The famous Taiwanese bowl, made for a cut exactly like this
Beef noodle soup is Taiwan's national obsession — chunks of beef braised in a broth built on soy, warm spice and a spoonful of chilli bean paste, ladled over chewy noodles with greens on top. The cut matters more than anything else in the bowl: it needs enough collagen to go silky but enough structure to hold its shape through two hours of simmering. That's blade steak, described exactly. One jar from the Asian grocer, one unhurried afternoon, and one seriously impressive dinner.
Ingredients
- 430g Your Farmer grass-fed blade steak, cut into 4cm chunks
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 4cm piece ginger, thickly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 4 spring onions, whites and greens separated
- 2 tbsp doubanjiang (chilli bean paste)
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 80ml light soy sauce
- 1.5 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 star anise and 1 small cinnamon stick
- 1 tomato, quartered
- 1.25 litres beef stock or water
- 400g fresh wheat noodles
- 2 baby bok choy, halved lengthways
Instructions
Cover the blade chunks with cold water in a saucepan, bring just to the boil, simmer 2 minutes, then drain and rinse the beef. This quick blanch is the Taiwanese trick for a clean, clear braising broth.
430g blade steakHeat the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat and fry the ginger, garlic and spring onion whites for 2 minutes until fragrant.
2 tbsp neutral oil4cm ginger4 cloves garlic4 spring onion whitesAdd the doubanjiang and fry for a minute — it should turn the oil brick-red — then splash in the Shaoxing wine and scrape the pot.
2 tbsp doubanjiang2 tbsp Shaoxing wineAdd the soy sauce, sugar, star anise, cinnamon, tomato and stock, return the beef, and bring to the gentlest simmer.
80ml light soy sauce1.5 tbsp brown sugar1 tomato1.25L beef stockCover and simmer very gently for 2 hours, until the beef is tender to a chopstick but still holding its shape. Taste the broth — it should sit right on the line between salty, sweet and warming; adjust with soy or sugar.
Near the end, cook the noodles per the packet and blanch the bok choy in the same pot for the final minute.
400g wheat noodles2 baby bok choyDivide the noodles between deep bowls, ladle over the beef and hot broth (leaving the whole spices behind), top with bok choy and the sliced spring onion greens, and serve immediately.
spring onion greensAppears in
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The Cut That Survives the Broth
In Taiwan they argue about beef noodle soup the way we argue about footy teams, but everyone agrees on the beef: it has to be a collagen-rich braising cut that stays in proud, distinct chunks after hours in the pot. Lean cuts dry out; overly fatty ones fall apart into the broth. Blade sits in the sweet spot — the seam through each Your Farmer® blade steak melts into the soup and gives it that lip-coating richness, while the muscle either side holds its shape to the last chopstick. The quick blanch at the start looks fussy but takes five minutes and is what keeps the broth clean and glossy rather than murky. Blade lands as a ~430g pack in Pack B and Pack D beef shares.
Swaps and Variations
The one specialty item is doubanjiang — a fermented chilli bean paste, sold at any Asian grocer, sometimes labelled broad bean paste with chilli. There's no true substitute, but it keeps in the fridge for a year and earns its shelf space. Diced beef works if blade's spoken for, and a spoonful of the braising liquid over plain rice is a meal in itself. Traditional extras: a handful of pickled mustard greens on top, or dark soy for a deeper mahogany broth. If long-simmered noodle soups are your love language, our Vietnamese-style beef pho is the lighter, herb-strewn sibling — and a bag of beef bones turns the stock homemade for either.
Storage and Leftovers
Store the beef and broth together, noodles separately — cooked noodles left sitting in broth drink it up and turn to porridge overnight, and the broth is too good to lose that way. The soup base keeps 3 days in the fridge and freezes beautifully for up to 3 months, and like most braises it's deeper on day two. Reheat to a simmer and cook fresh noodles per bowl. Leftover move: reduce a cup of the broth by half and spoon it over rice with the last of the beef.
Blade is one of the quiet rewards of a grass-fed beef CSA share — the cut this famous bowl was always waiting for.
Frequently asked questions
How spicy does the doubanjiang make it?
What noodles should I buy?
Can I skip blanching the beef?
Can I make it in the slow cooker?
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