Why? Because the first time I tried it, I knew that I had found a reliable, cheap and delicious dish that I could always count on to satisfy my hunger. As I was eating the tender beef accompanied by the rich broth, I couldn't help but think about all the good food I had missed out on while living in the U.S. Not only was I eating this incredible meal that was crammed full of flavor, but I was doing so for $5 in U.S. dollars!
This dish can be prepared in different ways, as some of the "faster" street food options can be prepared in a few minutes, while other places take a bit longer to prepare it. The place we tried was a small vendor on our street that prepares the food in front of you.
The chef first cooked the noodles in a pot. Then they mixed the noodles with prepared beef that had been stewing in broth. After that, they added some broth into a bowl and mixed it all together. The broth is oftentimes left to stew for hours to really let the flavor soak in. Finally, they garnished the food with lots of green onions, bok choy and chili!
This dish was created by people from the Sichuan province in mainland China who fled to Kaohsiung, Taiwan. For a long time, people in Taiwan did not like eating beef. However, as this dish became more popular, the taboo against eating beef was broken. Some historians think that the popularity of beef noodles is what allowed western food with lots of beef in it (such as hamburgers) to finally become popular in Taiwan. Many Taiwanese still call beef noodles their favorite dish and they oftentimes say that it reminds them of home!
