蕃茄牛肉麵 the ultimate amazing Taiwanese tomato beef noodle soup

*English recipe is below

個人覺得這個牛肉麵應該是生涯巔峰之作，加了大量番茄的湯底濃郁鮮甜好吃到不行。感謝無意中發現的價格實惠牛肋排肉（圖中量兩大根3.7£），有肉有骨煮湯方便。

我的做法是肉不用切直接先雙面煎焦黃（也就是所謂的梅納反應），煎肉同時切薑片、大蒜脫皮、蔥段略切（或不切打個結就好）、一大顆洋蔥脫皮隨意切大塊（也可不切）、一根紅蘿蔔滾刀切與很多番茄切塊。

在這邊我使用的是Heirloom番茄，正紅色大顆兩顆，搭配牛番茄兩顆; 一般超級便宜番茄也可以，但這次湯頭會好喝我想選對番茄也是關鍵。

肉煎好之後拿出來，炒香蔥薑蒜，之後中間挖個洞把火轉小炒一大匙辣豆瓣醬（小火炒才不會焦，炒到有紅油浮出來，或者一股很香的感覺飄出來）

（平常我都用寶川這牌子，這次使用李錦記的紅油豆瓣。豆瓣醬牌子不同味道也都差很多，個人不太喜歡大家都推的郫縣，覺得沒什麼記憶點，但還是可以用啦不會難吃）

取一個中型湯鍋把牛肉擺進去，順便把剛炒的料全都放進去，加一大匙醬油與番茄，丟幾顆冰糖與一個滷包，水加滿煮滾，轉小火燉一小時; 這時先把滷包撈出來，再繼續煮1小時（至少）。

喝喝看湯頭鹹度如何，依照個人喜好調整。火再滾一次之後熄火不掀蓋悶一個晚上，隔天重新煮沸，把肉撈出來切片（應該是可以輕易骨肉分離的程度）。

隨意煮個陽春細麵，澆上湯汁灑點蔥花香菜即可。

附上簡單易懂的材料表：

牛肉（牛肋排）兩大隻（也可以用牛腱或牛尾）
洋蔥 一大顆
紅蘿蔔 一根
薑 隨意
蔥 隨意
蒜 隨意
番茄 4–5大顆
辣豆瓣醬 一大匙（沒記錯的話）
醬油 一到兩匙

滷包一個
冰糖 適量（意思是我忘了哈哈哈）
麵
香菜

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This recipe is the BEST tomato beef noodle soup I have ever made, the tomatoes really help to build an amazing broth.

There are several different kinds of Taiwanese beef noodle soup, the easiest one to make is “清燉”. Basically, all you only need is some good meat with bones plus ginger/garlic/spring onion and some spices, then you are good to go.

If you add soy paste (豆瓣醬) and soy sauce, then it becomes the “紅燒” version of beef noodle soup, which is the most common type of beef noodle soup in Taiwan. Today I am going to show you how to make the “紅燒” version with extra tomato flavour.

It is really simple but also takes time to make, however, it is definitely worth the wait!

First of all, here are the basic ground rules:

1. pan-fry the meat
2. cook the veg
3. add the paste and spices
4. cook 2–3hrs
5. wait overnight
6. cook the noodles and serve!

To make this delicious beef noodle soup, you will need:

1. beef (I recommend beef ribs, or beef shin. Beef tail is a good choice as well)
2. 1 huge onion
3. 1 carrot
4. ginger
5. garlic
6. spring onion
7. 4–5 or more heirloom tomatoes (choose the red and the dark green kind)
8. 1 large tablespoon of spicy soy paste (辣豆瓣醬)

I use this one:

9.1–2 tablespoon(s) of light soy sauce

10.mixed spices (there are several types of pre-packed mixed spice bags sold in Asian grocers. If you can’t get these, then just use 1–2 star anise, some fennel seeds, white pepper, 1 bay leaf and a little bit of cumin instead)

11.some sugar

12.noodles

13.coriander

First, you need to pan-fry the beef until the surface is golden brown (Maillard reaction👌🏻). Meanwhile, cut all the veg.

When the beef is ready, move the meat to a medium pot; and fry the ginger/garlic/spring onion in the beef pan until the aroma is out; add in the veg and keep frying for 2–3 mins.

Make some space in the middle of the pan, turn down the heat and add in the soy paste. Fry for 3–5 mins until it smells really good. Put all the ingredients (except noodles and coriander) in the beef pot and add water until it is almost full. When it boils turn down the heat further, simmer for an hour, remove the spice bag and cook for another hour (or two).

Turn off the heat and let the beef broth rest overnight. The next day cook the noodles first (not in the broth! in another pot with clean water), drain the cooked noodles and put them in a bowl.

Heat up the broth, slice the meat into pieces and add to the bowl. Garnish with coriander and some more spring onion.

now, SLURP SLURP SLURP!