Beef Noodle Soup

 

Beef Noodle Soup is a delicious Chinese soup prepared with beef stew, beef broth, vegetables, white vinegar and egg noodles. The soup is prepared in a number of different ways, though the basic step is cooking beef and noodles separately. Beef noodles soup has its variations in the form of soft gelatinous beef tendon like niu nan. The noodle is served hot, as an accompaniment to finely chopped pickled mustard greens and red chilies. Beef noodle soup or niu ro mien is a highly nutritious soup that is served all year round in Chinese as well as Vietnamese cuisines. There are several beef noodle soup recipe versions that are made all over the world and a simpler version beef noodle soup recipe is also found in Taiwanese cuisine.  

 

History of Beef Noodle Soup

Although beef noodle soup is a native to East Asia and Southeast Asia, there are several local beef noodle soup recipe versions that are present all over the local region. Each region adds local ingredients to the dish to make it unique and to make the dish taste slightly different. The first recorded beef noodle soup recipe is seen in China and was supposed to be made by the Hui people during the Tang Dynasty Era in China. The Hui were a predominantly Muslim people and they preferred to use beef or mutton in their dishes over chicken. The dish and its recipe spread over to Taiwan and Vietnam when the local Chinese fled to the neighboring states during the Communist takeover in 1949. Prior to this relocation, most Taiwanese did not like eating beef and preferred to have chicken or mutton in their diet. In the 1950s, beef noodle stalls started up along Nanyang Street set by the Chinese immigrants and they made several versions that became popular all over the state and then in Asia.

 

Ingredients and Common Methods of Preparation of Beef Noodle Soup

There are many variations of beef noodle soup that are seen in the Asian region. The Chinese usually have it as a single meal but smaller snack versions are also sold by roadside vendors. Beef is preferred for the soup in China and Taiwan. Beef is stewed with herbs and spices to create a thin soup. Wheat noodles are then added to the broth along with vegetables and served. The actual amount of meat content will vary. A few roadside versions may not contain any meat but simply the broth with vegetables and noodles. The Chinese Muslim version uses halal meats with no soy sauce. Salt, peppers, star anise, white pepper and scallions are added to provide taste. But the Taiwan restaurants prepare the same dish with halal beef along with soy sauce, red bean paste and noodles. The stock is simmered for a long time before the noodles are added. A few cooks also use marrow bones to bring out the flavor. There are several local variations that will have tomato, garlic and ginger for more taste.

 

Serving and Eating Beef Noodle Soup

Beef noodle soup is served with shredded meat in the soup. The dish can be served at dinner or as a snack. It is usually served by itself with soy sauce, vinegar and chillies, white pepper, red chilli sauce or cilantro as a garnish.

 

Nutritional value of Beef Noodle Soup

One cup of 244 grams of beef noodle soup has about 83 calories