Taiwan's national dish: melt-in-your-mouth cubes of beef shank simmered in a red broth fragrant with Chinese spices, served over wheat noodles with bok choy and fermented mustard greens.
Ingredients
- 1000 g Beef shank
- 1.5 l Beef stock
- 2 tbsp Spicy fermented bean paste (doubanjiang)
- 4 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Dark soy sauce
- 3 tbsp Rice wine (Shaoxing) or dry sherry
- 1 tbsp Rock sugar or brown sugar
- 2 pieces Star anise
- 1 piece Cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 pieces Whole dried chilis
- 2 leaves Bay leaf
- 30 g Fresh ginger
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 piece Onion
- 1 piece Ripe tomato
- 4 pieces Scallions
- 2 tbsp Neutral oil (sunflower)
- 400 g Chinese wheat noodles (or ramen)
- 4 pieces Bok choy
- 1 bunch Fresh cilantro
- 100 g Fermented Chinese mustard greens (suan cai)
- to taste Chili oil
Method
- Cut the beef shank into generous cubes, place them in a large pot of cold water, bring to a boil, and skim thoroughly. Once the water runs clear, drain the cubes and rinse under warm water to remove any lingering scum. Sensory cue: the meat should be clean, with no clinging brown foam.
- Dry-toast the whole spices (star anise, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, dried chilis, bay leaf) in the Dutch oven over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Set aside in a small bowl.
- In the same pot, heat the neutral oil and sweat the sliced ginger, crushed garlic, sliced onion, quartered tomato, and scallion whites. Cook gently until the onion is translucent and the tomato begins to break down.
- Push the aromatics to the side, add the doubanjiang to the open space, and sauté until the oil turns red and releases a rich aroma. Visual cue: bright red oil floats around the paste. Stir in the beef cubes to coat them, then deglaze with the rice wine.
- Add the light and dark soy sauces and rock sugar, stirring until dissolved. Return the toasted spices to the pot, then cover generously with the beef stock. Bring to a boil, skim one last time, then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Cover and simmer over very low heat for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. The beef is done when it yields easily to a fork while keeping its shape. Cue: the meat should be meltingly tender, not stringy.
- Remove the beef cubes and keep warm. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve to remove spices and aromatics, then skim the surface fat with a spoon or paper towel. Taste and adjust seasoning with a splash of soy sauce if needed.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the wheat noodles according to package instructions, keeping them slightly al dente. Drain, rinse briefly with hot water to remove surface starch, and divide among 4 large bowls.
- In the simmering broth, poach the whole bok choy for 1 to 2 minutes until the leaves are tender yet vibrant green. Drain and place over the noodles, along with the reheated beef cubes and fermented mustard greens.
- Ladle the boiling broth into each bowl, scatter generously with chopped cilantro and sliced scallion greens, and finish with a drizzle of chili oil. Serve immediately, piping hot.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 693.5 kcal
- Protein
- 45.43 g
- Carbohydrate
- 79.57 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 7.87 g
- Calcium
- 18.62 mg
- Iron
- 0.57 mg
- Magnesium
- 20.7 mg
