It’s obvious that China has no shortage of noodle dishes and Chinese noodle soup recipes. More than you’ve probably ever heard or dreamt of. The variety is as expansive as China’s geography, and EVERYTHING is delicious. But among the many noodle dishes (and noodle soups in particular), one stands out, Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup.
Consisting of a flavorful, clear broth, shaved beef, tender Chinese radish slices, lots of cilantro and scallion, deep red chili oil, and chewy handmade noodles, Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup (兰州拉面, lanzhou lamian) has the majority vote among 1.4 billion very culinarily-conscious citizens.
This fact has been confirmed by a quick search on China’s Google, baidu.com. Translating to Lanzhou Hand-Pulled Noodle Soup, this bowl of hot, spicy delight is deceptively simple and has spawned noodle chains across Beijing.
In fact, we have a Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup place right downstairs, about 100 yards from our Beijing apartment. My niece Kim came to visit us in Beijing this summer, and after many fancy restaurants and lavish meals, she declared this bowl of noodle soup to be the best thing she had in China. And it only costs $3! We made sure to feed her an extra bowl before leaving for the airport.
If you’ve been on The Woks of Life for a while, you’ve probably learned a thing or two about me from my recipes. I’m not a fussy person, and I love keeping things simple.
This recipe is adapted from many conversations with the cooks and staff at our local noodle shop, and after much thought and experimentation, I’ve simplified things for the home cook.
We’re not going to make noodles from scratch, so don’t worry. You can’t compromise flavor on the authentic Lanzhou beef noodle soup broth however, which is what brings the dish together.
Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup: Recipe Instructions
Rinse the soup bones and pat dry. Roast them on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add the beef shank and the chicken (or chicken carcass) to the pot.
Bring everything to a boil again. Once boiling, remove the shank and the chicken, discard the water, and clean the pot. This process gets rid of any impurities, and will give your broth a cleaner flavor.
Put the beef shank and chicken back into the pot along with the roasted bones, 10 more cups of water, and 4 cups chicken stock.
Make the spice mix by combining all ingredients and tying them tightly in cheese cloth with a bit of kitchen string.
For the Lanzhou beef noodle soup spice mix:
- 7 star anise
- 12 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 bay leaves
- 6 large slices of sand ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 1/2 teaspoons white peppercorns
- 5 licorice root slices (optional but very much recommended)
- 3 pieces dried orange peel
- 1 black cardamom
(Check our our Chinese Dry spices and condiments page to see more detailed descriptions and pictures of these and other spices we use in our recipes.)
Add the spice packet to the pot as well and season with salt. Bring everything to a boil.
Once boiling, turn down the heat to low and let everything simmer for about 2 hours. After 2 hours have elapsed, remove the beef shank and set aside. Add the sliced Chinese radish and continue simmering for another hour.
After that, use tongs to pick out and discard the spice pouch, chicken, and soup bones. Taste the broth for salt and adjust the seasoning if needed. The soup base is ready.
While all that is happening, you can take the time to make your chili oil. In a small pot, add the oil, star anise, cinnamon stick, and Sichuan peppercorns.
Place the pot over very low heat and let everything toast together slowly for 15 minutes. Take care not to burn the spices. Use a slotted spoon to remove the spices, and turn off the heat.
Let the oil cool for about 5 minutes, and then add the chili flakes. Slowly toast these in the hot oil until very fragrant (it should almost smell like popcorn), and very red. Stir in the salt and sugar.
If you’ve already made chili oil using Kaitlin’s chili oil recipe, you can skip this step.
Once the broth and chili oil are done, cook the fresh or dried white noodles in a separate pot according to the package instructions.
Divide the noodles among 6 bowls. Slice the cooled beef shank into thin slices, and fan them out over the noodles.
To finish, add a big ladle of broth and radishes, a spoonful of hot chili oil, and a handful each (don’t be shy) of chopped scallion and cilantro.
You’re ready to enjoy this famous bowl of Lanzhou beef noodle soup like the best of them! Slurping is very much encouraged.
Want more noodle soup recipes? Try our Shanghai Pork and Pickled Greens Noodle Soup, and find out why Sarah would eat it, even on the verge of heat stroke!
Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup
Ingredients
You'll need:
- 4 lbs beef or pork soup bones
- 2 1/4 lbs 1 kg beef shank
- ½ of a whole roasting chicken (or a leftover roasted chicken carcass)
- 10 cups water
- 4 cups about 1 liter chicken stock
- Spice mix (see recipe below)
- Salt (to taste; I added about a tablespoon)
- 1/2 of a small Chinese radish (quartered and thinly sliced)
- 1 pound fresh or dried white noodles (they can really be any thickness, as long as they are wheat-based noodles rather than rice noodles, and have a nice chew when cooked)
- Hot chili oil (to taste, see recipe below)
- scallion (chopped)
- cilantro (chopped)
For the spice mix:
- 7 star anise
- 12 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 bay leaves
- 6 large slices of sand ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 1/2 teaspoons white peppercorns
- 5 licorice root slices (optional but very much recommended)
- 3 pieces dried orange peel
- 1 black cardamom
For the hot chili oil:
- 3/4 cup oil
- 2 star anise
- 1/2 of a small cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
- 3 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes (just the regular kind you'd sprinkle on your pizza)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Rinse the soup bones and pat dry. Roast them on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add the beef shank and the chicken (or chicken carcass) to the pot. Bring everything to a boil again. Once boiling, remove the shank and the chicken, discard the water, and clean the pot. This process gets rid of any impurities, and will give your broth a cleaner flavor.
- Put the beef shank and chicken back into the pot along with the roasted bones, 10 more cups of water, and 4 cups chicken stock. Make the spice mix by combining all ingredients and tying them tightly in cheese cloth with a bit of kitchen string. Add this to the pot as well and season with salt. Bring everything to a boil.
- Once boiling, turn down the heat to low and let everything simmer for about 2 hours. After 2 hours have elapsed, remove the beef shank and set aside. Add the sliced radish and continue simmering for another hour. After that, use tongs to pick out and discard the spice pouch, chicken, and soup bones. Taste the broth for salt and adjust the seasoning if needed. The soup base is ready.
- While all that is happening, you can take the time to make your chili oil. In a small pot, add the oil, star anise, cinnamon, and Sichuan peppercorns. Place the pot over very low heat and let everything toast together slowly for 15 minutes. Take care not to burn the spices. Use a slotted spoon to remove the spices, and turn off the heat. Let the oil cool for about 5 minutes, and then add the chili flakes. Slowly toast these in the hot oil until very fragrant (it should almost smell like popcorn), and very red. Stir in the salt and sugar.
- Once the broth and chili oil are done, cook the noodles in a separate pot according to the package instructions. Divide the noodles among 6 bowls. Slice the cooled beef shank into thin slices, and fan them out over the noodles. To finish, add a big ladle of broth and radishes, a spoonful of hot chili oil, and a handful each (don't be shy) of chopped scallion and cilantro.
I have been the store in Gaithersburg many times. The last couple visits were not very tasty. Too much MSG and much less beef flavor in the beef soup. Very disappointed.
Hi Jamie, I know what you mean, restaurants are using way too much MSG these days.
like your recipes, very detail instruction on how to cook and the ingredients, tks .
You are so welcome.
So good! Tastes just like the beef noodles are the restaurant my family frequents. Thank you for the recipe. Have cooked it many times now.
How fabulous! Thank you so much for your fab comment :-)
Can I use blade roast instead of shank?
Sure, you can.
Hello,
Just finished a bowl of my first practice, only worked on the beef / broth this time. I will likely prepare chili for tomorrow and pulled noodle is next on my list (I used Jim Do langzhou ramen noodle pack and a sate chili oil for meet balls).
I did some more research about the soup history, spices and variations even if my idea was set to work with your version. I saw the 15 spices version from a popular youtube personality but never was able to figure out 2 of the spices show from first mix and quite a few from the second. Still, I was able to get my hand on all the spices and few more spice from that reference (red / tsaoko and white cardamom).
While trying to figure out some of the unknown spices, I found out about the 13 spice mix! I also practiced pho recenlty so I was able to build on what I had learned there (similar technique for the broth).
I tried a few things and also made a few errors:
– forgot browning the bones (a big one I guess)
– used cooked chicken carcasss instead of a fresh one
– Also didnt had chicken broth around…
– used two chared oignon like in a pho
– grilled some of the spices
– did the broth plain (bones and salt) first for 15+ hours and added beef and spices in the last 2-3 hours.
– Had all the required spices, actually used 20!
– Used a small cup to practice final seasonning (salt, msg, sugar, adding a bit of the “13 spices” freshly grounded to the broth) to see how it was changing the result. I actually did my bowl in another pot to keep some room to try things with next bowls (more evaporation, fresh spices, adding some more meet or chicken broth powder).
Frankly it was a bit a deception when I first tasted it, it looked monodimentional and very far from the only reference I have, a local popular langzhou noodle shop in Montreal) that taste and smell fantastic.
My impression changed when I added the chili oil (chili, salt, msg!) so I suspect the restaurant to use plenty of it. But I also know their version is good even without the oil. I’ll try to recognise the spices and intensity next time I get one from the restaurant!
I the end I was happy with bowl look, beef was good. I had a nice meal and learned alot.
Thanks for the recipe, I will surely try again and try to figure out what I can improve (I’ll try browning the bones next time).
I made oil yesterday super easy and fun. My bowl for lunch today was better as if the rest helped develop the flavors.
Good job, Eric. BTW, I’ve been to the Lanzhou Beef Noodle restaurant in Montreal Chinatown, up in the escalator hallway, they are pretty good. Try following this recipe next time, and then improve. :-)
A little follow up!
Here is a few photos from a practice I did this week : https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca8Tx80MiYg/?hl=en
I still use you recipe as a main guide but pushed exploration on the spice part and also cooking in steps. I use ideas from “Leighton Pho” on youtube with 24 hours bone broth and 3 hour blend. Having a neutral broth let me prepare Lanzhou and Pho more quickly and also work on smaller portions wich helped me explore things..
This time I cooked meat in bone broth separatly using a common a subset of spices of pho and Lanzhou.
I was a bit tired when I did the Lanzhou and instead of using all the spices, I used just a few and the 13 spices powder I have found at the market wich contains most of the needed spices.
So beef bone broth (actually with an extra pork kuckle bone and a few tendon) + broth that was used to cook the meat (brisket, shank, belly) + clear chicken stock (your version I pushed with two extractions, one clear from full chicken and a second one from bones)
I searched for videos, articles and recipe variation and the thing that helped me get the soup near Lanzhou shop experience was garlic and ginger water (half-garlic and ginger blended, rested and pressed (to get water without pulp)). Added later it add the undescrible warm note that you cannot reproduce from dried spices (and I tried quite a few ratios!). I was actually pretty surprised and pleased with the result, using the base broth done in advance it took me about an hour to complete.
I also ordered “xiang sha ren” from china and found other rarer spice from herborist but it was not the missing but. I also have tried packagage Lanzhou soup. They are not generous in meat but one was quite with a floral note I was not able to identify.
So I think I’m doing nicely with the broth, spicy oil. I have to work hard on the noodle part!
For the spicy oil, I was not avle to find “sechuan oil” (grilled rapeeseed), only sechuan peppercorn clear rapeseed oil and a mix of rapeseed / mustard oil. I ordered a bottle of grilled rapesed online and found grilled canola and camelina oil produced in Quebec. When I will have the china orignal it will be easier to know if they are good substitute. But I do think these oil could actually help make the spicy oil even more better (than unflavored canola oil I used for my first spicy oil practice).
Good job, Eric, keep at it. Hope you reach Lanzhou Beef Noodle nirvana soon :-) Do keep me posted on your progress :-)
This is what I’m going for! Was that good?
Hi James, the Lanzhou Noodle place in Montreal Chinatown is pretty good. But I have to admit, nothing can compare to what we had in China :-/
Do you think there would be a way to make this vegetarian? Maybe I could swap the meat for mushrooms?
Love this site
Hi Harrison, not sure it’s worth a try. I think you can look into our Vegetable Stock instead :-)
Long time follower – gee I must have made 50 or so dishes in the last year alone. You’re my source of constant inspiration :) I live in a small print motorhome so it is not easy to store all the spices do – but this soup were worth the small spaced battle of pots and dishes! Utterly delicious. I had no beef shank so used a bit of brisket. Not worth eating but got the flavour out of it at least. After boiling the roasted bones, I pulled all the meat, fat etc off, chopped it finely and we loved this addition. And I confess – too lazy to make chilli oil when I have LGM crispy black bean chilli in my fridge. Thank you as always.
Thank you so much for being a fan. Sounds like you have been eating very well, my friend :-)
This is fantastic! My go to soupy noodles on a cold day. Great complex flavors. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Love it :-)