Taiwanese Beef Noodle

Han Character: 牛肉麵

Taiwanese Hokkien Pronunciation: gû-bah-mī

Mandarin Pinyin Pronunciation: niú-ròu-miàn

What is it?: Melt in your mouth chunks of beef, rice noodles (flat wide or thin), beef soy sauce broth soup, spices, a few vegetables and topped with green onion, suan cai (optional)

How to Eat It: Eating with chopsticks and a Taiwanese soup spoon. Put some noodles and broth on your spoon and eat at the same time or take a bite of noodle and sip soup in-between bites. Add suan cai (usually located at the center of the table or a side table), chili sauce (if you like spicy), you can also order cold side dishes to go with your noodles.

*Hint: There's usually many varieties of beef noodles on the menu. Some have a mix of tendons and beef, tripe, or just broth and noodle. If you don't know which one to order, you can always ask for the one most popular (zhāopái - 招牌).

I like ordering with just beef in mine (nothing fancy), although I put lots of suan cai into my broth. It gives it a little crunch and texture to the noodles and I feel a little healthier because I'm eating more vegetables...even if it is pickled.

Taste: The broth should be full of depth while the noodles should be a little chewy and not overcooked. The beef should melt in your mouth without much chewing effort. The dish should be a perfect combination of rich and savoury with a hint of sweet and and spice.

Where Can I Find it?: Noodle shops that sell mainly beef noodle, local restaurants

Cost: ~$70-120nt & up

History: Sichuan Kuomintang veterans introduced it to Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War, it is considered a national dish and every year Taipei hosts an annual Beef Noodle Festival, where various chefs and restaurants compete for the title of the "best beef noodles in Taiwan."