And I’m back to soup. If you’re not having constant rain and gray skies, you’re closed in because it snow storms and is freezing cold. Listen to Nancy Loo about staying out of the cold: “Don’t be stupid.” Wouldn’t have to tell me twice! It’s the perfect time to have delicious smells happenin’ inside. Put on a pot or two and let beef bones and veal and chicken stocks do their thing.
When I went to Canada last month, I had the most delicious Vietnamese soup. I wasn’t able to get the name or a recipe until recently and I was so in the mood for it last Sunday, so decided to go on taste memory. I don’t know the name of what I made, so I guess it’s kind of an original, but I’m calling it Braised Short Rib and Ramen Noodle Soup.
This recipe is a relative to the Japanese Sukiyaki or a Vietnamese Bho Ko Beef Stew. If you saw the video I made with All Recipes for sukiyaki (and other International foods). D check it out! I made my dish from making three different types of stocks and liquids: 1 from the braised beef short rib, 1 from beef soup marrow bones and 1 from chicken drumettes.
INGREDIENTS
Poultry & meat
2 lbs. thick beef short rib
3 lbs. beef stock bones
1 lb. chicken drumettes
Aromatics & Herbs
2 large onions, roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 small fennel roughly chopped
1 cup mushroom stalks
6 thick sprigs thyme
15 sprigs parsley
3 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
3 large bay leaves
1 small tomato, halved
Vegetables & Flavoring
Grapeseed oil
2 large carrots, cut into rounds or on a bias (diagonal)
1 bunch green onion, green stalks left intact and the white parts chopped
2-inch piece of ginger, halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 large basil leaves
1 teaspoon brown or palm sugar
Chili oil
Ramen noodles
Salt
Seasoning & Finishes
Fish sauce
Annatto-infused chili oil (1 tbsp toasted annatto seeds plus ¼ cup grapeseed oil and ¼ cup chili oil)
Celery leaves
Cucumber rounds
PREPARATION
Heat your oven to 400⁰F. Roast your beef marrow bones turning once or twice until well browned – about 30 minutes. Once roasted, place the bones in a large stockpot.
Season the beef short ribs lightly with salt. In a large Dutch oven or stockpot, heat 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil and brown the beef on all sides.
Place your chicken drumettes in a separate pot.
You should have 3 pots going. Between these pots, divide the aromatics and herbs: you should use an equal amount for the short rib and beef bones and a smaller amount for the chicken stock.
Continue to brown the short rib and the beef bones with the aromatics until the aromatics are well browned.
Add enough cold water to all the pots to cover the meat and aromatics by 1 inch and bring to a boil then reduce immediately to a simmer. Add the tomato to the pot with the short rib. Season the short rib and chicken stockpots lightly with salt.
Continue simmering the beef bones for at least 8 hours. The braised short rib will take about 6 hours and the chicken drumettes will take about 2 hours. Tip: remove the skin from the drumettes once the meat is cool enough to handle.
Remove the bones or meat once they are cooked and strain the stocks into different containers. You can refrigerate the stocks at this point until the fat is separated – this will make the fat easier to remove. Tip: cool the stocks faster by placing the stock container into a larger bowl of ice water.
In a clean large stock pot, heat 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil and sweat the carrots and white parts of the green onion. Add the ginger and the tomato paste and heat until very fragrant. Add the basil leaves and sugar.
Add all the stocks and liquids from the braised beef, beef stock and chicken stock. Simmer until the flavors marry and the carrots are tender for about 10 minutes. Season with fish sauce and chili oil.
Re-add the braised beef and chicken drumettes and heat.
In a separate pot, boil a large pot of water. Season lightly with salt and cook the ramen noodles until tender. Drain and keep separate.
To serve, place a short rib into a large bowl to one side. Place some green scallion stalks in the middle and some ramen noodles on the other side. Ladle over a generous amount of hot broth with some carrots and drumettes.
Garnish the soup with cucumber rounds, celery leaves and annatto-infused chili oil.
Serve hot. Enjoy!