Instant Pot Taiwanese Beef Stew
by Instant Pot Taiwanese Beef Stew originally is a famous Taiwanese Beef noodle soup recipe. The beef shanks are tender and super flavorful. If you love a good pot of beef soup/stew, definitely don’t miss this Paleo, Whole30, and Keto beef stew recipe!
The most flavorful beef shank stew – Instant Pot Taiwanese Beef Stew
Beef noodle soup is Taiwan’s most iconic dish. Everyone knows this dish and every household in Taiwan has its own method and ingredients when it comes to this national pride dish – beef noodle soup.
A few years ago when I started this blog I shared a stovetop version. This was back then when there was no Instant Pot available. The stovetop method delivers beautiful results however, it takes a lot more care to make the beef fall-of-the bone tender. So today I’m super excited to reveal my take on the iconic dish – Instant Pot Taiwanese Beef Stew.
The most underrated cut – beef shank
There are two types of beef shanks when you shop at specialized Chinese butcher stores – regular beef shanks and golden beef shanks. Now the latter term does not mean that the shank comes in golden color but rather it means the cut is higher end than the regular one.
The shape of the beef shank in Asian markets looks different from Western stores, such as WholeFoods. In Asian stores they are cut in long and lean tube shape and often without the bones whereas in Western stores the shanks are cut horizontally across the shank bone. In the recipe below, I use the Western style cuts.
Beef shanks are cheaper because they are considered ‘tougher meat’ that’s more chewy but if you shop at Asian stores, particularly Chinese stores, they are way more pricey. This is because most Asian recipes call for beef shanks to make beef stews, beef noodle soup, and braised shank appetizer.
I immediately realize that the price per pound is so much cheaper in Western markets so why not use them to make a pot of Instant Pot Taiwanese Beef Stew and share it with my lovely readers. The beef is so fragrant and tender. The broth is out of this world.
Stew or Soup?
The original Taiwanese beef noodle is a soup recipe. I use the same aroma and seasonings and turn the recipe into a beef stew. Be that as it may the stew liquid is on the more soupy side. And since the broth is very fragrant you can easily dilute the broth the next day and add some zoodles or any gluten-free or paleo friendly noodles to the broth. The stew liquid contains a lot of good-for-you beef gelatin so definitely worth saving every single bit!
I love how easy and straightforward it is to make my Instant Pot Taiwanese Beef Stew. My husband loves it over mashed sweet potatoes and I love pairing it with a side salad or cauliflower fried rice. Make a big pot and swap a few sides, you can easily create meal variety! And if you are looking for more ways to enjoy short ribs, you’ll love my Korean short ribs – Kalbi!
So my friends this Instant Pot Taiwanese Beef Stew is –
Tender
Super flavorful
Gorgeous stew
Fast, Easy
No added sugar
Paleo, Whole30, and Keto friendly.
If you make this Instant Pot Taiwanese Beef Stew, be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe. It’ll help my blog tremendously and I thank you in advance.
If sharing on Instagram, be sure to tag @iheartumami.ny. I’d love to see it!
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Instant Pot Taiwanese Beef Stew recipe
Video
Ingredients
Aromatics:
- 1 medium yellow onion, , roughly diced
- 10 large garlic cloves, , chopped
- 2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
- 1 piece red chili pepper, , serrano, fresno, or jalapeno, remove seeds
- One inch cinnamon stick
- 1 piece dry bay leaf
- 4 bulbs scallions, , chopped and separate white and green parts
Other:
- 4 large loose carrots, , diced to roughly 1 ½ inch chunks
- 3-4 medium size tomatoes, , roughly diced
- 3-4 whole pitted dates, , roughly break open in half use your hands. Omit for Keto
- 4-5 oz. fresh shiitake, , sliced (roughly 4 to 5 whole full size caps)
- Avocado oil, saute use
- Cilantro, garnish, optional
Beef:
- 2.5 lbs beef shank, , bone-in (Alt. short ribs, stew beef, or oxtail)
- Roughly ¼ tsp coarse salt + ¼ tsp ground black pepper per side
Stew seasonings:
- ⅔ cup beef stock
- ⅓ cup coconut aminos
- 1 tsp five spice powder
- 1 tsp coarse salt
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients under ‘Aromatics’ and ‘Other’. Set aside. Season the beef shank with coarse salt and pepper on both sides. Mix well beef stock with coconut aminos, five spice powder, and salt. Set aside in a bowl.
- In a 6-quart Instant Pot, press Saute. When the panel shows Hot, add 2 tbsp avocado oil, sear the beef about 3 minutes per side. Set them aside. If not enough oil in the pot add 1 to 1 ½ tbsp oil. Saute onion, garlic, ginger, chili pepper, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and white scallion parts. Season with a pinch of salt and saute until fragrant (about 15 seconds). Press cancel/keep warm.
- Add Stew seasonings. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the pot so nothing is stick to the bottom. Place beef on top of the aromatics. Add diced carrots, tomatoes, dates, and shiitake. Seal the lid and valve – Manual – High pressure – for 45 mins. Wait for 15 minutes before quick release.
- Carefully remove the beef shanks. Debone then add them back to the pot. Garnish with green scallion parts and cilantro, if using. Serve with a side of simple salad, mashed potatoes, or cauliflower/broccoli fried rice!
Notes
Nutrition
Love Instant Pot Recipes? Also check out my Instant Pot Vietnamese Brisket Pho, Instant Pot Vietnamese Beef Stew, Chinese Chicken Bone Broth, Instant Pot Butter Chicken, Pumpkin Chicken Korma, 1-minute Strawberry Compote, and Best Whole30 Instant Pot Recipes.
Can I make this with two small beef pot roasts instead of the shank? Thanks.
If they have bones it will be the best for flavor.
i made this at 11pm because i had defrosted my beef shank and i really had to cook it… man i just ate 2 pieces all by myself once it was done… that’s how delicious it was! thank you so much for sharing!!!
we love this dish. Cooking it for the second time. i only have dark soy. Last time i used light soy so hoping it will still be as tasty. also used dried chinese mushrooms that i soaked in the stock as didn’t have fresh. It smells delicious.
Wonderful!
Excellent!
This was SO GOOD! Total winner of a dish, super easy to prepare, incredibly flavorful.
I loved this recipe. I made it with parsnip noodles. The only thing I might do differently next time is either keep it to just one date or omit them. It was a little too sweet for me. Also might double up on the chili. Just a personal preference for me- I like Spicy and not sweet but that’s nothing to do with the recipe. The recipe is really solid and I’m really happy I tried It!
Can you post the 5 seasonings? The link isn’t working. 🙁
Hello Happy, thanks for letting me know. I just fixed the link to the five spice seasoning. Appreciate it!
The flavor combinations are really delicious! My family really enjoyed this recipe!
Forgot to rate in my last post.
Thank you so much!
This was amazing! My first time trying the instant pot. I didn’t understand how important it was to scape up all the brown bits, and then I got the “food burn” message, lol. Thanks so much, fantastic!
Love love love this recipe!!! So full of flavor, you can’t get enough. I was a little hesitant eating w the mashed sweet potatoes but Im glad I tried it. Excellent combination. Ive made this 6xs since I found it, during quarantine. Must try!
Oh WOw !That’s amazing. Love Taiwanese beef Stew!
OMG!!!! this was absolutely amazing. Making it again for the 2nd time in a week. The SO loved it, too.
So happy to hear. Thank you!
I made this with beef stew meat as that’s what I had on hand, soy sauce, leeks, cherry tomatoes and cremini mushrooms and it was fabulous, my whole family loved it and will add broth and water to serve with egg noodles for leftovers. Can’t wait to try it with the beef shank and shitakes!
Awesome! So happy to hear!