Spicy Beef Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

6 cups of cold water

6 slices of ginger

3 large spring onions, cut in half

1/4 cup Shaoxing wine

1.3kg of good quality braising steak, diced into large but bite-sized chunks

3 tbsp oil

2 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns

25 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 large onion, diced

4 star anise

4 bay leaves

1/4 cup of spicy bean paste

1 large tomato, diced

1/2 cup of light soy sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 large peel of tangerine

200g flat rice noodles

Chopped coriander and finely sliced spring onion to garnish

Instructions:

1. Fill a large pot with the water, ginger, spring onions, Shaoxing wine and beef. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for ten minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
2. In another large pot, heat the oil over medium low heat. Put the Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, bay leaves and tangerine peel in a muslin bag and add to the pot. Add in the garlic and onion and cook for about 10 minutes until the onion and garlic begin to soften. Stir in the spicy bean paste and then add in the diced tomato. Cook for a couple of minutes before stirring in the soy sauce and sugar. Remove from the heat.
3. Scoop out the beef, spring onions and ginger from the first pot into a colander and rinse off the impurities before transferring to the second pot. Now pour in the stock through a fine strainer. Turn the heat up high and bring the soup to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for an hour and a half.
4. Turn off the heat but keep covered and allow the flavours to develop for an hour. Remove the muslin bag as well as the ginger slices if you like. Remember to reheat before serving.
5. Cook your noodles in a separate pot and put some in your serving bowls before adding in the beef, hot broth, coriander and spring onion. Enjoy!