Pressure Cooker Beef Shank Noodle Soup – Noodle is served with tender and sinewy beef shanks slices and aromatic savory soup. Both pressure cooker and stove-top recipes included.
Pressure Cooker Beef Shank Noodle Soup
PRESSURE COOKER BEEF NOODLE SOUP
The inspiration of this dish came from the Taiwanese beef noodle soup that I made a while ago. I was craving for something lighter. This beef shank noodle soup is much “lighter” in terms of taste. I kept the seasonings ingredients simple. This version is definitely simpler to put together. It’s still aromatic and soup is not as deep brown in color too.
IS BEEF SHANK TENDER?
No it’s not. Not until you cook it for a really long time on the stove, or using slower cooker or like I did, pressure cooked the shank. Beef shank is one of my favorite cuts of beef to make stew and noodle soup like this. It does require long hours of cooking because it is lean, lots of muscle and sinewy (you can see why it’s not so popular 🙂 ), but majority of Asians like this cut of beef 😉
BEEF SHANK WITH PRESSURE COOKER
Why pressure cooker makes it easier? Cooking the beef shank on stove-top may take about 2-3 hours. It took me about 60 minutes of pressure cooking and 5 minutes to release pressure. We are talking about pressure cooking the entire 2 lbs of beef shank without cutting! If you cut it into chunks it may take somewhere form 35-40 minutes. It may not save you time drastically, but you can really just set and forget and go do something in that 1 hour.
WHERE TO FIND BEEF SHANK?
Like I’ve mentioned in my other post when I made Thai Beef Khao Soi using beef shank, beef shank is not very popular and not easy to find here in the regular main-stream grocery store. I usually find it in Asian grocery store and in boneless form too.
Thinly sliced beef shank
WHAT IS GOOD SUBSTITUTE FOR BEEF SHANK?
You can use oxtail or chuck. These two are perfect for slow cooking or pressure cooking like the shank.
HOW TO MAKE BEEF SHANK NOODLE SOUP IN PRESSURE COOKER
1. Parboil the beef shank
Parboiling will help to get rid of the scums or any impurities. Parboiling doesn’t affect the taste of the end product, not that I notice, it just gives you a “cleaner” looking soup. If you want to skip this step, it’s fine too, just scoop off any scums after pressure cooking.
2. Saute
Sauteing the aromatics and spices help to amplify the intensity of the flavor. Mom swears by this and so I get into a habit of doing this too.
3. Pressure cook for 60 minutes
Please take note that I cooked the whole slab of beef shank in the pressure cooker, so the cooking time takes a bit longer.
4. Rest before slice
Rest the meat for 10 minutes after pressure cooking. This helps to keep the meat moist and tender. If you slice immediately, you are risking losing all that “juice”.
TYPES OF NOODLES YOU CAN USE
Pretty much anykind. Rice noodles, wheat noodles, shirataki noodles (which is what you see in this post), ramen noodles, bean thread noodles.
I used shirataki noodles for lower carb version of this dish
Now, winter is coming (this sentence always gives me goose bumps)! This is another simple beef shank noodle soup to add to your pressure cooker recipe list 😉
Pressure Cooker Beef Shank Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless beef shank leave whole if using pressure cooker
- 8 cups water
Spices:
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise
- 3 bay leaves
Aromatics:
- 2 inch knob ginger sliced
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 large onion peeled and sliced
Seasonings:
- ½ cup shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp salt or more to taste
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 Tbsp Chinese bean paste or spicy kind
Serve with:
- Rice noodles, wheat noodles, or shirataki noodles enough for 4-6 servings
Garnishes:
- Finely chopped green onion
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Crispy fried shallots optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add beef shank and boil for about 5 minutes. Discard the water and rinse with cold water to get rid of any scum
Cooking with Instant pot pressure cooker:
- Press saute on instant pot, when it's hot, add 2 Tbsp of cooking oil. Add the aromatics and spices. Stir fry for about 5 minutes. Pour the rice wine to deglaze. Use a spatula to scrap the bottom of the pot if necessary. Add the rest of the seasonings followed by 8 cups of water. Give it a stir. Put the beef shank in there
- Cover the lid. Turn the steam release valve to seal. Press pressure cooker and then high pressure. Set timer to 60 minutes
- When the timer is done, wait 10 minutes and then release pressure entirely. Unlock the lid and carefully remove the beef shank from the pot into a cutting board. Wait 10 minutes and then thinly slice the beef shank
- Have a taste of the soup. Add more salt to your taste if needed
Cooking on stove-top:
- After parboiling the meat, cut into about 4-5 large chunks. In a large heavy-bottom pot, add 2 Tbsp of cooking oil. Add the aromatics and spices. Stir fry for about 5 minutes. Pour the rice wine to deglaze. Use a spatula to scrap the bottom of the pot if necessary. Add the rest of the seasonings followed by 8 cups of water. Give it a stir. Put the beef shank in there and cook for the next 1.5-2 hours or until the beef is tender
- Have a taste of the soup and add more salt to your taste if needed
Serving:
- Portion the noodle into bowls. Arrange few slices of beef shanks on top of the noodles. Generously ladle the soup over. Garnish with green onions and cilantro leaves. Serve immediately
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9 comments
Oh I think I used bone in shanks…can’t remember..its’s been a while. Taste is great and yummy lol..just the presentation which i am not really good at.
That could be most likely why your broth is darker in color, which is normal though, but yes, I understand some people don’t want the broth to be dark. But you know, I bet your broth tasted even better than mine because of the bone 😉
Hi
Not scum.It’s just my soup is more of dark brown color instead of clear bright color as your photo 🙂
Hmm… I wish I could give you the exact reason for the darker color. I’m not really sure why either. I assume you also used boneless shank? usually if there are bones, the color might be darker. How did it taste though?
i wonder why my soup didn’t turn out clear and light colored as your photos. I already blanched the oxtail/shanks prior cooking them in the Instant Pot. I thought because of the spices that I used but then again, I used same spices as you did.
Any clue?
Sorry I forgot to answer your question here. When you said “didn’t turn out clear” did you mean that you still see some scums even after blanching ?
Fantastic! Almost as good as what I love in my local Korean restaurant. Didn’t have the right noodles, used soba, still delish! Super easy too.
I’m so glad you like it C. Nice call for using soba. I like the idea that it’s simple too. Thank you for letting me know
This looks awesome Marv! I don’t think I’ve ever cooked with beef shank before, but totally need to try – I love those types of beef cuts. Loving the simplicity of the flavors in this…totally something I’d love to make for weekday meals!