Spicy Beef Hui Mei
Serves 3 to 4 · Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 1 hour 45 minutes · Total: about 2 hours
I first had this kind of wide spicy beef noodle in Chinatown, and I mostly remember the noodles: broad, chewy, uneven, and stained with chili oil. At home, I use fresh wide wheat noodles and put my effort into the beef, bok choy, cilantro, and spicy braising sauce.
Ingredients
Beef
- 1½ lb beef brisket, chuck, or shank, cut into 1½-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 4 slices ginger
- 3 scallions, cut into large pieces
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1½ tablespoons spicy bean paste or chili bean sauce
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 star anise
- 1 small piece cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups water or beef stock
- Salt, to taste
Noodles and greens
- 1½ lb fresh wide wheat noodles, hand-pulled noodles, knife-cut noodles, or biang biang noodles
- 4 baby bok choy, halved or chopped
- Cilantro, chopped
- Scallions, thinly sliced
- Chili oil, for serving
Instructions
- 1
Blanch the beef
Put the beef in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until foam rises. Drain, rinse the beef, and wipe out the pot.
- 2
Toast the aromatics
Heat the oil in the clean pot over medium heat. Add the ginger, scallions, garlic, star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaf. Stir for about a minute.
- 3
Fry the bean paste
Add the spicy bean paste and fry it for 1 to 2 minutes, until the oil turns red and the paste smells cooked.
- 4
Season the beef
Add the beef back to the pot. Stir in the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and sugar.
- 5
Braise
Add the water or stock. Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 1½ to 2 hours, until the beef is tender but still holds together.
- 6
Taste and adjust
Taste the braising liquid near the end. Add salt only if it needs it; the soy sauce and bean paste may already be enough.
- 7
Cook the noodles
Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling water until chewy and cooked through. Add the bok choy during the last minute of cooking. Drain well, saving a little noodle water.
- 8
Assemble
Add noodles and bok choy to bowls. Spoon over beef, some of the spicy braising liquid, and a little chili oil. Toss lightly so the noodles get coated instead of sitting dry.
- 9
Finish
Finish with cilantro and scallions. Add more chili oil at the table.
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