Beef Noodle Bowl with Tyler's Japanese Beef Broth for Tyler Florence Fridays

No, you didn't sleep through the weekend and even though I am posting soup today, it isn't Souper Sunday. This is a two soup week because this one is for Tyler Florence Fridays. I finally realized that the one Tyler cookbook I have not cooked out of yet is his Dinner At My Place so I spent some time going through it. I found myself drawn to the "Recipes" section at the back of the book; Tyler's self-proclaimed "cheat sheet" of standby recipes and ideas. This recipe for Japanese Beef Broth (page 237) caught my eye and I decided to make it and use it as the base for a hearty and delicious Beef Noodle Bowl.

Japanese Beef Broth

Dinner At My Place, Tyler Florence

(Makes 2 quarts)

2 quarts reduced-sodium beef broth

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

6 dried shitake mushrooms

1 sheet kombu (dried seaweed)

2 Tbsp sugar

2 1" pieces of ginger, peeled and sauced

1 1/2" cups 1-inch sliced green onion

8 oz thinly sliced beef tenderloin

Combine all the ingredients, except green onion and tenderloin, in a large stockpot. Place pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer, covered for 1 hour. Remove kombu and ginger. Add the green onion and beef and simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes, until beef is just cooked. Serve with cooked noodles (such as udon or ramen noodles) or use as a base for other recipes.

Beef Noodle Bowl

1 quart Tyler's Japanese Beef Broth 

1/2 cup baby carrots, julienned

1/3 cup daikon radish, sliced thinly

1/2 cup fresh mushrooms

6 oz thinly sliced beef tenderloin

1/2 cup 1-inch slices of green onion

1 package udon noodles (fresh preferred)

freshly ground black pepper

Make broth per Tyler's recipe above, (up to the point of adding the onion and beef). Bring broth back to a boil, add carrots and daikon, turn down heat and simmer 5-7 minutes, until carrot is softened. Add mushrooms, tenderloin, green onion and udon noodles and simmer 2-3 minutes, until beef is just cooked. Garnish with black pepper and serve in bowls with chopsticks--be prepared to slurp.

Notes/Results:  A very flavorful and delicious broth that makes a yummy bowl of soup or noodles. It gives it a nice "homemade" quality and has much more depth of flavor than the low-sodium stock alone has. I threw a couple of star anise in with the kombu and spices because I like the flavor it has when paired with beef. I used some fresh mushrooms in the noodle bowl (to have a more chewy texture than the re-hydrated ones give), and added some daikon radish and carrots. Since I just used a quart of the broth for the noodle bowls and put the rest in the freezer, I can change up the noodles and vegetables for a different soup later on. I think this also would be a great way to "flavor up" a low-sodium vegetable stock and the noodle bowl would be great with tofu. I will make this stock again. (The Chinese Chicken Stock recipe looks like it is worth a try too).

You can check out what the other Tyler Florence Friday participants made this week and what they thought of their choices at the TFF site here.

Have a great weekend!