Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

Gather the ingredients.

Make a spice sachet with the star anise, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, and white peppercorns.

Add the beef soup bones to a large soup pot. Add enough water to cover the bones and bring the water to a boil. Boil the soup bones for 3 minutes. Drain the bones and wash off any foam and residue from the bones. If using beef shank, boil the beef shank for 3 minutes and drain.

Brown the beef chuck or shank with 1 tablespoon of oil for 15 to 20 minutes in a big soup pot until the meat is caramelized. Set aside the browned beef on a plate.

Turn the heat to medium-low. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the soup pot. Add the garlic, ginger, green onions, onion, and chili.

Fry the aromatics until the garlic is lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

Add the sugar, spicy bean paste, and tomatoes. Fry until the tomatoes are softened, about 3 minutes.

Add the Shaoxing wine. Deglaze the soup pot by scraping the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pot.

Add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, spice sachet, browned beef cubes, and beef bones to the soup pot.

Turn the heat to high. Add enough water to cover the beef bones.

Once the soup is boiling, turn the heat down to a low simmer. Simmer the soup for 3 hours to stew the meat until tender.

After the soup has simmered for 3 hours, turn off the heat. Remove the beef cubes from the soup and set aside.

Strain the soup through a colander and discard the solids.

Cook your noodles according to the package instructions. Cook the bok choy in the boiling water while the noodles are cooking.

Assemble your beef noodle soup by placing the noodles, bok choy, and beef in a bowl. Ladle the strained soup into the bowl. Garnish with cilantro, pickled mustard greens, and chili oil to taste. Serve and enjoy!