Thai Braised Beef Noodle Soup

Delicious braised beef in a savory, rich beef broth with rice noodles. Perfect Thai comfort food.

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Course: Dinner, lunch

Cuisine: Thai

Keyword: beef broth, beef noodle, braised beef, noodle, noodle soup

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 3

Total Time: 3 30

Author: Bonny B

1 packet rice noodles (dry or fresh, see post), about 4 oz. per bowl
Asian vegetables e.g. Chinese broccoli (gai lan), Chinese spinach (On Choy), bok choi, etc. See notes, , about ¾ cup per bowl - see notes
3 cups bean sprouts, about ½-¾ cup per bowl
Thai condiments , optional - see post

Cut the beef into bite size chunks. Trim excess fat if you want, but be careful not to trim too much, otherwise the beef will end up dry in texture (yes, dry even in a soup). Season with salt and pepper and brown each side with a little oil in a hot pan or skillet. You may need to do this in batches to avoid over crowding (over crowding will prevent the beef from browning). They do not need to cook through, just browned. Set aside when done, and reserve any juice.

Put the browned beef and any juices into a large pot (big enough to hold all the liquid). Pour in the water and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Skim any foam that surfaces during the first 15 minutes or so of the cooking.
In the meantime, gather all your broth ingredients & aromatics, and combine all the wet ingredients & seasoning into a small bowl.
After the beef (broth) is at a steady simmer, and you've skimmed off any foam to your satisfaction, add all the broth ingredients.
Let the broth come back to a boil, then cover and simmer for 2-3 hours, or until the beef is fork tender.

When the beef is tender and ready to eat, begin prepping the final ingredients to assemble your noodle bowl. This goes quickly so it is helpful to have everything ready and within reach. You will need to make one bowl at a time.
Cut the Asian green of your choice into bite size pieces and separate into individual; separate the stems from the leafy parts. Portion out your noodles. Portion our the bean sprouts. Put out the bowls you will be using and have them close by and ready. (see note).
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Blanch the vegetable (about 45 seconds), noodle (about 5 seconds), and bean sprouts (about about 5 seconds) one portion at a time and place into each bowl. (see note).
Remove some pieces of the beef from the broth and place into each bowl.
Ladle the broth (over a strainer) into each bowl to cover the noodle (see note). Serve hot!

If you go to an Asian grocery store, you will find a whole world of choices for Asian green vegetables; any thing that is firm and leafy will work. Western grocery stores typically carry bok choi, which works just fine. Worst case, you can use regular broccoli.
When blanching the vegetables, if you are using Chinese broccoli or bok choi (or anything else with thick stems), blanch the stems first since they will take a little extra time. Overall it should not take more than a minute.
Blanching the noodles should only take a few seconds (5-10 seconds), depending on if you've started off with fresh or dried noodles. If using dried noodles, rehydrate them first by letting them soak in warm water for about an hour.
Assemble the bowls one portion (one bowl) at a time. For example, if I am making 4 bowls, I will blanch the vegetables - stems first then the leafy part for all 4 bowls, then blanch to the noodles (one portion at a time for each bowl), then same for the bean sprouts. Place the ingredients in each bowl as you go along. I blanch everything in a colander so I can easily remove when done, and the water can continue to be used to blanch the rest of the ingredients. Asian grocery stores will have colanders that are deep and narrow that are perfect for this type of work.
The amount (ratio) of noodle to broth and other toppings is completely up to you. Some people want more broth and little noodle, others want the reverse, so you be the judge!