taiwan. It is equivalent to Spaghetti with Meatballs in Italian or Bún bò Huế in Vietnamese cuisine. It is a one-pot wonder made with slow-cooked beef shanks and simmered in rich beef broth. The broth is seasoned with a mixture of spices such as ginger, cinnamon, and star anise… to name a few. Then it is served on a bed of wheat noodles, Bok Choy, and garnishes. You can serve this profoundly flavorful bowl of comfort any time of the day. People eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I have also heard it is the best hangover food.

Why will you love this recipe?

Flavorful broth: The broth of the Taiwanese spicy beef noodle soup is for sure a crowd-pleaser. Combining spices, beef, and seasonings creates a unique and delicious flavor that is hard to resist.
Tender beef shanks: The slow-cooked beef in this dish is one of the key elements that makes it so satisfying. The tender, juicy pieces of beef add a delicious dimension to the broth, making each bite a delight.
Perfectly cooked noodles: The noodles in this dish are an integral part of the overall experience. They provide the perfect texture for soaking up the broth and complementing the tender beef when cooked correctly.
Customizable: The spiciness level of this dish can be adjusted to your preference, making it suitable for a wide range of tastes.
Versatile: This dish can be enjoyed anytime, making it an excellent choice for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Best Asian Comfort food: This dish’s warm and comforting nature makes it an ideal choice for a cozy day in or as a pick-me-up on chilly nights.

Taiwanese spicy beef noodle soup in a white bowl. A pair of chopsticks is picking up a piece of tender beef shank and some wheat noodles. The bowl seats on top of a round saucer.

Key ingredients that make this noodle soup so distinctive:

Taiwanese spicy beef noodle soup ingredients list

A package of fresh wheat noodles for making Taiwanese spice beef noodle soup.

Various of Chinese condiments and sauces to making Taiwanese spice beef noodle soup.

Beef Shanks – It has excellent texture and contains collagen and connective tissues. Inexpensive. When the meat breaks down during the slow-cooking process, it helps create a rich and beefy flavorful soup.
White fresh or dried wheat noodles – The chewy texture and slightly nutty flavor complement the savory and spicy broth.
Baby Bok Choy (or other vegetables of your choice) – this vegetable style has a mildly sweet flavor and crunchy texture. It helps add an extra layer of texture to this dish.
Roma Tomatoes – Tomato and beef are the best partner in any cuisine. It helps balance out the soup’s spiciness, and the tangy flavor also adds a nice contrast to the beefy broth.
Fresh ginger and Green onions – This recipe needs many of these ingredients. We need them in the blanching process of the beef shanks to help draw out the impurities and gamey flavor of the meat. This traditional Chinese cooking technique ensures the broth’s delicious and clean flavor. These two ingredients are also the main base for the broth.
Yellow onions – To enhance the flavor and complexity of the dish.
Garlic cloves- To help add a strong, pungent flavor to balance out the heat from the spices.
Thai red chilies – We use them to enhance the broth’s spiciness and garnish the dish. You can omit this ingredient and make your broth less spicy.
Chopped Cilantro – This garnish makes the soup more visually appealing. This ingredient also adds a fresh and herbal flavor to complement the other flavors in the soup.
Rock Sugar – This is the Chinese secret to tenderizing tough-cut meat. When it dissolves in the broth, it will help break down the tough fibers of the meat—resulting in more tender and juicy meat.
Light Soy Sauce – Helps intensify the flavor and enhance its umami flavor.
Dark Soy Sauce – This aged soy sauce adds a darker hue and more depth to the broth.
Chinese rice wine (Shaoxing Wine) – This is an essential ingredient to this dish. It helps tenderize the beef and create a more flavorful dish.
Sesame oil – its nutty flavor helps to balance the soup’s spiciness and adds a subtle sweetness to the broth.
Chili bean paste (Dou Ban Jiang) (辣豆瓣醬) – Chili bean paste or Dou Ban Jiang are essential ingredients that can be purchased in your local Asian supermarkets. It is a red hue, sweet, and mildly spicy. It is the soul of the dish. It helps enhance the umami flavor and brings out other flavors in the soup.
Sea salt – To add during the blanching process with the beef shanks.
Water – To blanch the beef shanks and make the broth.
Homemade Spice packet – Star Anise, Cinnamon sticks, and dried bay leaves – This homemade spice packet is an essential ingredient to this dish. Star anise is a star-shaped seed pod with a sweet and licorice-like flavor. Cinnamon sticks provide a warm, sweet, and spicy flavor, while bay leaves add an earthy and woodsy aroma. This combo of flavors creates a delicious, fragrant, spicy beef noodle soup.
Cheesecloth Bag or a stainless steel mash seasoning ball. – To create a spice packet to contain all of the spices.

Don’t know how to use these Asian sauces & condiments?

Check Out My Chinese Pantry Essential Guide To Learn More

Show me the guide

What vessel should you use for cooking your soup?

I cooked my soup on low simmering heat for 3 hours using my 5Qt Le Creuset Dutch oven. I love to use my Dutch oven when I have to simmer my food for an extended period. Cast iron is an excellent conductor of heat, and the heavy lid helps trap moisture so the meat cooks evenly. This results in tender, juicy meat, and the broth are flavorful. However, you can also cook this dish using a crock pot or Instant Pot. Here is a fantastic Instant Pot recipe from Woks Of Life.

Taiwanese spice Beef noodle soup in a white bowl. Chopsticks are picking up some noodles

Different variations and substitutions of the dish

Toppings: You can add a variety of toppings to your spicy beef noodle soup, such as pickled vegetables or a soft-boiled egg.
Choice of vegetable: If you can’t find Bok Choy at your local grocery store, feel free to use other vegetables such as spinach, Chinese broccoli, or napa cabbage would pair great with this noodle soup.
Reduce the spiciness: If Thai Chili and spicy bean paste are too spicy, you can omit the Thai chili and reduce the spicy bean paste to 1 tablespoon.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make this noodle soup:

Step 1 – Rinse the beef shank with water, and pat dry with kitchen paper towels. Use a sharp knife to trim and discard any impurities and excess fat. Keep the whole beef shank intact, and do not cut it into small pieces yet.

Chez Lalonde - Trimming fat and tendon on beef shank to get ready to make Taiwanese Spicy Beef Noodle soup.

Chez Lalonde - cleaning, trimming and discarding fat and tendon on beef shank to get ready to make Taiwanese Spicy Beef Noodle soup.

Step 2 -Clean 12 stalks of green onions thoroughly. Discard the root end and any wilted, browned, or discolored tops or ends. Next, rinse the green onions to remove dirt or debris under cold water. Next, cut them lengthwise to about 3 inches long. Don’t forget to reserve and chop some of the top parts of the green onions into small pieces as garnish.

Step 3 – Peel, cut, and smash 12 slices of fresh ginger with a meat tenderizer or with the back of your knife to release its aroma.

Collage of photos to show how to clean and prepare green onions. Prepping for Taiwanese spice beef noodle soup — Discard the root end and any wilted, browned, or discolored tops or ends. Next, rinse the scallions under cool running water to remove dirt or debris.

Collage of photos on how to prepare ginger for cooking Taiwanese spicy beef noodle soup. — Peel the skin and smash your sliced ginger with a meat tenderizer to help release its flavor and aroma.

Separate these two ingredients into two even portions. Half the portion will go in a pot to blanch the beef shank. The other half will be used for cooking the broth.

Step 4 – Fill a large pot with cold water. Ensure the water level is enough to cover the beef shank. Add one tablespoon of sea salt, half of the cut scallions stalks, and smashed ginger into the pot. Cover and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. (Picture #1)

Step 5 – Add the beef shank once the water is boiled and cook it with ginger and green onions broth for about 8 minutes. After this process, remove the meat from the pot and discard the broth because it contains impurities from the beef. Cut the meat into thick pieces about half an inch thick. Set them aside. (Picture #2)

Note: The beef shank is not fully cooked at this step. Do not worry about if the meat is still raw in the middle. This blanching process helps reduce the gamey flavor of the meat as well as to ensure the blood will not ruin the broth and affect the taste)

Chez Lalonde - Taiwanese spicy beef noodle soup cooking instruction step 1 to 6.

Step 6 – Heat your Dutch oven with two tablespoons of vegetable oil on high heat. Add the second portion of cut green onions, smashed ginger, roughly chopped garlic, and sliced yellow onion into the pot. Cook them for 3 to 4 minutes or until fragrant. (Picture# 3)

Step 7 – Add your Roma tomato wedges, three Thai chili, and four tablespoons of spicy bean paste. Cook them for another 4 to 5 minutes until the tomatoes are softened.

Step 8 – Time to add some sauces to create the broth base. Add one-third of a cup of dark soy sauce, half a cup of light soy sauce, half a cup of Chinese cooking wine, two tablespoons of sesame oil, and some rock sugars. Cover and bring the liquid to a boil on medium-high heat for another 6 to 8 minutes. (Pictures # 4 to 9)

Chez Lalonde Taiwanese Spicy beef noodle soup cooking instruction step 7 to 12.

Step 9 – Stir in cooked sliced beef shanks, mix well, and add 6 cups of water to the pot. Please ensure all of the ingredients are immersed in the liquid. If not, add extra water to the pot one cup at a time. (Pictures # 10 to 12)

Step 10 – Get a 4×3 inches cheesecloth bag to create your spice sachet; insert your cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and star anises in the bag, tie it up, and ensure they will not float out from the bag during the cooking process. Add it to the pot and mix the ingredients with a wooden spoon. Cover the lid and boil the broth on high heat for 30 minutes. (Pictures # 13 to 14)

Step 11 – After 30 minutes, stir the ingredients to ensure everything cooks evenly. Cover the lid, lower the temperature, and let the broth simmer on low heat for another two hours. You can check on the broth every hour to ensure the meat is submerged and everything cooks evenly. Let it simmer for two and a half to three hours for the best result. (Pictures # 15 to 16)

Chez Lalonde Taiwanese Spicy Beef Noodle soup cooking instruction step 13 to 18

Step 12 – Remove and discard the spice packet after simmering the beef broth. Heat 2 small pots of water on medium-high heat. One pot is for blanching the bok choy (Or other vegetables of your choice), and the other is for boiling the noodles. Please note that you do not need to season the water with salt or other seasonings.

Step 13 – Bring the water to a boil. Add your pre-washed Bok Choy to the pot and blanch it for 3 to 5 mins or until tender. Take them out once they are cooked and set aside. Do not discard the vegetable water. In the other pot, cook the noodles according to the package’s instructions. If you are using fresh wheat noodles as I do. You only need to cook it at a maximum of 2 minutes per serving.

Chez Lalonde - A step-by-step instruction on how to clean and prepare Bok Choy for Taiwanese Spicy beef noodle soup.

Step 14 – Let’s get ready to assemble the dish. Put noodles, a generous amount of beef shanks (Don’t be shy… get as many as you want), and bok choy in a big bowl. Pour a ladle of vegetable water into the bowl, and then ladle one to two ladles of beef broth. Garnish some chopped scallions, Thai Chili, and cilantro to your liking. Enjoy! (Picture # 17 to 18)

Pro Tips

Refrain from overcooking the noodles. Follow the instructions on the package. If you are cooking fresh wheat noodles as I do here. All you need is to boil the noodles for a maximum of 2 minutes.
Always blanch your noodles and your choice of vegetable in a separate pot. I would even have two pots of boiling water ready, one for my Bok Choy and another to cook just my noodles. I do that because I don’t want these ingredients to dilute my broth and make my broth cloudy.
The beef broth can be a bit salty at the end. So I like to pour a ladle of vegetable broth (Right after you blanch your veggies) and then pour one to two ladles of beef broth in my bowl so my noodle soup won’t be too salty. I learned this trick from many noodle shops in Asia. I saw that’s how they serve their noodles.
When braising in Chinese style, using a cheesecloth bag or a seasoning ball to create a spice sachet to contain all the spices in one place is smart. I never used it due to my laziness. Still, after so many times my family accidentally chewed on a star anise pod or cinnamon stick, which left a weird flavor in their mouth, I decided to go ahead and start using it to contain my spices. It makes it easier not to have to fish every single of these ingredients out in the soup before I serve it.
Avoid over-stirring the broth or opening the lid too often during braising or simmering to check on the process. You do not need to check every ten or fifteen minutes. Let the dutch oven does its job. Retaining the pot’s heat will result in more juicy and tender meat.

What will pair well with your dish?

The best topping for this noodle soup is a soft-boiled egg. I usually cook an egg for exactly 6 minutes. Soak it in an ice water bath for a few minutes, peel the shell, cut it in half, and enjoy a melty egg with my broth.
You can garnish with pickled mustard greens or drizzle homemade chili oil for extra flavor and spiciness.
Last but not least, I love to pair this noodle dish with some easy to make Smashed Cucumber Salad. It is tangy, spicy, refreshing, and full of flavor. It is like a Robin to his Batman. Best combo ever.

For more Asian-style recipes, check them out here:

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A plate of crispy air fryer cantonese pork belly served with rice. Eat with chopsticks and spoon.

Crispy Air Fryer Cantonese-style Pork Belly

Quick Notes

How to store your dish

This dish is even better the next day. Give the beef shanks time to soak up and marinate in this spicy and delicious broth. Let the soup pot cool down, put it in the fridge, and enjoy it the next day or two.
I will never pre-made the noodles and vegetables ahead of time. Make it when you are ready to eat. They are best to consume when fresh. They do not taste good overnight.
Store your noodles with the broth in a different container if you have leftovers. Noodles expand when they soak in liquid, making them gross the next day. Please remember.

I am sure you won’t even have any leftovers… it is this good!

FAQs about this noodle soup

Vietnamese pho noodle soup uses rice noodles with a light clear broth made from simmered beef bones, and the critical ingredient of the broth is fish sauce. The flavor is more delicate. Pho usually pairs with Thai basil, bean sprouts, thin sliced raw eye-round beef, and lime. On the other hand, the Taiwanese spicy beef noodle soup is made with wheat noodles, chunks of tender braised beef shanks, and various spices. The broth is darker; the flavor is bolder and richer. They both taste amazing.

Blanching the bok choy and noodles separately before adding them to the broth is better because noodles release starch, making the broth cloudy. Cooking these two ingredients separately helps to preserve the broth’s texture, flavor, and appearance.

In Chinese cooking, rock sugar is essential to help dissolve the tough tissue in the tough-cut meat. I learned this from numerous Chinese chefs. So not to worry; it will not overly sweeten the broth. The subtle sweetness can balance out the saltness of the broth as well. I put a big piece of rock sugar in my broth. The result and the tenderness of the beef shank are second to none.

Well, my fellow foodies, are you ready to channel your inner chef and try to create this spicy Taiwanese beef noodle soup at home? Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a beginner cook, this recipe is easy to follow and can be customized to your liking.

Get ready to impress your dinner guests with this show-stopping noodle soup. Trust me; your efforts will be rewarded with slurps and smiles all around the table.

So, let’s get cooking and explore the depths of Taiwanese cuisine together! And don’t forget to follow my blog and social media accounts for more delicious recipes and foodie inspiration.

Taiwanese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup: A Step-by-step Guide