This Beef Pares Mami is the Filipino version of pho and is equally tasty. Tender pieces of beef are cooked slowly until meltingly tender in a perfectly seasoned and spiced broth. Fresh egg noodles are then added to make a mouthwateringly delicious soup that is perfect for the entire family!
Well, we can no longer escape it! The chilly fall mornings (even winter in some places!) are here and, boy, do we feel it in our bones! My favorite open-toed slip-on wedge shoes have now been replaced by my comfy Ugg boots and I can no longer wear anything sleeveless or I’ll freeze! Yup, fall and, in its heels, winter is here to stay for the next several months. Dress up well and get ready!
I live in New England, in Connecticut in particular, so like many who reside here, our favorite season is fall. And why not? The entire landscape is replaced with magical gorgeous colors of fall all over. Below is a photo of East Rock Park (just to give you a flavor) and we live just behind this rock and right across the park with the entrance just meters away from us. Since we pass through the park on a daily basis this is pretty much the sight we see every day! How can I not love fall?
It’s a shame fall is such a short season as I wish it could be like this for a long time. Thankfully, the fall season in coastal Connecticut generally does not peak until the last week of October (and extends up to early November) so we can enjoy a longer fall compared to other places. We lived in Holland, MI for 10 years before coming to CT and while they do have gorgeous fall colors there, too (especially in the UP!) it’s gone by early to mid-October.
Here’s a video of the awesome fall colors in East Rock Park.
How that you have feasted your eyes with these amazing fall colors, let me tantalize your palate with this deliciously perfect fall and winter soup!
Beef Pares Mami is a classic noodle soup from the Philippines. It is so hugely popular that even though it’s in soup form it is actually considered street food and you can find it being sold in many avenues, roads, and corners all over Metro Manila and beyond. You know it’s big when this soup is eaten day-in-day-out even in the midst of summer heat. People don’t care because this is their comfort food in a bowl!
The first time I tried this many years ago in the streets of Manila, I just ordered a bowlful in one of the food stalls prevalent in the area. It’s not upscale or posh food at all and more like a working-class food and that’s what I love about it. It’s hearty, wholesome, delicious and a favorite of everyone. I feel like I am eating a bowl of soup with 100 Million Filipinos at the same time each time I have it. It truly is comfort food at it’s best.
Proof that this is such a delicious beef soup is the fact this recipe has been featured in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette – Let’s Eat: What’s Pares Mami? A pho that’s so satisfying. I am not surprised because it’s such a tasty noodle soup.
The best thing is, this Pares Mami can be made so easily at home – in fact, the recipe version in the book is a shortcut recipe so you can enjoy this without waiting hours and hours just to get a tasty soup. The base is either a homemade or storebought (your choice) beef stock or broth. The spices add such a subtle but tasty flavor to the broth and since the meat is cooked in it – you get all that meaty flavor from the beef. All of that combine to make a truly tasty soup without too much fuss or fancy!
So when I made my cookbook – Rice. Noodles. Yum. (Everyone’s Favorite Southeast Asian Dishes), I knew right away that Beef Pares Mami has to be included! You can find it among other yummy recipes in the chapter featuring Satisfying Soups for that’s exactly what this Beef Pares Mami is.
Our cookbook has 75 rice and noodles recipes and each is accompanied with a full-color photo of the finished dish. Check it out below.
GET IT HERE ➡️ Amazon > https://goo.gl/zk7XWX
Barnes & Noble > https://goo.gl/QYXWTz
Book-A-Million > https://goo.gl/QYQxGH
IndieBound – https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781624147715
With a variety of authentic popular fried rice dishes, noodle favorites like Pad Thai, Pansit, Pho Bo, Mie Goreng and so much more, plus the yummiest street food and sweet treats – this cookbook has a recipe for everyone! It’s like traveling to South East Asia without having to leave home.
Going back to the yummy soup, when the wintry blues hit you – hit back with this might bowl of Beef Pares Mami!
Beef Pares Mami (Filipino Beef Noodle Soup)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp cooking oil of choice
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 2.2 lbs (1 kg) chuck roast or beef brisket, cut into bite-sized cubes and seasoned with 1 tsp each of salt and pepper
- 4 cups (1 L) beef broth or beef stock, homemade or storebought
- 4 cups (1 L) water
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 star anise, dried
- 1 1/2 tbsp (23 ml) soy sauce, or to taste
- 1 1/2 tbsp (23 g) sugar
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 lb (455 g) package cooked egg or mami (chow mein) noodles, blanched briefly in hot water then drained
- 1 napa or savor cabbage, shredded coleslaw-style
- green onions or scallions, sliced thinly
- hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved, for serving
- fried garlic, for serving
- red chili, sliced, for serving
- lime slices, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add the beef cubes and cook for 20 minutes, turning the meat halfway through the cooking time, until the beef is browned all over and has released its fat. Add the beef broth and water to the pan, then add the cinnamon sticks and star anise. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the meat is tender, between 11⁄2 and 2 hours. Season the broth with the soy sauce, sugar and salt and pepper, to taste.
- Ladle the noodles into individual bowls and top with a portion of the cabbage
and green onions. Then ladle the hot soup and beef cubes on top. Garnish with
the fried garlic and red chili (optional). Serve with lime slices on the side.
Last updated on May 19th, 2020 at 04:23 pm
This soup is to die for! We made it for some homey comfort, and the flavors are such a delicious combination. Thank you for the recipe.
This was basically a bowl of the best comfort food ever. I will certainly make it again and probably double the eggs- that was one of my favorites parts with the delicious broth.
Your filipino noodle soup is popping with flavors. I think my favorite part is the rich, punchy broth and I love those toppings. I could eat bowl after bowl…
We don’t have any restaurants in our area that make noodles. I can’t wait to make it, have saved for now.
What more could you want in a dish?! This looks so easy and satisfying!
YES! This is the ultimate comfort food. Love your version of beef pares mami!
This is such a bowl of goodness! I love everything about this dish! Will definitely make again!
Pinay here, from New Haven. Hope I get to meet you one day!
Author
Hello Catherine! Thanks for stopping by. That would be great, perhaps after this pandemic. Glad to know another Pinay lives in NH. See ya!
thanks for this! gonna try this week *rainy season here in PH*
Author
Glad you stopped by and enjoy it. You can customize the spices and seasonings to your liking. Stay safe.
Have been following your recipes. I tried your beef pares mami and it is really good. I am a friend of some of your aunts.
Author
Thanks for letting us know po and glad to know you enjoyed these beef pares! Salamat.
Must try!
Made this 3 nights ago and the entire family loved the Pho flavors. I used Chuck Roast and my 87 year old mom asked what beef I used as the meat was moist. I told her I seared in the flavors. Will definitely add this to the mix! Thank you.
Author
So glad you enjoyed this! Thanks for letting us know.