Skip to content
Cook with Ipohbunny

Cook with Ipohbunny

Stories and recipes from a Malaysian home kitchen

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
    • Cuisine
      • Chinese
      • Japanese
      • Korean
      • Malaysian
      • Middle Eastern
      • Thai
      • Vietnamese
      • Western
    • Ingredient
      • Beef & Lamb
      • Eggs
      • Noodles & Pasta
      • Poultry
      • Rice
      • Seafood
      • Vegetables
    • Meal
      • One-pot meal
      • Breakfast & Brunch
      • Cakes & Sweets
      • Condiments
      • Side dish
      • Soups & Stews
    • Other Home Cooks
  • Stories
  • Contact
  • Toggle search form
  • Chicken Nanban Japanese
  • Easy Homemade Granola Breakfast
  • Teriyaki Chicken Poke Bowl Japanese
  • Braised Turmeric Chicken Chinese
  • Wat Tan Hor Chinese
  • Air-fried Dengaku Naku (Miso Eggplant) Side dish
  • Afghani Omelette Breakfast & Brunch
  • Creamy Pepper Prawns Malaysian
  • Scallion Oil Chicken Chinese
  • Sang Har Meen Chinese
  • Roasted Red Pepper Prawns Seafood
  • Chinese Steamed Fish Chinese
  • Keto Lemon Loaf Cakes & Sweets
  • Lead
    Charlie’s Cafe: Surviving MCO Stories
  • Salted Egg Pumpkin Chinese

Thai Beef Noodles

Posted on March 10, 2021June 21, 2021 By Alexandra Wong No Comments on Thai Beef Noodles

The first ever noodle soup I made was not kai si hor fun, or prawn noodles, or curry noodles … but Thai beef noodle soup!

Why? Thanks to Youtube queen Marion of www.marionskitchen.com, who made the process look so easy, I simply HAD to try making it. To my surprise, it wasn’t hard at all. That successful first attempt, many many bowls of noodles ago, gave me the confidence boost I needed to tackle the other Asian noodles like curry mee, prawn mee, kai si hor fun – arguably even more laborious and complicated 🍜

Every often, I return to these Thai beef noodles because I love the robust and hearty flavour (and most importantly, they’re so EASY to make). If you’re a coriander hater though, this might not for you. Because what makes Thai beef noodles distinctive is the holy trinity of coriander root, black pepper and garlic or “saam klerr” (the three buddies). But I love coriander so …!

Along the way, I have learned some tips and created my own hacks that make this recipe foolproof – and your life easier!

1. I use bovril instead of beef stock

I don’t know how it is in your country, but store-bought beef broth is expensive where I live. It’s not easy to get beef bones either. So I started thinking of substitutes that would deliver a similar taste profile and after a bit of brainstorming, Bovril came to mind. It’s thick salty paste made from beef stock … duh! Anyhow, I tried it and with some help from other umami condiments like fish sauce and the dark soya sauces, I arrived at a beefy complexity that I was extremely happy with 🙂

2. Simmer on low heat at all times

There are two parts to cooking the soup. First, you sear the beef over high heat so that it acquires browning and seals the juices in. After that, you cover the beef with liquid and cook at a low simmer with the lid on. Do NOT bring to a boil. I am not sure of the science behind this, but when you bring it to a boil first, and then only lower the heat to a simmer, the beef doesn’t become as tender as it should be. Keep the heat low at all times. If you do that, you’ll end up with butter-soft beef like this:

https://www.cookwithipohbunny.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/VID_23850801_012748_310.mp4

3. I add five spice powder

I found that by adding five-spice-powder, which is commonly used in Chinese cooking, it lends a nice background fragrance to the soup.

On to the recipe!

Thai Beef Noodles

Robust, hearty and mildly spicy thanks to the classic paste of coriander, black peppercorns and garlic, Thai beef noodles will have you slurping in delight.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 45 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Thai
Servings 2

Equipment

  • soup pot or Dutch oven, mortar and pestle

Ingredients
  

  • 200g beef chunks
  • 2 nos rice vermicelli or kuetiau
  • 3 stalks coriander roots
  • 3 large garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • 1-2 tbsp oil
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2-3 star anise
  • 2-3 cloves (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp five spice powder
  • 600ml chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp bovril
  • 2-3 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1/2-1 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 1-2 tbsp fish sauce
  • salt and sugar to taste

Instructions
 

  • In a mortar and pestle, pound coriander roots, garlic cloves and black peppercorns to a rough paste. This is "saam klerr".
  • In a Dutch oven or soup pot, heat up 1 tbs oil. Add beef chunks and sear on all sides until they acquire some brownness.
  • Add saam klerr and saute until fragrant. Some recipes ask you to add this before the beef. But I find that if I do that, there is a higher risk of burning the spices. Anyway, do what you can control best.
  • Add cinnamon stick, star anise and five spice powder.
  • Add chicken stock followed by light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, fish sauce and bovril. You can add just half the amount stated for starters to accommodate your tolerance for saltiness, and adjust later.
  • Cover the pot with a lid and cook at a low simmer for 90 minutes or until meat is soft. Do NOT bring to a boil.
  • Season with salt and sugar. Pour soup over blanched noodles and serve with vegetables - bok choy, choy sum and bean sprouts are great. Enjoy!
Keyword noodles

Love noodle soups? Check out my kai si hor fun!

Post Views: 1,062
Beef & Lamb, Noodles & Pasta, Thai

Post navigation

Previous Post: Creamy Chicken Casserole
Next Post: Dutch Baby Pancakes

Related Posts

  • Bittergourd Fried Beehoon Chinese
  • Lemongrass Chicken Noodles Noodles & Pasta
  • Easy Lamb Pilaf Beef & Lamb
  • Sang Har Meen Chinese
  • Wat Tan Hor Chinese
  • Easy Kimchi Ramen Korean

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Who’s Ipohbunny, lah?

Welcome!

I’m Alexandra Wong, a self-taught Malaysian home cook on a mission to simplify and healthify recipes using affordable quality ingredients. I am a writer by profession, mostly known for my feelgood stories about people, travel and food.

ipohbunny

I love all sorts of cakes, but carrot cake is sacr I love all sorts of cakes, but carrot cake is sacred territory.

My mum used to make it. Her cakes were wondrously crumbly and moist, and filled with so many goodies (We Ipoh people call it "toh liu") that nothing sold outside has ever, ever come close. 

Until @grumpyoldman_bakes

I didn't plan on ordering his cake, honestly. But I'd had to rush back to Ipoh for an emergency, and after some very stressful days, I figured I deserve a cake. Cakes make everything better right?

I'd read him waxing lyrical about his carrot cake and against my better judgement, I decided to order one. Gulp, risky. But what's life without some risk?

He was so sweet and helpful in his interactions, and even tolerated my unnecessary rambling (I express to destress). 

When I popped the box lid open, I gasped at how pretty it was. The whole cake was covered in thick frosting and topped with fresh walnuts. 

And then I cut a slice for mum and was even more shocked. You could see the grated carrot and nuts - it was so generous portioned - but the proof was in the tasting. MUm's tasting, to be exact.

She took a  bite and smiled approvingly. "It's so moist inside!"

That is the HIGHEST compliment, in my opinion, one can ever pay a carrot cake. So many out there guilty of dry, pebbly abominations. 

I took a bite and immediately noticed how fresh it tasted. And, I realised, tears springing to my eyes, how close it was to Mum's version, which I last ate more than 20 years ago. 

Thank you Chris for awakening these wonderful memories. 

#carrotcake #grumpyoldmanbakes #ipohbaker #homebaker #ipohhomebaker
I made my own #salmon #gravlax!!! #achievementunlo I made my own #salmon #gravlax!!! #achievementunlocked

It was not bad, just too salty but I have an idea where I went wrong

1. I initially soaked the slab of fish in a mixture of salt, sugar, star anise, peppercorn - and pickle juice because one of the chef recipes indicated so. 

2. However, when I read some other recipes, I realised none of them recommended soaking the fish in any liquid. In fact the salt is supposed to draw the liquid out of the salmon. True enough, when I checked the salmon after 18 hours, I found the flesh was still soft and raw. I suspected the culprit was the brine, so I poured it away. 

3. Then I packed on some more salt and wrapped it tightly in cling film and poked holes to let the liquid drain. I did it this way because I feel nervous about putting a heavy slab on top of the fish - scared the weight will break the fridge shelves!

4. Anyway, I think my method worked because after 36 hours, the flesh had firmed up visibly so I knew curing had taken place. Yay!

5. I could slice it quite easily, even though I didn't have a sharp knife. However, it was definitely too salty. More Googling. Turns out that I should use coarse kosher salt, instead of regular table salt otherwise the salmon would be too salty. Ah.

All in all, a pretty decent effort for a first timer. One more notch on my culinary belt :)

Edit: Just had an idea. I can always make salmon pate. By mixing the salmon with other ingredients, I redistribute the saltiness, so the salt is less concentrated. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPUfeKMpdGB/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

#salmongravlax #homemadegravlax #homecooking #Malaysianhomecook #cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #fish #easyrecipe
OK, @higherground.my is an unapologetic Instagram OK, @higherground.my is an unapologetic Instagram bait - and I'm an unapologetic Gen Xer with the heart of a #cafehopping Gen Z-er 😀

I wanted to come since spotting it on @penangfoodie So did half the Penang Gen Z population too. Though I think my hubby and I probably increased the median age by at least 20 years when we stepped in, haha! 

Flat white (RM14) and hot chocolate (RM16) were watery. Cakes looked generic, so didn't feel like trying. Hope the food will improve, cos the place is damn gorgeous.

Nice for people watching. 

#penangcafes #penangfoodie #cafehoppg #coffee #coffeegram #malaysiancafes #cafegram #cafespotting
@oowhitecoffee So did this super popular upmarket @oowhitecoffee

So did this super popular upmarket kopitiam live up to the hype?

One sentence: Come for the coffee. Which is really what made this place famous. Mum kept raving about how good her "kopi oh ping" was and my Kopi ais was excellent too. You can take away the coffee in convenient bottles too, which I found out is quite common in Penang outlets with a strong coffee brand like Stall 76 Batu Lanchang, SBK Concept etc. 

Other pros: clean, comfortable, elderly-friendly environment. When asked how his chicken hor fun was, Dad commented, "Tastier than the Ipoh version." He downed the whole bowl of soup! Both their HK and Portuguese egg tarts were well made. 

The cons: Mum was not impressed with the hokkien mee. In fact, I have yet to find one in Penang that meets her sky-high standards. As for my nasi lemak I believe I can cook better sambal and rice lah 😅 (thank you @che_nom) though the tasty fried chicken made up for it. Hubs' tan chi (softboiled egg over buttered toast) was nothing to shout about but he did say the bread was good, as it was soft and had body, like brioche. 

Be forewarned. If you arrive after 8am on a weekend, good luck to you circling around the area looking for parking. I dragged my parents out at 7.20am. We came before twice at 9+am and lunchtime, both unsuccessful because there was just no parking in the vicinity. Oh and expect higher than average Penang prices, though I think KL folks won't feel much pain paying RM10+ for a bowl of noodles 😂

#oowhitecoffee #foodblogger #Malaysianfoodblogger #kopitiam #penangfood #Penangkopitiam #Malaysianfoodie #penangcafe
After trying out so many famous #Nyonyarestaurant After trying out so many famous  #Nyonyarestaurants, Bibik's Kitchen remains my undisputed No 1 choice. Yes, it's not so well known nor does it appear on that many "best of" lists, but that's because the food here is cooked home-style. Nor are they active on socmed. 

Meaning the taste is not so commercial because there is no msg, no excessive amounts of salt or chilli - the dishes are made using generations-old family recipes.

And guess what? One of the most critical foodies I know gives it the thumbs-up. My mum :)

I was nervous about bringing her because as a terrific cook herself, her standards are damn high. But she was sold after her first bite of her favourite dish  #otak-otak, which she praised for its super smooth texture, subtle flavours with a strong but not overwhelming fragrance of daun kaduk. "Mum's otak-otak also tastes like this," she commented, referring to herself la. Translation: that's the pinnacle of praise 🤣

Otak2 aside, Bibik's chicken dishes are some of the best. This round, I haven't found Penang any chicken #karikapitan that comes close, and the #inchikabin is superb as well. 

And if you come for lunch, you must try the #Nyonyakuih here, which is actually sold in Kuih by Bibik, run by the Mum Girlie on nearby Lebuh Clarke 

Kuih by Bibik's is THE BEST Penang #nyonyakuih I've eaten - and only a few ppl know because the Nyonya Girlie makes it in very small batches. Unlike the commercially made versions, you can really taste the difference in terms of the quality of ingredients. My mum and I can both make Nyonya kuih (OK I can only make kuih bingka) so we know our stuff lah :p

#penangfood #nyonyacuisine
One of the more delicious discoveries I've made re One of the more delicious discoveries I've made recently in Ipoh, @hyggebakehouseipoh is a cosy #Ipohbakery making their own #shokupan (fluffy and soft while retaining a nice bite) #sourdough and all kinds of cakes, cookies and desserts, including one of the best #brownies I've eaten - very chocolatey and almost as fudgy as @718pizza (which also makes a killer giler-fudgy brownie). Luckily the cafe is quite far from my house, or else very dangerous for my diet haha. Proud too that the quality of bakeries in Ipoh is Comparable to KL. The inside-flowy basque cheesecake at @girliescafe
remains my all time favourite.

Glad I followed your recommendation @milockosong 🤗

#Ipoheats #Ipohcafes
No chicken? Eat duck lor :P Stumbled across @what No chicken? Eat duck lor :P

Stumbled across @whattheducksetia when it was a quirky little cafe on Nagore Road many years ago. Was so impressed by the quality of the food - its fine dining but at such humane prices.

Today, we visited its new incarnation at Setia Spice and the food is as tasty as ever. 

Hubs had the set dinner of duck confit (delectable! I actually crunched the bones!), passion fruit tea, soup and dessert while I had the spicy Indonesian bek bek pasta.

Man, I miss this ❤️

#whattheduck #duckconfit #penangfood #duck
Here's another #cheat #hack you can use if you rea Here's another #cheat #hack you can use if you really feel like eating chicken rice but can't be bothered with the whole song and dance to make proper chicken rice.

Your lifesaver? This super handy, super tasty Bentong ginger paste that I discovered in a market in Pulau Tikus market!!

What else you'll need?
1) Chicken rubbed with salt
2) Chicken stock
3) Rice

That's it!! 

Now, everybody knows that for good chicken rice, the RICE is probably more important than the chicken itself.  It's got to be a flavour bomb, literally. So how do you achieve that?

This is where the magic of the Bentong ginger paste comes in.  Aside from ginger and garlic, it's also seasoned with oyster sauce, salt, etc as well as oil which has been flavoured with all those seasonings. What I did was scoop up a few tsp of the flavoured oil, mix it with the rice and chicken stock, cook it in my rice cooker, and voila, chicken rice! Simple kan?

As for the chicken, just steam it with the ginger paste for 20 minutes and voila, the most delicious chicken rice with just three ingredients!

#3ingredientrecipes #kitchenhack #Chinesecooking #chinesecuisine #homecook #Malaysianhomecook #homechefs #weeknightdinners #easyrecipes
It's been ages since I made #samwongtan or steamed It's been ages since I made #samwongtan or steamed three eggs, the Chinese classic comfort food. I got myself a century egg and salted duck egg from the Batu Lanchang market so decided to make it again.

How do you get flawless steamed 3 eggs?

1. Use an egg: liquid ratio of 1: slightly less than 2. Yes, 2 is the gold standard but I found it just a little on the side of watery so a bit less will do the trick. For the liquid, you can use either water or stock. If you use water, just season more.

2. Whisk the egg mixture until lump free before steaming. 

3. When you are ready to steam, place the egg custard on the steaming tray only when the water is boiling already. Then reduce to medium low and steam for 10 min.

If you have any other good tips, pls leave them in the comments below :) 

#Chinesecooking #homecook #homecooking #eggs #eggdishes #healthyeating #steamedeggs #foodie #Malaysianhomecook #vegetarian #eggrecipes #vegetarianrecipes
Load More… Follow on Instagram

Latest recipes

  • Pistachio Pesto Pasta
  • Nyonya Heritage Food at KUEH by Bibik’s Kitchen, Penang
  • Beef Noodles at Kuan Soo Noodle Stall, ICC Pudu
  • Mum’s Fried Beehoon
  • Chicken Confit
  • Stir-fried Cabbage with Miso
  • Parmesan-Crusted French Toast
  • Teriyaki Chicken Poke Bowl
  • Garlic Fried Rice
  • Onion Jam

Categories

Tags

Asian cookingbananasbreakfastcakecheat recipechickenChinese cookingeggsF & B entrepreneurfishfried beehoonfusionkid-friendlyKorean cookingnoodlesnyonya cookingNyonya cuisineone-pan mealpastaPenang foodPeranakanprawnsricesaladsang har meensweettraditional foodveganvegetablesvegetarian
  • Braised Fuchuk Fish Head Chinese
  • Gulai Labu (Pumpkin Curry) Malay
  • Pistachio Pesto Pasta Noodles & Pasta
  • Stir-fried Cabbage with Miso Chinese
  • Parmesan-Crusted French Toast Breakfast & Brunch
  • Mum’s Fried Beehoon Noodles & Pasta
  • Chicken Confit One-pot meal
  • Lead
    Claypot Chicken Rice Chinese
  • Nyonya Heritage Food at KUEH by Bibik’s Kitchen, Penang Food review
  • Beef Noodles at Kuan Soo Noodle Stall, ICC Pudu Chinese
  • Teriyaki Chicken Poke Bowl Japanese
  • Woo Thau Koh (Yam Cake) 芋头糕 Cakes & Sweets
  • Braised Turmeric Chicken Chinese
  • Luxurious Chicken Porridge Chinese
  • Nyonya Otak-otak Eggs

Most Viewed Posts

  • Braised Yee Mee (26,439)
  • Sang Har Meen (5,475)
  • Artisan Handmade Bread: Surviving MCO (4,963)
  • Braised Fuchuk Fish Head (4,398)
  • Nyonya Otak-otak (4,312)

Copyright © 2022 Cook with Ipohbunny.

Powered by PressBook News WordPress theme