IP Taiwanese beef brisket and tendon soup noodles

Because I love beef soup so much, I just had to try a different style. After the pho attempt which essentially took the whole day to make, I didn't think it was sustainable. So again I tried with brisket and tendon as the cooking times are similar. I also cheated by using Korean beef dashima of adding in bones. I did taste the soup after cooking and it was hardly tasty enough but with a tsp of dashima, wow, what a difference!

My soup is adapted from Red House Spice and SaltnPepperHere which essentially show that spicy doubanjiang and tomato paste, along with various herbs and spice give Taiwanese beef soup its distinctive slightly spicy flavour that differentiates it from pho.

Ingredients

250g brisket

250g tendon

1 tbsp doubanjiang (2 tbsp if wanting a saltier soup because the noodle tends to 'suck' up the salt)

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 medium onion, halved

1 small thumb sized nob of ginger, roughly sliced

6 crushed garlic cloves

1 spring onion, white part, chopped

2 tbsp shaoxing wine or mijiu

3 tbsp dark soya sauce

2 tbsp light soya sauce

1 tbsp rock sugar, yellow sugar or regular sugar

1 tsp beef dashima

Water to cover

Pepper to taste

Noodles - either bee hoon or authentic Taiwanese noodles

Spice pack comprising

½ cinnamon sticl

1 tsp cardommon powder

1 star anise

3 cloves

1 tsp sichuan peppercorns

1 tsp white peppercorns (optional)

1 tsp coriander powder

2 bay leaves

1 cut tomatoes

To serve with (optional)

1 preserved mustard green, sliced

1 bunch Mustard greens (fresh) or beanspouts

Green part of spring onion, sliced

Method

1. Soak the brisket and tendon in water with a splash of cooking wine. Then, bring to boil and cook for around 5 minutes until the foam surfaces. Drain the brisket and tendon and throw out the water.

2. Prepare the spice pack. If time permits, lightly toast the spices in a dry pan to bring out the flavour but avoid scorching the spices.

3. Lightly saute the doubanjiang and tomato paste in the IP with the onions, ginger, scallions and ginger.

4. Place everything in the IP except the sugar and light soya sauce. Cover with enough water. If using the IP, the water should not exceed ⅔ of the pot.

5. Cook on Soup mode for 1 hr, then 25 to 30 min natural release to avoid splattering when releasing.

6. While the beef soup is cooking, prepare the noodles and veg eg if using fresh veg, blanch them.

7. Skim off any oil. Remove the brisket and tendon to cool down. Taste the soup and add the light soya and sugar.

8. Assemble the dish. In a bowl with the noodles, placed sliced tendon and brisket, preserved veg and fresh veg. Ladle on the soup. Serve with the green part of spring onion.