Beef Tendon Soup

 

 

Asian soups have become so popular that whole soup-houses cater to these in many of
the business districts of many large metropolitan cities across the United States. Silicon
Valley in the California’s Bay area is no exception. This soup is an unxious rich aromatic
brown broth, studded by big generous chunks of beef, small pieces of beef tendon over a
base of rice noodles and garnished with greens. Although this recipe calls for rice
noodles, it could be made with your favorite noodles. (More on noodles below.) An
amazing transformation occurs with the protracted cooking time turning inedible beef
tendons into a delicious punctuation to this famous Asian dish. To make things quicker,
the beef stock could be made a day ahead. The tendons could also be cooked in the stock
until the point they are tender and the recipe resumes the next day from that point.

2 1/2 pounds prepared beef tendons (Asian Market provides this)
2 scallions, sliced
4 cloves chopped garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
4 lemon grass stalks bruised with back of cleaver
2 tablespoons dark mushroom soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons Marin
1 tablespoons Fish Sauce (optional)
3/4 package fresh rice noodles (Asian Market) (see notes)
2 teaspoons white pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper
½ cup Shao Hsing wine
Juice from 2 limes
Lime zest from 2 limes
Pinch of sugar
Salt as required
Beef Stock
3 pounds beef ribs (Have these sawn into strips)
1 coarsely chopped yellow onion
1 chopped coarsely carrot
1 quart of water
1 coarsely chopped rib of celery
¼ cup dried shitake mushrooms
 

Garnish

Lime slices
Bean sprouts
Chopped fresh cilantro

Make Beef Stock the day before
Cut up carrot, onion, celery, and beef ribs into chunks and brown beef ribs pieces and
vegetables under the broiler, turning occasionally until meat has browned on most sides.
Using a bag fashioned from cheesecloth and string, tie up the vegetables and mushrooms.
Add meat, and bagged vegetables with 1 quart of water to a stock pot with a lid. Cover
and bring to a boil then simmer until meat is tender. Discard expended bagged
vegetables. Cool stock several hours or refrigerate. Skim and remove all fat. Strain the
stock and retain. Discard bones, separating meat which is retained for later use.
Bring a pot of water to boil. Add tendons and boil five minutes to purge them. Strain
tendons and rinse in cold water. If there are any LARGE pieces cut them down to size so
everything cooks evenly.
Discard bottom root sections and dried out top sections of the lemon grass stalks, bruise
the stalks with blows from the back of the cleaver or chef’s knife on both sides of the
stalks and retain for later.

Boil tendons in the retained beef stock until fairly tender, about 3 ~ 4 hours but 2 hours
out, add bruised lemon grass stalks. When tendons are very tender, remove lemon grass
pieces and discard them. Using thongs and kitchen shears, cut tendons into small edible
1/2 chunks. This is an important step as the soup would be very difficult to eat otherwise.
If the preceding is advanced preparation, start the next step the next day.

Add soy sauce, ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, wine, red and white peppers, juice from limes,
Marin, lime zest, the retained pieces of beef. Heat on high and when boiling add noodles.
Assist the noodles to separate and when noodles are hot add chopped scallions, a handful
each of bean sprouts, and chopped fresh cilantro. Correct the seasoning with salt, 1
teaspoon of sugar, additional vinegar and lime to taste.

To serve, bowl up soup with a portion of noodles in each bowl. Serve with a plate
holding a garnish of lime slices, bean sprouts, and chopped fresh cilantro so guests can
add their own.

Put some Thai hot sauce on the table (Shark Brand Sriracha or see
Thai_Chile_Sauce.) otherwise offer some other form of hot.

Notes on Noodles:
You can buy noodles fresh or dry, gluten flour, rice, or even buckwheat in large
diameters, flat, vermicelli or round. The noodle isle at the Asian market I go to in California is 40 yards long - all noodles at that just the dry ones! If going “dry” not fresh, adjust cooking time according to package directions or cook ahead of time in water then drain and rinse in cold water when the noodles are “al dente” or a little under done. The next reheating will soften them some so keep that in mind. Fresh is much easier and less work.
 

Banh pho – Rice Sticks - Pad Thai Flat Shape Noodle / Fresh Dry
Banh Tam – Rice Noodle (Round shape)