Instant Pot Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup.

  • October 11th, 2020
  • By Katy Jao
Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 pound beef shank
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 4 scallions
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp soybean paste (doubanjiang)
  • 1/2 tsp of dried chilis
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup Shaoxing wine
  • 5 cups of water
  • 1 herb packet (cinnamon, fennel, ginger, cumin, clove)
  • 1 star anise
Details:
  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 75 minutes
  • Makes: 6 servings
Instructions:

Refer to process photos below.

  1. Cut up the beef shank into small pieces. Place in boiling water for 3-4 minutes to draw out the impurities from the meat. Scoop out of the water and place aside.
  2. Peel and crush the garlic, wash and slice the ginger, and the cut scallion into 3 inch pieces.
  3. In a hot Instant Pot on the sauté setting, add oil and sauté the garlic, ginger, and scallions until aromatic, 3-4 minutes.
  4. Cut the onion into wedges and add to the pot. Sauté until softened.
  5. Cut the tomatoes into wedges and add to the pot with the tomato paste, soybean paste, and dried chilis. Mix until fragrant and well combined.
  6. Add the meat into the pot. Mix for 3-4 minutes. Add the sugar, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine. Mix until well combined.
  7. Add the water, the herb packet, and the star anise.
  8. Close the Instant Pot and change it to the Meat/Stew setting for 60 minutes.
  9. When it finishes cooking, carefully manually release the vent and serve with some Chinese noodles and blanched bok choy. Garnish with chopped scallions, cilantro, and some pickled mustard greens.

A flavorful and spiced beef broth with slices of tender beef shank are a perfect cure to a cold day!

why i love this recipe

With the weather getting cooler, a big bowl of noodles and soup always warms me right up. My noodle soup of choice right now is Taiwanese beef noodle soup. I love this recipe because it has the traditional flavors that remind me of my childhood summers in Taiwan. With some hand-pulled noodles, blanched bok choy, and a hearty garnish of scallions, cilantro, and pickled mustard greens, I'm transported back to Taiwan with a warm bowl of comfort.

I love using the Instant Pot to make my beef noodle soup because it makes the cooking process hands off, but still gives our broth a full-bodied flavor with super tender slices of beef. Beef shank can be difficult and time consuming to cook all the way through, but the pressure cooker makes it so much easier.

Tips and Suggestions
  • The beef shank is boiled first to get rid of impurities and prevent the soup from becoming cloudy during the cooking process.
  • If you're not able to find a spice mix that you like, you can make your own! The spices are: star anise, cinnamon, fennel, ginger, cumin, and cloves.
Notes:
  • A semi-homemade shortcut to making pickled mustard greens is to buy the mustard greens pickled and whole at an asian grocery store, rinse and dry it well, dice it, and sauté with some sugar, salt, garlic, and chilies. I prefer to make it myself, because packaged mustard greens are usually too salty and spicy for me.
  • I love making Chinese Beef Rolls (Niu Rou Juan Bing) with the stewed beef shank. It's a scallion pancake with some sweet bean sauce, sliced scallions, cilantro, and beef shank rolled together to make a beef roll. My absolute favorite.
Let's wrap this up

Making Taiwanese beef noodle soup has never been easier with the Instant Pot. We can't wait for y'all to try this recipe at home!