作法
- 牛腱與牛骨入沸水汆燙5分鐘，瀝出沖洗——這樣能熬出清澈湯頭。
- 厚底鍋中火熱油，下豆瓣醬炒3分鐘——油色應轉深紅、醬香烘出焙香。
- 下蒜、薑、青蔥、八角、肉桂、丁香與花椒爆香90秒。
- 下汆好的牛肉拌炒裹勻香料。倒入紹興酒煮30秒，再加深色與淡色醬油、冰糖與番茄塊。
- 倒入3公升水與牛骨，煮至微滾後加蓋，最小火燉煮2.5小時。牛肉應軟到叉子可輕鬆插入，湯頭呈深沉鹹香、深琥珀色、表面略浮油光。
- 撈出牛肉切1公分厚片。湯以細濾網過濾。麵條以無鹽水另外煮至剛軟。青江菜入湯燙30秒。麵盛入深碗，淋上熱湯，擺上牛肉片、青江菜與酸菜。酸菜不可省略——少了它，整碗就缺了那道酸味對位。
Common questions
Can 牛肉麵 be made ahead?
牛肉麵 is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 180 minutes.
Is 牛肉麵 spicy?
牛肉麵 as written is mild to mildly warming — the heat comes from aromatics rather than chili. Add fresh sliced chili or chili oil at the end if you'd like to push it spicier.
Is 牛肉麵 vegetarian or gluten-free?
This recipe is suitable for most diets. If you have specific restrictions, the substitutions section in each ingredient note covers the most common swaps.
How hard is 牛肉麵 to make at home?
牛肉麵 sits at intermediate difficulty — total time about 205 minutes. The ingredients are not unusual but the timing requires attention.
Can 牛肉麵 be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 4 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
文化背景
牛肉麵是台灣最具代表性的料理——1949年後由跟著國民政府來台的四川老兵創出，將四川式紅燒牛肉適應島上食材而成。台北牛肉麵節（自2005年起每年舉辦）便為它而設，城裡有上百家牛肉麵專賣店。紅燒派是川—台招牌，清燉派也並行。麵上那把酸菜絕對少不了——它切開湯的厚度，補上那一道發酵的清新。
