Chef Tran Le Thanh Thien in his cooking series From Nature to the Table (Photo courtesy of Tran Le Thanh Thien)

A: Hello and welcome to Food Delight, your weekly feature bringing fresh inspiration into your kitchen.

B: Today, we’re heading to the peaceful, dreamy city of Da Lat, a place known for its flower gardens, vegetable patches, and fruit farms.

A: It’s this gentle, nature-filled setting that inspired Chef Tran Le Thanh Thien to create his cooking series From Nature to the Table.

“My project is set in Da Lat, in a small, charming vegetable garden filled with lettuce, scallions, and various herbs. The project aims to promote a healthy lifestyle, mindful eating and drinking, nutritious food, and organic ingredients. Today, I’m introducing Canadian beef shank noodles. Canadian beef shank is tender and juicy, and when slowly braised with herbs, it becomes rich and flavorful. It is then served with noodles for a hearty, comforting dish,” Thien said.

B: Let’s follow chef Thien to the garden and harvest some vegetables for Canadian beef shank noodles.

A: To make Canadian beef shank, it requires a number of ingredients to prepare. The cooking process begins with blanching the beef shank briefly in boiling water. This step removes impurities and helps ensure a clear broth later.

B: After blanching, the beef is rinsed clean and set aside, while the aromatics are prepared.

“To prepare this dish, you’ll need one kilogram of Canadian beefshank and several ingredients to make the base. Heat oil over medium heat. Sauté ginger, garlic, and scallions until fragrant for about 3–4 minutes. Add the fermented soybean pastes and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in the white wine and soy sauce, stir gently, and cook for about 3 more minutes,” Thien said.

“Add tomatoes, carrot, apple, rock sugar, onion, the beef shank, and 3 liters of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1–2 hours until the beef is tender,” he added.

A: Fresh vegetables are essential: tomatoes bring acidity, carrots add sweetness, and a small amount of apple provides a subtle, natural tang.

B: Instead of refined sugar, Chef Thien uses rock sugar, which melts slowly and gives the broth a clean sweetness.

A: Once the beef is tender, Thien removes the beef and plunges it into ice water for it to firm up. Now, we have beef and broth. But that’s not all. Thien elevated the braised beef broth with a number of traditional herbs.

“For the herbal mix, we have goji berries, fennel seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, 2 star anise, cinnamon stick, ginger, and licorice root. Place all herbs into a spice bag and continue simmering for another 30 minutes to develop a rich herbal broth. Finally, strain the broth, season to taste, and you’ll have a clear, flavorful stock,” said Thien.

B: The herbal spice mix is one of the most distinctive parts of this dish. Chef Thien also recommended preparing an accompaniment which includes Chin Su soya sauce, minced garlic, minced red chili, pickled mustard greens, finely sliced, sugar, and a little salt. Mix all ingredients and serve as a side topping. It is optional but if you can make it, it will bring your dish to the next level.

Canadian beef shank noodle soup made by chef Tran Le Thanh Thien (Photo courtesy of Tran Le Thanh Thien)

A: Now comes the most awaited part: serving the noodles.

B: Before serving, the broth is carefully strained, removing all the solids and leaving a clear, rich soup. Meanwhile, the noodles, whether fresh or egg noodles, are cooked separately until just tender, with a perfect bite.

A: Fresh garden greens, such as mustard greens or rainbow chard, are quickly blanched to keep their vibrant color and natural crunch. To assemble the bowl, noodles go in first, topped with thinly sliced beef shank and the blanched greens.

B: Hot, aromatic herbal broth is then poured over the bowl, bringing all the elements together.

A: The dish is finished with a light drizzle of soy sauce, a touch of sesame oil, freshly ground black pepper, chopped scallions, and cilantro.

B: Served on the side, pickled mustard greens add a bright, tangy note, giving each bite extra balance and contrast.

A: And that brings us to the end of today’s Food Delight. Thank you for spending this moment with us. Until next time, keep cooking with care, eat well, and let food bring a little more calm into your day.