Shanxi Knife-Cut Noodles
山西刀削麵
Address
No. 120, Lane 248, Section 3, Xinyi Road, Da'an District, Taipei City, 106
City
TaipeiMRT Station
🚇 Guting
Here you can choose dark beef noodle soup or the lighter tomato-infused clear broth, you can even get the beef noodle soup with tomatoes, which is what our friend recommended. She had been coming here since she was a kid, so it was evident that it was a neighborhood favorite as the small restaurant was packed with locals.
Foods Available Here
Beef Noodle Soup
Beef noodle soup is a Chinese and Taiwanese noodle soup made of stewed or red braised beef, beef broth, vegetables and Chinese noodles. There are two common variations of beef noodle which differ in the way the broth is prepared. When soy sauce is added, the soup is called red roasted or braised beef noodles (紅燒牛肉麵). Braised beef noodles was reputedly invented by KMT's Sichuan Province recruits who fled from mainland China to Kaoshiung, Taiwan. Therefore, it is sometimes (misleadingly) referred to as "Szechuan Beef Noodle Soup" (四川牛肉麵). The red braised beef noodles is the most common type of beef noodle in Taiwan. The beef is often stewed with the broth and simmered, sometimes for hours. Chefs also let the stock simmer for long periods of time with bone marrow; some vendors can cook the beef stock for over 24 hours. This type of beef noodle tends to be spicy because doubanjiang and five-spice powder are sometimes added. However, the broth may also have a sweeter taste if the fat from the beef is simmered. There are several variations with the soy-based broth, such as spicy, tomato, garlic, and herbal medicine. The tomato variation (番茄牛肉麵) is popular in Taiwan and features chunks of tomatoes in a rich red-coloured soy-tomato broth.
Flaky Scallion Pancake
The flaky scallion pancake is savory, fried, crispy, and a little bit chewy. Similar to a standard scallion pancake, the notable difference is the skin can be easily pulled apart, and is thinner and lighter to eat. Most stands will often offer the option to add an egg and other toppings from basil to bacon to cheese.