Jishou Beef Noodles

Jishou Beef Noodles

　　Jishou Beef Noodles is a specialty of Jishou City, Changde, Hunan Province. The noodles are delicious, fragrant, smooth, and not greasy. Along with Changsha’s stinky tofu, they are considered two of Hunan's most iconic local snacks.

　　Jishou Beef Noodles

　　Images of Jishou Beef Noodles

　　Jishou Beef Noodles is the most famous food in Jishou and is ranked among China’s top three rice noodle dishes alongside Guilin Rice Noodles and Yunnan Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles. There are nearly 5,000 stores across the country, making it nationally renowned. The most famous shops are Liu Longzi and Heji Rice Noodles. Liu Longzi, established in the 1940s, is known for being spicy, hot, fragrant, and fresh. Just the beef noodles come in three styles: clear stewed, red braised, and spicy. In addition, you can also enjoy various other flavors such as sour-spicy, shredded meat, beef, spareribs, chicken, three delicacies, tripe, pig’s trotters, cuttlefish, and even soft-shell turtle.

　　Famous Jishou Beef Noodle Shops: Liu Longzi Noodle Shop — Beef Noodle Recipe (Based on 20 lbs of beef)

　　Hawthorn 25g, Gardenia 8g, Sweet flag 8g, Agastache rugosa 20g, Cloves 25g, Galangal 30g, Bitter orange 25g, Fennel 40g, Angelica dahurica 25g, White cardamom 25g, Bay leaves 25g, Costus root 25g, Star anise 50g, Chinese wolfberry root-bark 25g, Peach kernel 25g, Cardamom 25g, Amomum tsao-ko 25g, Cinnamon twig 25g, Prickly ash 20g, Chili powder to taste (added separately), Sichuan peppercorns are not ground but used whole—grind the other 18 ingredients into powder and mix.

　　Do not alter the above recipe arbitrarily.

　　Jishou Beef Noodles — Preparation Method:

　　First Method

　　1. Marinating the beef: Evenly rub a suitable amount of salt onto fresh beef and marinate for 30 minutes.

　　2. Parboiling the beef: Cut the marinated beef into chunks, place them in a pot, add water and ginger slices, and bring to a boil for 15 minutes until the beef is just cooked (no red center). Then remove, and slice or dice the beef.

　　3. Processing the beef:

　　① Add an appropriate amount of salad oil to the pot. When the oil is 80% hot, add an appropriate amount of cinnamon twig, Sichuan peppercorns, and star anise, and fry until fragrant. Then remove them from the pot.

　　② Add an appropriate amount of beef tallow to the oil. Once melted, add the sliced beef and ginger slices, and stir-fry.

　　③ Add an appropriate amount of sugar, white liquor, salt, MSG, chili powder, and ground medicinal herbs. Stir-fry for a while, then add water and simmer.

　　④ Add red chili pigment (for color change; purple perilla oil can be used as a substitute). Simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, then add an appropriate amount of super umami seasoning until fully cooked. Note: To make purple perilla oil: first heat oil in a pot, place 5g of purple perilla in a strainer and fry in the oil until the oil turns purplish-red, then pour the red oil into the beef broth. To make red oil: 2 lbs salad oil, 2 lbs water, 0.5 lb chili slices, 1 lb chili powder, 5g purple perilla. First add oil and water to the pot, then turn on the heat, add chili slices and chili powder, stir well, boil off the water, remove the chilies, add purple perilla, stir until the color comes out.

　　Second Method

　　There is also a quick method: rinse off the blood foam under running water, cut into large chunks, place in a cold water pot, bring to a boil, skim off the blood foam, remove and slice thinly. Add five-spice powder, whole dried chili peppers, ginger slices, and bay leaves to the original broth, and simmer until tender.