Beef Noodles (Niu Rou Mien) - #3

Attempt #3
I'm close to finding my favorite version of Beef Noodles. My first attempt was delicious, but didn't have enough broth. My second attempt was good, but I think I added too much water and the broth was not as flavorful. This time I added more seasonings and tried to find a happy medium in the amount of water I used. I'm pretty close to perfecting it.

The grocery store I went to today did not have any short ribs, so I used chuck roast. It worked very well!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons peanut oil
6-9 beef short ribs (6 boneless and 3 bone-in)
- or -
4 pounds chuck roast, cut into large pieces
3 scallions, cut into 2 inch pieces
8 slices ginger
1 onion, thickly sliced
1 tablespoon rice wine
4 cups water
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3-4 tablespoons chili paste
1/4 cup black bean sauce
6 star anise
2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 scallion, sliced thin - garnish

1 pound wheat noodles (or linguine)
4 baby bok choy - ends trimmed and stalks separated

Directions:
1. Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Pat beef dry and sear in batches. Return beef to Dutch oven.

2. Add scallions, ginger, onion, and 1 tablespoon rice wine and cook for 1 minute. Add water and bring to a boil.

3. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil to skillet over medium heat. Sauté garlic and chili paste for 1 minute. Add black bean sauce, star anise, and brown sugar and stir to combine. Stir mixture into Dutch oven along with bay leaves.

4. Simmer for 2 hours. Turn off heat and let rest for 1 hour.

5. Remove meat and let rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, remove all solids from broth and discard.

6. Slice meat across grain and return to Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in soy sauce.

7. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add noodles and baby bok choy and cook 5 minutes or until tender.

To serve:
Place noodles and veggies in large soup bowls. Ladle broth over noodles and place meat on top. Garnish with scallions. Happy slurping!