beefnoodlescabbage
Chinese Beef Noodles
A comforting Chinese-style noodle soup with tender braised beef, tomato-soy broth, cabbage and warming spices.
From YouTube · Jan 30, 2026
A comforting Chinese-style noodle soup with tender braised beef, tomato-soy broth, cabbage and warming spices.
20 min
Prep time
2 hrs
Cook time
2 hrs 20 min
Total time
About 5 bowls
Yield
Ingredients
19 ingredients- 1 kg (2.2 lb) braising beef, such as chuck, shank or cheek
- 600g (1.3 lb) tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 45g fresh ginger, sliced
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 litres water, plus more if needed
- 25g light soy sauce
- 25g dark soy sauce
- 25g sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 4 cloves
- 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 dried chillies, or to taste
- 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 400g dried Chinese wheat noodles
- 300g Chinese cabbage or regular cabbage, sliced
- 15g fresh coriander or spring onions, sliced
Method
13 steps- Cut the beef into large chunks and pat them dry.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat.
- Brown the beef in batches, then return all the beef to the pot.
- Add the ginger, onion, bay leaf, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, Sichuan peppercorns and dried chillies. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, salt and 2 litres of water.
- Bring to a boil and skim away any foam from the surface.
- Reduce the heat, cover partially and simmer gently for 1½–2 hours, until the beef is tender. Add more water if necessary to keep the beef covered.
- Taste the broth and adjust the salt. Remove the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves where practical.
- Cook the noodles according to their package instructions, then drain.
- Blanch the sliced cabbage in boiling water for 1–2 minutes and drain.
- Divide the noodles and cabbage among five bowls.
- Slice or portion the tender beef over the noodles and ladle the hot broth into each bowl.
- Garnish with coriander or spring onions and serve immediately.
Recipe notes
Helpful tips
- Brown the beef in batches for better colour.
- Keep the beef mostly covered with liquid during braising.
- Remove the whole spices before serving where practical.
- Cook the noodles separately so they do not absorb too much broth.
Equipment
- Large heavy pot
- Sharp knife
- Chopping board
- Saucepan for noodles
- Ladle
Storage
Refrigerate the beef and broth for up to 3 days. Store cooked noodles separately and reheat the broth until piping hot.
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