I have a thing for beef noodles soup. I think it’s great that every culture (and in Malaysia’s case, almost every region) have their own take on a beef soup recipe. Needless to say, I have a soft spot for a really good bowl of pho, but since we live in a country with so much to offer, I thought it’s only fair to give other types of beef noodles a go. So when Wendy put up her post for her copycat version of Onn Kee Beef Brisket Noodles in Kampar (head over to her blog to read all about Onn Kee’s beef noodles), I knew I had to try it. What was intriguing, too, was her method of express char siew oil (read on to find out). And for something so tasty and comforting, it really didn’t take much of an effort to make.

This time, I have gone for a totally different and time saving method and used my Philips Pressure Cooker for the soup. The original recipe calls for 4 hours of cooking time, which I wouldn’t have, but with my semi-new gagdet, I wanted to know if I can produce a similar results. So with just 45 minutes for the initial boil, then add seasoning and cook (with pressure) for further 15 minutes, the result was a piping bowl of soup, spicy, aromatic, with tender bits of beef and the daikon still keeping their shape. Fabulous!

Kampar Beef Brisket Noodles
Recipe by WendyinKK

600g beef brisket/flank cut (牛腩) and tendons (omited because I couldn’t find any)
300g Daikon (choose the long slender type, fat ones lack in flavour), peel and cut into chunks
2 Star Anise
2 inches Cinnamon Stick
1 small piece of Dried Tangerine Peel
10 pcs of White Peppercorn, cracked
20g Rock Sugar, adjust to taste
Salt to taste
Spring Onion, chopped

Add 2.5 litres of water, whole piece of brisket, daikon, and all the spices into the pressure cooker. Pressure cook for 45 minutes. Release pressure then add sugar and salt, and pressure cook for further 15 minutes. Release pressure and keep warm until needed (the longer then better)

Fish out the brisket chunks, slice them and put it back into the pot.

Serve the beef brisket soup with a sprinkling of spring onions.

Express Cha Siu renderings
100g of very fat pork belly
1 heaped Tbsp of sugar
1 Tbsp of light soy sauce

Slice the fat pork belly thinly. Put in into the wok with 1 Tbsp of oil and slowly fry until it is very slightly golden. Add in sugar and light soy sauce and cook the belly until it turns dry and dark. Discard the belly bits and retain the renderings.

Dry Tossed Noodles

Loosen single portion fresh egg noodles/fresh wantan noodles. Put the noodles in a noodle strainer. Cook in boiling water for 15 seconds. Rinse it under running tap water. Blanch it again for another 15-30 seconds depending on the thickness of noodles. Put noodles in a plate. Top with 1 Tbsp of renderings, some dark caramel sauce (or dark soy sauce), light soy sauce according to taste. Toss the noodles. Garnish with some blanched baby bok choy or mustard green.

Of course, you will probably be content with just regular pork lard for the noodles. For our muslim friends, a mix of shallot or sesame oil could suffice. But the char siew oil really gives it a little more ooomph.

This is a recipe I am going to keep for whenever I have my beef soup craving. Just add a few more spices, onions, ginger and it’ becomes a beef pho soup! By the way, as for any great soup, the flavours get better if you let it sit for longer (overnight is best). The great thing about cooking for one is that I get to enjoy this multiple times, hehe. I also gave a portion of the soup to Miss Poesy as she also has the same affection towards beef noodles. Thank you, Wendy, for this excellent recipe! I will need to hunt down some tendon and beef tripe for next time.

What’s your favourite type of Beef noodles?

I am submitting this to Malaysian Food Fest Perak Month hosted by WendyinKK of Table for 2 or more