Hearty Beef Brisket Noodle Soup Recipe for Comforting Dinner

If you ask my wife what her favorite food is, she will always answer Beef Noodle Soup. She loves it so much that I’ve started making it at home. The version that inspired this recipe came from Hong Kong: rich, savory beef, tender meat, and chewy noodles in a deeply flavored broth. Thick wheat noodles are traditional, but I used rice noodles here because that’s what I had on hand.

If you enjoy Asian soups, try my Chinese Chayote Soup next.

🥘 About This Recipe

Hong Kong-style Beef Brisket Noodle Soup is one of my all-time favorite noodle dishes. The long, gentle simmer produces a deep, beefy broth while keeping the meat tender. When paired with springy noodles and a few simple vegetables, it becomes a comforting, satisfying meal.

I first tried a version at a Taiwanese restaurant near my home in Richmond, BC, but it didn’t leave a big impression. During a trip to Hong Kong, I tasted the dish again and fell in love with its richer flavor and firmer noodles. To replicate that, use a fatty cut of beef and cook the soup slowly so the collagen breaks down and the broth develops body.

Beef brisket—especially the fattier point cut—is ideal because it stays moist through the long cooking time. Other affordable, fatty cuts like chuck, shank, or finger meat will also work well.

🧂 Ingredients

• Beef Brisket: Aim for a fatty cut such as the point cut. Alternatives: chuck, shank, or beef finger meat.
• Noodles: Thick wheat noodles are traditional; rice noodles can be used if preferred or on hand.
• Vegetables: Carrot and daikon are my favorites; bok choy or zucchini are good alternatives.
• Aromatics: Ginger, garlic, onion, and scallions.
• Seasonings: Light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and brown sugar to balance flavors.
• Spice bag: Star anise, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, cardamom pods, fennel seeds. Optional but recommended: Sichuan peppercorns, white peppercorns, coriander seeds.
• Oil: Neutral oil for searing and frying aromatics.

🔪 Instructions

STEP 1: Make a spice bag by combining the whole spices. If you don’t have a ready-made bag, wrap the spices in cheesecloth and tie with butcher’s twine.

STEP 2: Heat a tablespoon of neutral oil in a large pot over medium heat until shimmering. Working in batches, add one-third of the beef and sear for about one minute until browned. Remove seared pieces to a plate and repeat with the remaining beef.

STEP 3: Return all seared beef to the pot. Add the water, ginger slices, garlic, scallions, halved onion, the spice bag, and the sauce ingredients (soy sauces, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and salt). Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

STEP 4: After the initial simmer, add the carrot and daikon pieces. Continue to simmer for another 45 minutes, or until the vegetables and beef are tender.

STEP 5: Remove and discard the spice bag, scallions, ginger, garlic, and onion halves. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning—add more salt or a touch of sugar if needed.

STEP 6: Cook your chosen noodles according to package instructions. Divide noodles among bowls, ladle the hot soup and beef over them, and garnish with chopped cilantro and a drizzle of chili oil if you like.

📋 Recipe

Beef Brisket Noodle Soup

If you ask my wife what her favorite food is, she will always say Beef Noodle Soup. The best version I had was in Hong Kong and this recipe aims to recreate that rich, comforting bowl. Use thick noodles if you can, or rice noodles as an acceptable substitute.

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 2 hrs

Total Time 2 hrs 15 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese, Taiwanese

Servings 8 people

Calories 652 kcal

Ingredients

Spice Bag

• 5 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns (optional)
• 1½ tsp white peppercorns (optional)
• 2 tsp coriander seeds (optional)
• 1 tsp fennel seeds (optional)

Sauce

• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp coarse kosher salt (adjust to taste)

Soup

• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 3 lb beef brisket (or another fatty cut)
• 16 cups water
• 5 slices ginger
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, halved
• 1 medium carrot, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 medium daikon, cut into 1-inch chunks

For serving

• Thick flour noodles or rice noodles
• Chopped cilantro
• Chili oil (optional)

Instructions

1. Combine the whole spices into a spice bag or wrap them in cheesecloth and tie securely.
2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. In batches, sear the beef on all sides until browned, about one minute per batch. Set the seared meat aside.
3. Add the seared beef back to the pot along with water, ginger, garlic, scallions, halved onion, the spice bag, and the sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
4. Add the carrot and daikon, and continue simmering for another 45 minutes or until the beef and vegetables are tender.
5. Remove and discard the spice bag, scallions, ginger, garlic, and onion halves. Adjust seasoning to taste. Cook the noodles according to package directions, divide into bowls, ladle the soup and beef over the noodles, and garnish with cilantro and chili oil if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 652 kcal
Carbohydrates: 71 g
Protein: 49 g
Fat: 19 g
Sodium: 1336 mg

Nutrition information is an estimate calculated from an ingredient database.

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