Instant Pot Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
Its been a week. Last week I got hit with the stomach bug and that was definitely not my cup of tea. It knocked me on my butt for a good three days but thankfully, I have kicked the bug to the curb and I’m finally able to enjoy real food again.
You truly don’t miss real food until you can only eat saltines, rice, chicken, and boring, bland food, haha – it was rough. I was craving everything under the sun but I knew I had to let my body run its course before introducing crazy foods back into my system.
Back during Black Friday, the Instant Pot had a ridiculous deal. I bought one (which I haven’t unboxed yet because we are moving soon and I truly do not have any more space in the kitchen for another appliance) and can’t wait to use it.
My mom has been the biggest fan of pressure cookers for as long as I can remember. I remember her using one when we were really young and throwing racks of ribs into the pressure cooker when she got home from work around 5pm and us having the most tender, flavorful, and fall off the bone ribs for dinner. She would make the most amazing meat dishes in the pressure cooker and she has been telling me for about seven years now to get one.
I have always 1. been afraid of them and 2. kept saying I didn’t have kitchen space. Two of those points are still very valid; I’m still afraid of them because I just envision the entire thing blowing up (which I know that’s not really possible) and I definitely don’t have any more kitchen space hence why we are moving.
However, I am thrilled to be able to use a pressure cooker very soon because the amount of time this would save us in the evenings is pretty much right up my alley.
AND THEN…my mom told me you can make Taiwanese beef noodle soup in the pressure cooker and I about lost my mind. I don’t know why I never thought to do such thing (probably because I never thought I’d really own a pressure cooker) but ever since she made it for me one weekend, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.
I LOVE Taiwanese beef noodle soup. The best is eating it in Taiwan. And it’s crazy but it’s wildly popular there year-round. Yes, I vividly remember going to the market with my parents and going to these stalls with lines of people getting beef noodle soup for lunch and then sitting on benches in suits/dress clothes slurping away in like 90 degree heat with humidity. WORTH IT.
Jason had his first authentic Taiwanese beef noodle soup when we went to Taiwan and he loved it. He loves when my mom makes it and he’s so excited that we can make it in the pressure cooker soon.
Get all the gloriousness of Taiwanese beef noodle soup but in half the time with making it in the Instant Pot (pressure cooker)!
- 2 1/2 pounds bone-in beef shank
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 2 tomatoes, quartered
- 3-4 peeled garlic cloves
- 1 piece of large ginger, sliced into large thin pieces
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine)
- 3 star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground clove
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3-4 dried Thai red chilies, optional
- 1-2 pounds Asian noodles, depends on how much soup vs. noodle ratio you like
- Green onions, for topping
Bring a large pot of water to a boil then blanch the beef shanks. You don't want to cook them all the way through, just about 2-3 minutes. This allows the impurities to get cooked off. Remove the beef shanks and discard the water with the impurities.
Add the beef shanks to the pressure cooker then add the remaining ingredients. You DON'T need to add water because the beef naturally releases water throughout the cooking process.
Using the meat preset (or similar), pressure cook the beef. With my mom's pressure cooker, she had to run the meat preset twice. If this confuses you, just pressure cook it for 25-26 minutes.
In the meantime, cook the noodles and divide evenly into bowls.
Once the pressure cooker is done and pressure is released, add meat and soup on top of noodles.
If you feel the spices and liquid amounts are not enough, feel free to add more. My mom gave me this recipe and since she has been making this for years and years, she pretty much eyeballs it all so tweaking this recipe is very easy to do yourself :)
We typically serve this soup with a side of cooked spinach but you can with any vegetable of your choosing.
Posted on February 13, 2017
gotta say – looking at the photos alone has me craving this! :P
Thanks lady!!!
i cant wait to buy an instant pot. every culture seems to have a variation of noodle soup, i shared a Nepali version today with chicken. I am absolutely digging the noodles and soup looks delightful.
I love different cultures and their classic meals!
I can’t think of a better dish to keep me warm this winter! :)
Glad to hear you are feeling better, this soup looks fantastic!
Pressure cookers are amazing! Glad your feeling better!
I’m dying, my husband requested Taiwanese beef noodle soup for dinner tonight. He said to me yesterday “use the instant pot” to which I replied ‘I don’t know how to convert my recipe to the instant pot, but I’m sure I’ll find one on the internet sometime.’ Well what do you know… here it is! Thank you! (And you are right, nothing compares to those street venders in Taiwan 😋)
Omg, that’s hilarious and awesome at the same time! Yay!! :)
Thank you for this symphony of flavours. Will do for a week end !
What a perfect dinner! Love these flavors!!
Now this a bowl food of comforting flavors! Yum!
This sounds delicious. I don’t have a pressure cooker, can it be adapted to a Dutch oven and cooked low and slow?
Yes, definitely! My mom has done it both ways.
This looks delicious! I have been on a major soup kick ever since it’s gotten cold out!
Looks good! How many cups of water did you use for this recipe?
Hi, in step #2 it says why I don’t add water to this recipe.
What is your favorite noodle for this recipe.
I can’t wait to try this! Thanks!
I just use regular udon noodles
Thanks for this recipe! Just got an instant pot and I cant wait to try this. Up til now, I always had to wait til my grandma felt like making her amazing beef noodle soup=p
I was born in Taipei and my mom learned to cook from a famous chef while we were still there. One of our favorite comfort food had always been her beef noodle soup. Sadly, she passed away a few years ago and her recipe was lost in the shuffle as I was never great at cooking. :( My husband who’s American LOVED her beef noodle soup so I’ve been searching everywhere for a recipe similar to hers. Yours look very similar so I’m definitely going to give this one a try! Thanks for sharing!