Clem's Lanzhou Beef Noodles

 
This aromatic beef soup with wheat noodles originated from Lanzhou in the northwestern province of Gansu in China where it is known as Lanzhou Lamian. It is said that there are over 1000 Lanzhou beef noodle eateries in Lanzhou alone. Today, so popular is the dish that Lanzhou beef noodle shops can be found throughout China. The noodles often look intimidating because of the chilli oil which floats on top of the soup base at serving time. However, the soup is actually prepared without any chilli - the latter is only added at the end as the dish is being served. This means that these beef noodles can be enjoyed by those who do not take spicy foods.

I first sampled this dish last week while in Humen, Guangdong Province. Now that I am familiar with it, I will certainly try the Lanzhou noodle shops which I have seen in Sydney. However, I decided yesterday to try and make this dish after having settled on a recipe amalgamated from several web sources. Here's how:
 


Clem's Lanzhou Beef Noodles


INGREDIENTS

 

For the soup base:

  • 1.5 - 2.0 kg of beef/beef bones.
    I used whole beef shank, cut down to big pieces for slicing after cooking; and what is referred to as beef soup bones (meaty pieces of beef bone with plenty of meat attached).
     

  • 5 g Sichuan peppercorn.
     

  • 7 g fennel seed.
     

  • 4 pieces star anise.
     

  • 5 g cinnamon stick.
     

  • 4 g black cardamom peel (only the shell used).
     

  • 1 g white pepper.
     

  • 5 - 6 large stalks of spring onion.
     

  • 50 g garlic.
     

  • 55 g ginger.
     

  • 100 g radish.
     

  • Chicken or beef stock powder to taste.
     

  • Salt to taste.

     

For the chilli oil:
 

Amounts to your preference

  • Coriander cut into large lengths.
     

  • Spring onion cut into large lengths.
     

  • Ginger, sliced.
     

  • Whole garlic cloves (crushed).
     

  • Black peppercorns.
     

  • Chilli flakes.
     

  • Chilli powder.
     

  • Star anise (1 to 2 pieces is sufficient).
     

  • A neutral cooking oil.

 

For garnishing:

  • Sliced spring onion.
     

  • Sliced coriander leaves.
     

  • Your choice of greens.
     

METHOD

 

Soup base

  • Thoroughly wash the beef/beef bones.
     

  • Cover the beef/bones in water and let stand for several hours with plenty of changes the water until little colour is left to wash out.
     

  • After the last drain of water, place the beef/bones in a large pot and cover with water which is brought to the boil.
     

  • Boil for some minutes, allowing protein foam to rise.
     

  • Remove from the heat and pour away all the water and foam on top.
     

  • Add fresh water to just cover the beef/bones and bring to a boil, after which the heat is reduced to allow a low simmer of the pot.
     

  • Add all the spices and herbs.
    You may wish to place all the spices in a spice bag to allow for easy removal later.
     

  • Simmer for some three hours (or until the beef is tender to your liking).
    During the simmer, remove any foam/scum which may form at the top of the soup.
    A clear soup is aimed for (more for aesthetic than taste reasons).
     

  • Remove the beef and bones. Recover any meat which may be attached to the bones.
     

  • Remove the spices and herbs.
    If a bag was not used, then remove using a sieve.
     

  • Add stock powder and salt to adjust the soup to your final taste.
     

  • You may wish to remove the oil/fat which sits on top of the soup at the end of simmering the beef/bones.
    You can scoop this off with a ladle but it is more easily done if you let the soup cool overnight and then take of the layer of congealed fat which would have formed. Save this fat for other uses.
     

Chilli oil

  • Heat up an amount of cooking oil (quantity equal to what you would like as your chilli oil supply).
     

  • Add the coriander, spring onion, ginger, peppercorns, star anise and garlic to fry until golden brown.
     

  • Drain the still hot oil onto the chill flakes and chill powder.
    Fry this mixture if the colour is not sufficiently dark to your liking.
     

  • At the end, you may wish to add some sesame oil for added flavour.
     

Assembly

  • Cut the radish into thin half-moon slices.
    Cook in boiling water for some minutes until soft to your taste.
     

  • Slice the coriander and spring onion.
     

  • Slice your cooked beef.
     

  • Cook noodles of your preference.
     

  • Place cooked noodles in an empty bowl.
     

  • Add sliced beef on top.
     

  • Follow with slices of cooked radish.
     

  • For added flavour, you can also add a bit of the beef fat which you may have removed in preparing the soup base.
     

  • Flood the bowl and noodles with your soup base.
     

  • Garnish with spring onion and coriander.
     

  • You may also wish to add your choice of greens.
    I used a few leaves of Romaine lettuce.
     

  • Spoon chilli oil of a quantity to your liking on top of the soup.
     

  • Enjoy!


 

 

 


All my cooking (some without recipes) can be found here (click on each photo to go to that dish's page):

 

http://clemkuek.com/photoalbum/photo696.html

 

 

 

15 November 2024

 

www.clemkuek.com
 

 

Created by Clem Kuek