Chinese Beef Noodle Soup Recipe is an easy spicy nourishing less than 30-minute braised beef noodle soup made with thin shaved beef, daikon radish, mushrooms, Chinese five spice and gluten free rice noodles.
Slow Cooked Flavor in 30 Minutes
What is the most frustrating part of Asian recipes for you? For us, it’s the mile-long list of ingredients, tedious prep and long cooking times. That is exactly why we went to work in our test kitchen to simply the process for you.
One of our favorite comfort foods is the delicious slow cooked Taiwanese beef noodle soup recipe that has at least a million ingredients and hours to cook. Do you have hours to slave over the stove and a million of hard to find Asian ingredients in your pantry? We thought not!
Instead, our Asian beef noodle recipe gives you that same slow cooked nourishing flavor without all the effort.
Simplified
- Easy to find ingredients and many of them are optional.
- Ready in under 30 minutes.
- Uses thin, quick cooking tender thin sliced sukiyaki beef instead of a tough beef flank (that requires hours of slow cooking to tenderize) like in our Sukiyaki Beef Udon recipe. This saves you time and hassle.
- Gluten-free
- Everything cooks in one pot on the stove top.
Nourishing: Give Your Body What its Craving
We are in between seasons. One day it is cool and damp and the very next day it is hot and steamy. You are carefree and running out the door without any jackets, but this is the time you need to take extra care of your health.
The best way to stay healthy is to fuel in your body with warming nourishing foods. Our spicy beef noodle soup will warm you from the inside out. Check out our Feed Your Spleen; Nourish Your Body article to learn more about this health hack.
It’s Soup Season!
This braised beef noodle soup really hit the spot. Each healthy spoonful was a delight. The delightful mix of gorgeous fresh veggies, beef, mushrooms, daikon radish, slurping noodles will satisfy all your cravings.
Enjoying healthy cuisines from around the world does not need to be complicated. As a matter of fact, have you tried our ABC soup? Just a handful of ingredients and made in the Instant pot multi-cooker - Chinese cuisine simplified. Check out our video below to find out how to make the World’s Easiest Asian beef noodle soup.
Best Soup Broth Ever!
Have you ever tried our Spicy Sichuan Hot Pot or our Simple Spicy Hot Pot? It is that tasty soup broth that has you keep going back for more. Simply Delicious! Our Chinese Beef Noodle Soup Recipe has an addictive broth that is savory, complex and aromatic. We achieved this tasty beef soup broth with simple ingredients and aromatics. You probably have many of them in your pantry or refrigerator right now.
Soup Ingredients
Usually, traditional Chinese soups need to cook all day or at least several hours. Also, many of them contain Chinese medicine and herbs. Have no fear! This soup is ready in 30 minutes and there is not a Chinese medicinal herb within miles of our soup pot! If you need a soup ready in 20 minutes or less, try our spicy tomato glass noodle soup. We are way too tired today to be tending over a pot of soup…so instead we made some improvisations.
1. Thin sliced sukiyaki beef or shaved beef
Chipped beef for French dip sandwiches works great. At the market, you can usually find packages of shaved beef in ready packages, or you can have your butcher slice thin beef for you. Alternatively, you can cut thin sliced beef at home.
Some of our preferred cuts of beef are ribeye, sirloin, top round steak, etc. Hint: If you freeze your beef first, it is much easier to get super thin slices. Additionally, make sure you are cutting the beef against the grain. You can find shaved beef in many local markets already pre-packaged.
2. Daikon Radish
It's a native root vegetable to China and Japan but is also grown in the US. This long white root vegetable is also known as the Chinese Turnip, Japanese Radish, White Carrot, lobak, lo pak, chai tau. It’s a mild flavored winter radish that is much milder than a red radish and actually sweetens with cooking. One of our favorite dim sum recipes made with daikon radish is our Chinese Vegan Radish Cake.
You can find fresh daikon at Asian markets, specialty markets like Whole Foods and even regular grocery stores in the fresh vegetable isle. The best season for harvesting daikon is September, October and December.
3. Chinese Five Spice powder
It's a spice blend made up of dried ground cinnamon, fennel seeds, star anise, Sichuan peppercorn and cloves. This spice is an essential ingredient in our braised beef noodle soup. We used a full 2 teaspoons in this recipe. Chinese 5 spice can be found in a regular grocery store in the spice section. If not, you can blend your own.
Have you ever cooked with Chinese Five Spice Powder before? If you do not have Chinese five spice in your pantry, it is time to get that sorted. You can make so many delicious dishes such as our Grilled Five Spice Pork Loin Chops, stir fries, Spicy Pan Fried Beef Bao, and Peking Glazed Beer Butt Chicken, just to name a few.
4. Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a simple but very delicious addition to this soup. We used baby portabella mushrooms but button mushroom, shiitake or any mushrooms really are delicious. They give your soup broth another dimension of flavor.
5. Beef Broth
Prepared beef broth is a quick short cut to get this easy soup recipe completed in under 30 minutes. If you want to make your own bone broth, be sure to try our Nourishing Slow Simmered Beef Bone Broth. If you are celiac, be sure to use gluten-free beef broth.
6. Aromatics and Seasonings
These are essential ingredients in our Chinese Beef Noodle Soup Recipe. Fresh garlic, ginger, onions, soy sauce (or tamari if you want to keep this recipe gluten-free) and a little dried red pepper chili flakes infused into the beef marinade add so much flavor to this recipe.
7. Green Leafy Vegetables
Green leaf vegetables are optional but why not throw in a couple of extra vitamins and minerals into the pot. We used fresh spinach and napa cabbage as that is what we had on hand, but any quick cooking greens will work well in this recipe.
8. Bamboo Shoots
Bamboo shoots or baby corns give this recipe a little extra crunch but are totally optional.
9. Rice Noodles
Noodle are always fun to slurp. We used gluten free Pad Thai rice noodles. Asian Rice noodles only need about 5 minutes in hot water and they are ready to go. This is a huge time saver. However, you can cook and use any noodle you like in this recipe. You might want to try our Golden Spiced Noodle soup.
The important advice is to cook or prepare your noodles separately from the soup. If you try to cook your noodles in the soup, they will soak up all the delicious broth. When ready to serve, just put a little of the prepared rice noodles at the bottom of your bowl and ladle the hot soup right over them.
Chinese vs Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
| Chinese Beef Noodle Soup | Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup |
|---|---|
| Total Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 2.5 to 3 hours |
| Thin shaved beef | Tough beef shank |
| Gluten free rice noodles | Wheat based noodles |
| Regular Soy sauce or tamari | Regular soy sauce and dark soy sauce |
| Sesame oil | Vegetable oil |
| Beef broth gluten free/regular | Water |
| Onion | Scallions and onions |
| Ginger | Ginger |
| Chinese Five Spice | Star anise, dried bay leaf |
| Garlic | Garlic |
| Dried Red Pepper Flakes | Fresh Chinese Chili Peppers |
| Daikon Radish | ---------- |
| Green Leafy Vegetables | Bok Choy |
| Mushrooms | ---------- |
| Canned Bamboo Shoots | ---------- |
| ---------- | Rock Sugar |
| ---------- | Spicy Bean Paste |
| ---------- | Shaoxing Rice Wine |
| ---------- | Tomatoes |
Cooking Technique Differences
In our Chinese Beef Noodle Soup Recipe, we marinaded the beef BEFORE it is cooked. Then, we used the braising method to add extra flavor in a short period of time into the soup broth. This method is not traditional. However, it is a huge time saver and no instant pot required.
We have found that the same time it takes for the instant pot to get up to pressure, your soup is almost done cooking on the stove top. We marinated the beef and then fried the beef in the same pan we made our soup in. Yes, you heard me right… shocking news hot off the press…No more boiling the meat without any flavor…
In contrast, Traditional Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup does not do any marinating. They just drop in all the ingredients into the soup pot and simmer over low heat for 2.5 to 3 hours.
| Chinese Beef Noodle Soup | Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup |
| Marinated beef | No marination |
| Braised beef cooking method | Boiled meat cooking method |
Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
The simplest way to get your broth clear is to skim your soup and keep your temperature at a simmer. You need to start skimming your soup with a spoon as soon as it comes up to a light boil and then turn down to a simmer. The gray unwanted stuff and oil that accumulates on the top of the soup’s surface can easily be removed with a spoon or ladle. If it is just a little oil, we have found using a paper towel to run around the top edges works like a charm.
Braised beef is beef that has been first pan-seared on (dry high heat) on the stovetop and then cooked in liquid (moist low heat) for the remaining cooking time. The result is very tender beef.
Place dried Asian rice noodles in boiling hot water for 5 - 10 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water and drain again. If you plan on cooking them in a stir fry like Pad Thai Your Way or soup, then it’s best to keep them a firm aldente at place in hot water for only 5 minutes until pliable and then rinse with cold water.
Prepared Asian rice noodles need to be refrigerated in a sealed container and need to be used within 3 days. You can also freeze cooked rice noodles for up to 2 months. Refrigerate cooked Asian Rice Noodles within 2 hours of preparation. Do not leave cooked rice noodles out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours. If you do, rice noodles can grow spores, and this can lead to food poisoning, according to Hong Kong's Center for Food Safety.
How to Make Spicy Beef Noodle Soup
- Soak the noodles with hot water, drain and rinse with cool water and drain again
- Marinate the beef
- Stir Fry beef
- Add beef broth, daikon radish, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and leafy greens
- Medium simmer for about 20 minutes
- Place prepared noodles in soup bowl
- Ladle several scoops of delicious soup over the noodles
- Enjoy!
More Delicious Soup Recipes
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Chinese Beef Noodle Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 6-8 ounces rice noodles dried
- ½ pound sukiyaki beef ½ pound (thinly sliced beef cut into 1.5 x 1.5 inch pieces)
- 2 tablespoon tamari (soy) sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger grated fresh (¾ teaspoon dried ground)
- 0.5 teaspoon dried red chili flakes optional (adjust to desired heat level)
- 2 teaspoon five spice powder
- salt and white pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 10 cups beef broth gluten free
- 1.5 cup daikon radish peeled, sliced and chopped into quarters
- 8 ounces bamboo shoots canned or fresh baby corn sliced on a diagonal - optional
- 8 oz mushrooms (remove stem)
- 2 cups green leafy vegetables We used spinach and Napa cabbage - optional
Instructions
- Presoak rice noodles in hot water for about 5 minutes until aldente and drain and rinse with cold water and drain. Do not cook the rice noodles in the soup or otherwise they will soak up all the delicious broth. It is best to keep the rice noodles a little undercooked as they soften more when you ladle the hot soup over them upon the serving process. Set aside. (You can also use ramen noodles, udon, soba, mung bean noodles, sweet potato noodles, pasta noodles, etc..etc... just pre-cook them according to your directions and set aside. Use what you have in your pantry)
- In a large bowl, combine sukiyaki beef (or just thinly sliced beef of choice), tamari or soya sauce, sesame oil, garlic, onion, ginger, dried red chili flakes, five spiced powder and salt and white pepper. Set aside while you prepare the vegetables.
- Remove stems from mushrooms. If desired carve flower shape on top of mushrooms. See video for demonstration of this process. Peel and slice and quarter daikon radishes into ⅛ inch thick slices so they cook quicker.
- Add olive oil (or oil of choice) to your large soup pot and add the marinated beef mixture. Stir fry until browned. Add beef broth, daikon radish slices and bring to a boil and then turn down to a medium simmer for about 15 minutes. Skim frequently with a spoon to remove the froth that forms on top of the soup pot. Season broth with salt and white pepper as desired.
- Add mushrooms and bamboo shoots (or baby corn) simmer for about 5-8 minutes or until tender. Add green leafy vegetables of choice (we used spinach and Napa cabbage) and cook for 1-2 minutes. Adjust seasoning (add salt and white pepper to taste.)
- Place pre-soaked aldente rice noodles into soup bowl. Scoop a large ladle of soup with beef, daikon radish, vegetables and loads of delicious broth into the soup bowl. Garnish with fresh chili's, if desired. Enjoy!
Chef Mimi says
This looks fabulous! I never knew what sukiyaki beef was, and now I know! Happy New Year!!!
HWC Magazine says
Hi there Mimi. So glad we could sort that out for you. If you cannot find sukiyaki beef then choose a tender steak and slice super thin whilst slightly frozen to make it easier for you. Take Care
Ken says
I am going to make this this Saturday
Ian says
I like the table showing the different versions between Taiwan and PRC. This seems very hearty and I look forward to tying this in the winter. A lot more of a meal here than simple udon.
HWC Magazine says
Thanks so much and glad to hear that our table was helpful for you. It's really a hearty and comforting dish. Take Care
Cal says
This is very Asian -- I assume this is the equivalent of what we call stew. Looks very hearty and filling.
HWC Magazine says
Hiya Cal and thank you. This Chinese Beef Noodle Soup Recipe is very hearty but with a soup broth so a bit lighter than a stew but more substantial than a regular soup. Stay well and take care
Barb says
I love your noodle recipes. I would guess one could really get creative in terms of the noodles to use for this dish. There are some in XIAN that are really wide. Some in Changchun that are really thick. Cant want to make this are a dark winter day.
HWC Magazine says
Thanks Barb. You can certainly use any noodles you like for this recipe but just cook them to aldente, before ladling the soup broth over them. Stay warm and take care
Larry says
This looks like a meal in an of itself!
HWC Magazine says
Thanks Larry, it really is one hearty meal and warming.
Becky says
This is a very good recipe for this time of year. It is a lot like the thick warming soup I had as a child.
HWC Magazine says
Thank you Becky. Soup really is nice this time of the year with the changing season. A good warming soup and spleen qi friendly.
Hannah says
Definitely hungry just thinking about the flavors in that rich broth! It's suddenly soup season now that temperatures have dropped. This one came at just the right time.
HWC Magazine says
Thanks Hannah. It's snowing this week, believe it or not. There is nothing like a bowl of noodle soup to warm you up from the inside out. Take Care
Katerina says
You had me at under 30 minutes! And oh my goodness - I am drooling over those pictures! This would make such delicious dinner or lunch - especially now that we're having a cold snap. Love that tip of freezing the meat first too.
HWC Magazine says
Thank you Katerina. You are so sweet. Freezing your beef first, allows it to firm up. You can get really thin slices that way. It snowed yesterday, yep, snow and some sleet. All we crave are warm nourishing meals. Stay well!