Beef Noodle Tsukemen
Taiwanese beef noodle soup meets Japanese tsukemen: the chili bean braise reduced with bonito into a rich dipping broth, served with cold-rinsed thick noodles and jammy marinated eggs.
Method
Bring water to a rolling boil in a 16 cm pan over high heat, gently lower in the eggs straight from the fridge with a ladle and boil for . Transfer them at once to iced water, cool and peel. The yolks will be soft and jammy.
Add in this stepEggs 2
high heatCut the shank into 2 cm cubes. Heat the oil in a 20 cm pot over medium heat and fry the ginger, garlic and white part of the green onion for until fragrant, then add the chili bean paste and fry for more until the oil turns red.
Add in this stepCooking oil 1 tbspGinger (sliced) 15 gGarlic (whole cloves) 3Large green onion (white part) or leek 1Chili bean paste (doubanjiang) 1½ tbsp
medium heatAdd the beef, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, star anise and water. Boil over high heat for , skimming off the foam, then turn down to low heat, cover and simmer for . It is ready when a chopstick goes into the meat easily; if it is still firm, give it 10 minutes more.
Add in this stepBeef shank (or brisket) 300 gSoy sauce 4 tbspMirin 2 tbspLight brown sugar 1½ tspStar anise 1Water 800 ml
high heat→low heatTowards the end of the simmer, ladle some broth into a small bowl, let it cool a little and add the peeled eggs. Leave them for , turning once so they colour evenly.
Uncover, turn up to medium-high heat and reduce for , until the broth is down to about two thirds and lightly coats a spoon. Turn off the heat, add the bonito flakes and steep for . Strain, pressing the flakes to squeeze out the broth, discard them, return the meat to the broth and stir in the rice vinegar.
Add in this stepBonito flakes (katsuobushi) 5 gRice vinegar 1½ tsp
medium-high heatBring plenty of water to a boil in a 22 cm pot and cook the noodles over high heat for . Drain, rinse under cold running water while rubbing them to wash off the starch, dip briefly in iced water so they turn springy, and drain very well.
Add in this stepThick fresh wheat noodles (or fresh udon) 260 g
high heatPile the noodles on plates, drizzle with a little sesame oil and add the halved eggs and nori. Serve the hot dipping broth with the beef in small deep bowls topped with spring onion. Dunk the noodles in the broth as you eat; at the end, add a splash of hot water to the leftover broth and drink it.
Add in this stepToasted sesame oil 1 tspNori sheets (halved) 2Spring onion (sliced) 1
Cook's tip
The dipping broth should be a little too salty to drink on its own, so that it flavours the noodles properly. If it tastes weak, reduce it further; if too salty, add a little hot water. No bonito flakes? Simmer a piece of kombu with the beef for a similar savoury depth.
Cooking it at camp
Make the broth up to step 5 at home and freeze it; carry the eggs in their marinade in a sealed tub in the cool box. At the campsite, reheat the broth on the burner, cook the noodles and rinse them in cold or iced water. Great for summer trips.