Instant Pot Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup Recipe

Name: Instant Pot Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 140 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: For precooking; 2 pounds boneless beef shank; 3 scallions, chopped into 1-inch segments; 1 (2-inch piece) fresh ginger, sliced; 3 star anise; 6 cups water; For the broth; 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 star anise; 1 (2-inch piece) fresh ginger, sliced; 2 bay leaves; 1/2 cup dark soy sauce; 1/2 cup soy sauce; 3 tablespoons toban djan (like Lee Kum Kee brand ); 3 tablespoons chili crisp; 2 tablespoons sugar; 4 cloves garlic, smashed; 2 teaspoons ground white pepper; 3 white onions, quartered; 4 roma tomatoes, quartered; 7 cups water; Salt, to taste; For the toppings; 3 medium bok choy, sliced lengthwise; 2 bundles dried wheat noodles; 1 scallion, sliced, to garnish; 4 sprigs fresh cilantro, to garnish (optional)

What Is Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup?

Taiwanese beef noodle soup is a delicious staple dish, especially during chilly weather. Even though it has been rightfully popularized as Taiwanese beef noodle soup, it also borrows many flavors and spices from Chinese cuisine, including toban djan, which originated in the Sichuan province.

Since this is a beef noodle soup, don’t skimp on the wheat noodles! They are a perfect match for the flavorful soup. Some traditionalists prefer to garnish the soup with chopped Chinese sauerkraut, which adds a refreshing dash of sweet acidity to cut through the red broth, but I find that bok choy, scallion, and cilantro make great toppings.

What Is Beef Shank?

I like to think of the beef shank as the bicep muscle of the cow. It usually comes in a spindle shape where it tapers at the ends. In the butcher shop, beef shanks usually come in two forms: the foreshank and the hindshank. Very often, the hindshank tends to be the more affordable cut since it might include additional surrounding muscles and tendons, which are just as delicious for this beef noodle soup.

Beef shank is a must since the collagen in the meat slowly breaks down as it cooks, making it soft and tender. For this recipe, I use the foreshank since it is more common, but you can choose whichever shank type is available. The cook time will remain the same.

Bowl of Instant Pot Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup Next to Instant Pot — Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

What Is Toban Djan?

Toban djan (or doban jiang) is a paste made of chiles and fermented broad beans. Not only is it delicious, it really makes a difference to the authenticity and flavors of this dish. It can also be found in many Asian supermarkets and online grocery sites.

It’s the main source of heat in Taiwanese beef noodle soup, so adjust it to your tastes. If you’re going for the lower spice level (by using less toban djan), I’d recommend seasoning the soup with salt to taste at the end to account for the amount of sodium in the chili spice paste.

Soy Sauce vs Dark Soy Sauce

By default, soy sauce implies widely used thin soy sauce, which adds umami and sodium goodness to dishes. Dark soy sauce is just a touch thicker in consistency and more complex in flavor. As the name implies, the color is also significantly darker.

Using dark soy sauce is a wonderful way of adding a deeper and richer color without adding more sodium. If preferred, you can substitute the dark soy sauce in this recipe for regular soy sauce.

The Essential Ingredients of an Everyday Asian Pantry

Don’t Forget the Sugar

Small amounts of sugar are usually added in Asian cooking to round out the flavors rather than making a dish sweet. It is a subtle but noticeable difference. This recipe calls for regular sugar since it is readily available, but you can substitute it with chopped apple, pear, or rock sugar.

More Warming Instant Pot Soups

Instant Pot Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 90 mins

Instant Pot Preheat Time 20 mins

Total Time 2 hrs 20 mins

Servings 4 servings

You can adjust the amount of noodles and bok choy to your preference.

For precooking

2 pounds boneless beef shank
3 scallions, chopped into 1-inch segments
1 (2-inch piece) fresh ginger, sliced
3 star anise
6 cups water

For the broth

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 star anise
1 (2-inch piece) fresh ginger, sliced
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup dark soy sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons toban djan (like Lee Kum Kee brand)
3 tablespoons chili crisp
2 tablespoons sugar
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 teaspoons ground white pepper
3 white onions, quartered
4 roma tomatoes, quartered
7 cups water
Salt, to taste

For the toppings

3 medium bok choy, sliced lengthwise
2 bundles dried wheat noodles
1 scallion, sliced, to garnish
4 sprigs fresh cilantro, to garnish (optional)

Spice ball or cheesecloth and string

Precook the beef shank:

To the inner pot of the Instant Pot, add the beef shank, scallions, ginger, and star anise. Add enough water to reach the 4-quart mark, about 6 cups. Lock on the lid and make sure the valve is set to seal.

Precooking the beef shank will release the excess scum (the frothy foamy gray bits). This will also yield a cleaner and clearer broth in the end.

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
Pressure cook and cool the beef shank:

Program the pressure cooker on the manual/pressure cooking setting for 10 minutes at high pressure. It will take several minutes for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure before the actual cook time begins.

While the beef shank precooks, prepare an ice bath.

Once the cook time is up and the Instant Pot beeps, carefully quick release the pressure with the steam vent.

Remove the beef shank using tongs and submerge it in the ice bath for 10 minutes. Discard the cooking water and rinse and dry the inner pot.

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
Preheat the pot, slice the beef, and prepare the spices:

Replace the inner pot and program the pressure cooker on the manual sauté setting at high temperature. Let preheat for 5 minutes and then add the oil.

While the Instant Pot is preheating, place the beef shank on a cutting board with tapered ends pointing left and right. Slice into 1/2-inch pieces.

Add the star anise, ginger, and bay leaves to a spice ball or wrap them in cheesecloth and tie up the bundle with string. This will help contain the spices for easy removal at the end.

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
Make the soup:

To the Instant Pot, add the dark soy sauce, soy sauce, toban djan, chili crisp, sugar, garlic, and white pepper. Stir until dissolved. Add the onions, tomatoes, and beef shank.

Add enough water to reach the 4-quart mark, about 7 cups.

Lock on the lid and make sure the valve is set to seal. Program the pressure cooker on the manual setting for 1 hour and 20 minutes at high pressure.

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
Cook the bok choy and noodles:

When there is about 15 minutes left on the Instant Pot timer, fill a large pot 2/3 with water and bring to a boil. Add the bok choy and wheat noodles. Cook according to the noodle package instructions, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and drain.

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
Vent, remove the spice ball, and serve:

Once the pressure cooking time is up and the Instant Pot beeps, carefully quick release the pressure with the steam vent.

Remove the lid and remove the spice ball or cheesecloth. Season with salt, to taste.

Add the noodles, bok choy, and soup to individual bowls. Garnish with scallions and cilantro, if using.

The soup will last in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. The noodles and bok choy should be cooked fresh or stored separately for up to a day. Use the Instant Pot “keep warm” function, the stovetop, or the microwave to reheat.

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Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
801	Calories
47g	Fat
33g	Carbs
62g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	801
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 47g	60%
Saturated Fat 14g	72%
Cholesterol 206mg	69%
Sodium 3968mg	173%
Total Carbohydrate 33g	12%
Dietary Fiber 5g	16%
Total Sugars 14g
Protein 62g
Vitamin C 34mg	168%
Calcium 179mg	14%
Iron 7mg	41%
Potassium 1438mg	31%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.