Chinese/taiwanese Beef Soup

Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1 beef shank
• 2 green onions
• 6 slices ginger
• 20 garlic cloves
• 1 sliced onion
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1 -2 tomato (optional)
• 3 teaspoons rice wine
• 3 teaspoons black bean sauce
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 6 star anise
• 10 cups water
• 4 tablespoons oil

Recipe

• 1 while you are cutting vegetables, bring a pot of water to boil. add the beef shank to the boiling water and simmer for about 10 minutes to remove any impurities.
• 2 remove beef shank from the boiling water and cut into desired size.
• 3 in a stock pot (if you don't have a rice/slow cooker to use) or a wok (if you plan to transition to a rice/slow cooker), heat up the oil on medium-high heat.
• 4 add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until the garlic is fragrant.
• 5 add the sliced onions to the pan and sauté until the onions are transparent.
• 6 add the black bean sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine and stir fry over medium heat for 1 minute. you can add the tomato at this point (optional).
• 7 add the beef back into the pot with the stir-fried ingredients.
• 8 if you plan to use the stock pot, add the star anise, green onions, and ginger (ideally in a spice sachet so you can remove easily later) and ~10 cups of water to the pot, bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for at least an hour.
• 9 if you are using a rice or slow cooker, transfer the contents to the rice/slow cooker container and add the star anise, green onions, and ginger (ideally in a spice sachet so you can remove easily later) and ~10 cups of water to the container. cook on low heat for at least an hour.
• 10 after broth is complete, let cool and store, or eat with noodles immediately. you can add additional water to taste. tip: cook noodles in a separate pot of water, then combine with the broth for best results.