Braised Beef with Noodles

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Fusion food is defined as cuisine that brings dishes or cooking styles from completely different cultures together into a single, harmonious dish. Getting it right can be tricky, but when done well, fusion food is a force to be reckoned with. Well, this is one fusion dish that gets it right on all counts. This wonderful recipe for Braised Beef with Noodles combines the very best of Classic French Cooking, and pairs it with the best Chines homemade Noodles you’ve ever eaten

The result of this wonderful fusion of cultures is a hearty Noodle dish with deliciously rich Braised Beef that has been swimming in Red Wine for hours to absorb a wonderfully deep, rich, flavor. My mouth is watering just writing about it, so let’s jump in and talk about how this dish is prepared!

How to make Braised Beef with Noodles

This recipe is definitely one for a lazy weekend afternoon. It’s not an overly difficult recipe to make, it just takes time. Both components; the Braised Beef and the Noodles will require several hours to make. The braising process for the Beef involves literally covering the pot over low heat and letting the liquid and Beef do it’s thing. The Noodles require at least 2 hours of resting time in the fridge

So, while not necessarily a lot of ‘steps’ involved during the process, there is just a lot of down time. Which is why this is the perfect recipe to make on the weekend when you’ve got a little more time. Get everything prepared early and then enjoy your weekend. Come back when it’s time to eat and you’ll have an amazing dish ready to go!

We braise the Beef in Red Wine and Beef Broth to develop an amazingly rich flavor

The French element of this fusion dish involves Braising Beef Short Ribs in a Red Wine and Beef Broth liquid. The liquid is flavored with aromatics like Garlic and Thyme and has such a rich flavor to it. It’s about as classically French as you can get when it comes to a braising liquid

We leave the Beef Short Ribs to braise in the liquid over a low heat for 3 hours. The liquid will slowly break down the Beef into it’s ultimate final form – the most succulent, tender, and delicious Beef Short Ribs you’ve ever tasted

We create classic Chinese inspired Hand Pulled Noodles

In stark contrast to the classic French preparation for our beef, the Noodles in the dish are a traditional Chinese classic. This dish is complimented with the most amazing tasting and textured Hand Pulled Noodles. These noodles have been popularized in the US in recent years by the hugely popular Xi’an Famous Foods Restaurant

They are a tasty thick noodle which have a wonderful springy, almost chewy texture which perfectly compliments the Braised Beef. The Noodles are made by simply combining Flour, Water, and a little bit of Salt to form a dough. The dough is shaped, rested, then stretched by hand to form long stands of deliciousness

Making hand pulled noodles is an art form. Luckily, we wrote a whole article on it for you!

Learning to master hand pulled noodles isn’t too difficult. Like most cooking techniques, you just need to follow the process. Once learnt it’s a great skill to have in the kitchen, and we guarantee you’ll be making hand pulled noodles any spare chance you get!

To learn the details on how to master hand pulled noodles head over to our dedicated article here. We take you through detailed step-by-step on how to make the perfect hand pulled noodles. Never fear! We’ve got an outline in the recipe below on how to do it too. So, you’re covered either way!

We also recommend watching this video on YouTube on how to perfect hand pulled noodles. It’s a Bon Appetit video featuring the CEO of Xi’an Famous Foods in NYC, the restaurant which popularized hand pulled Noodles in the US. He’s a master and does a great job showing how to perfect the skill. Well worth a watch!

We recommend using Beef Short Ribs for this recipe

There are several cuts of Beef that are perfect for slow cooking and braising. For our Braised Beef with Noodles recipe, we’re recommending you use Beef Short Ribs. They are served right on the bone and have a beautiful marbling to them, both of which mean one thing: Flavor! The flavor this delicious cut of meat has is second to none. It is tough, so requires several hours of braising to get to that amazing melt-in-the-mouth texture

Beef Short Ribs are immensely popular now, which unfortunately means their price has skyrocketed over the past few years. If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly option we recommend using Beef Cheeks or Beef Chuck. Both cuts of Beef are perfect for stewing and slow-cooking, and will produce beautiful strands of tender beef once braised in the Wine and Broth

If you’re using Chuck or Cheeks, keep them in relatively large chunks and avoid cutting them up too finely. We’d suggest pieces about the size of the palm of your hand. They will become so tender and melty once braised, so it’s better to keep them in larger pieces when cooking

The braising liquid is thickened to create a rich, velvety sauce

Once the Beef Short Ribs are cooked to perfection, remove them from the braising liquid and set aside. The liquid will still be quite thin, so you’ll need to crank the heat and reduce for a further 30 minutes. The liquid will reduce by about ½ and thicken to a lovely, velvety finish

The final step in serving this wonderful dish is to generously spoon the Sauce over the Braised Beef and Noodles which have been plated. The Sauce will ooze over the Beef and into the Noodles, which will drink up all that wonderful flavor

This dish is the perfect Fusion of French and Chinese cuisine, which creates a rich, hearty dish. The combination of Beef and Noodles is so harmonious and the perfect way to enjoy these lovely preparations which are so unique to French and Chinese cuisine

Braised Beef with Noodles Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. Beef Short Ribs
• 2 cups Red Wine
• 2 cups Beef Broth (recipes here)
• ½ Brown Onion, finely diced
• 1 Carrot, finely diced
• 4 Garlic Cloves, finely diced
• 4 sprigs of Thyme
• 2 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
• Salt
  
  

To make the Noodles

• 400g All Purpose Flour
• 220ml Water
• ½ tsp. Salt
• 1 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
  
  

Instructions

1. We begin by making the Noodles. Combine Water and Salt in a large mixing bowl and dissolve. Add the Flour 100g at a time while mixing with your hands. Once fully incorporated, knead the dough in the bowl for about 3-4 minutes until you can form a ball that doesn’t stick to the sides. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes
2. Remove dough and knead for 3 minutes, then roll the dough out into a rectangle about ½ inch thick. Cut the dough into strips about 1 inch thick, lengthways. Brush the strips with Vegetable Oil then place on a plate. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to rest
   
   

While the dough is resting, start braising the Beef

3. Season the Beef Short Ribs generously with Salt on all sides. Add half the Vegetable Oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Once hot, brown the Beef on each sides (about 1 minute each). Once browned, remove from the pan and set aside
4. Drop the heat to medium. Pour in the remaining Vegetable Oil then add the Onions and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once tender, add the Garlic and cook for 1 more minute, then add the Beef Broth and Red Wine
5. Bring the mixture to a boil then drop the heat to a low simmer. Place the Beef back into the pan along with the Thyme. Cover, and braise for 3 hours until the Beef is beautifully tender
6. After 3 hours, carefully remove the Beef and set it aside. Discard any bones and Thyme stalks. Increase the heat to medium / high to reduce the liquid. Reduce for about 30 minutes until the liquids starts to form large bubbles and has thickened. Add Short Ribs back into the sauce and set aside
   
   

Prepare your Noodles

7. Remove your individual pieces of Noodles from the refrigerator. 2 Pieces will be enough for 2 people. Place the dough on a large flat surface and roll out to double the size, forming a long rectangle. Place an indentation through the middle of the dough, lengthways, with a chopstick
8. Pick up each end of the dough and begin to pull it apart slowly, while shaking your wrists up and down. Continue to stretch the dough until you can bang it on the surface of the table a few times. Stretch the dough as wide as your arm span, then place back on the surface
9. Carefully tear the dough in half, following the indentation line you formed with the Chopstick to form two even strands of Noodle. Repeat the process for the remaining dough and then place immediately in salted, boiling water for 2 – 3 minutes to cook
   
   

Assembling the Braised Beef with Noodles Dish

10. Strain the Noodles and place into individual bowls. Reheat the Beef that is sitting in the braising liquid, then top the Noodles with a generous portion of Beef. Spoon in 2 tbsp. of Braising Liquid and serve with a sprinkle of Flaky Salt
    
    

Recipe Notes

• You can replace Beef Short Ribs with other braising beef such as Beef Chuck, or Beef Cheeks
• Here is a great video on YouTube on the technique to hand pull Noodles
  
  

That’s our recipe for this wonderful Braised Beef and Noodle recipe, a fusion of classic French and Chinese cuisine. If you’ve made this recipe we’d love to hear how it went in the comments below! For more wonderful dishes perfect for a weekend meal, try out some of these favorites of ours:

• Epic Short Rib Lasagna
• Shrimp and Grits with Chorizo
• Chicken and Leek Pie
• Pork Ribs Low and Slow
  
  

Happy Cooking!