Beef noodle soup facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Beef noodle soup

Lanzhou beef noodle soup
Type	Noodle soup
Region or state	East Asia and Southeast Asia
Main ingredients	Beef, beef broth, vegetables, Chinese noodles

Beef noodle soup is a yummy noodle soup that has beef cooked slowly, rich beef broth, fresh vegetables, and noodles. You can find different kinds of this soup all over East Asia and Southeast Asia.

One of the oldest types is the Lanzhou lamian (兰州拉面), also called Lanzhou beef noodle soup. It was first made by the Hui people (a group of Chinese Muslims) in northwest China during the Tang Dynasty (a long time ago!). There are many kinds of beef noodle soups in China, especially in the western parts.

Another popular kind is the red-braised beef noodle soup (紅燒牛肉麵) from Taiwan. It was first created by people from Sichuan who moved to Taiwan. In English, it's often called Taiwanese beef noodle soup.

Other famous beef noodle soups include Pho from Vietnam.

Types of Beef Noodle Soup

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup in Taipei, Taiwan

Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup

The Lanzhou beef noodle soup is very common in mainland China. It's a Chinese Muslim style of beef noodle, known for its clear broth. This soup often uses halal meat, which means it's prepared in a special way according to Islamic rules. It doesn't have soy sauce, so it tastes lighter and is flavored with salt and herbs.

People say a Hui Chinese man named Ma Baozi from Lanzhou first made this soup. In Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province, Lanzhou Beef Lamian (兰州牛肉拉面) is usually served with clear soup and one hand-pulled lamian noodle in each bowl.

In halal restaurants, they use only good quality local beef from the Southern Yellow cattle. Chinese radish and special spicy oil are also important parts of Lanzhou beef noodles. These ingredients are known by a saying: "One Clear, Two White, Three Red, Four Green, Five Yellow" (Chinese: 一清、二白、三红、四绿、五黄; pinyin: Yī qīng, èr bái, sān hóng, sì lǜ, wǔ huáng). This means:

• Clear soup
• White radish
• Red chili oil
• Green leek
• Yellow noodles

You can find this food in Chinese restaurants in North America. In Mainland China, a big bowl of it is often a whole meal by itself, or with a small side dish.

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  Lanzhou Beef Noodle, with clear soup and hand-pulled noodles

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  Lanzhou-style beef noodle soup with chili oil

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

Taiwanese beef noodle soup comes from Taiwan. Sometimes it's called "Sichuan Beef Noodle Soup," especially in Taiwan. But be careful, because Sichuan in mainland China has its own beef noodle soups!

The beef in this soup is often cooked slowly with the broth, sometimes for many hours. Chefs might even let the beef stock (the liquid base) simmer for over 24 hours with bone marrow to make it extra flavorful. In Taiwan, places that sell beef noodles often have extra cold side dishes you can choose, like braised dried tofu or seaweed. Beef noodles are usually served with suan cai (which is like Chinese sauerkraut) on top, green onions, and sometimes other vegetables in the soup.

Southeast Asian Varieties

A bowl of kuaitiao nuea pueay in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This is the Thai version of braised beef noodles.

In Thailand, there's a similar dish called kuaitiao nuea pueay. It's made with slow-cooked beef and rice noodles.

In Vietnam, Bò Kho is a beef stew that is sometimes served with noodles. You can also eat it with bread. Pho is another famous Vietnamese noodle soup. It has broth, rice noodles called bánh phở, herbs, and meat. Pho is usually made with either beef (phở bò) or chicken (phở gà).

In the Philippines, Beef Mami is a very popular noodle soup. It can also be eaten with Pares, which is another beef dish.

Yaka mein is a type of beef noodle soup found in Chinese restaurants in New Orleans, USA. It has slow-cooked beef, spaghetti noodles, a hard-boiled egg, and chopped green onions. It's often seasoned with Cajun spices, chili powder, or Old Bay seasoning.

See also

In Spanish: Sopa de fideos con carne de vacuno para niños