Wagyu beef soup noodle

Ingredients

• 2 bay leaves
• 2 black cardamom pods
• 2 star anise
• 1 tsp (5 ml) Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 tsp (5 ml) fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) goji berries
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) peanut oil
• 3 spring onions, white part sliced into 2 cm stalks, greens saved for garnish
• large thumb-sized piece of ginger, sliced (skin on)
• 2 shallots, sliced
• half a head of garlic
• two large tbsp Chinese chilli bean paste
• 1L (about 4 cups) beef bone broth
• 100ml (about 3.4 fl oz) Shaoxing cooking wine
• 30ml (2 tbsp) soy sauce
• 15ml (1 tbsp) dark soy sauce
• thumb-sized piece of rock sugar
• 2 heads bok choy
• 600g (1.3 lbs) Wagyu beef sirloin (or fillet)
• 1kg (2.2 lbs) fresh wheat noodles

Directions

1. Toast the spices in a dry pan over medium-high heat. Once toasted, place them in cheesecloth and tie tightly.
2. In a large pot with a lid, add the oil and bring to temperature. Then add the ginger, spring onion whites, and shallots. Cook, stirring frequently, until they develop a nice dark colour.
3. Add the garlic and Chinese chilli bean paste. Stir well and let it cook for 3-4 minutes before adding the beef bone broth and the toasted spices wrapped in cheesecloth.
4. Next, add the soy sauces, Shaoxing wine, black vinegar, and rock sugar. Stir well, bring to a simmer, and place the lid on. Simmer on low to medium heat for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally to prevent catching on the bottom.
5. For the garnishes, slice the bok choy heads in half and set aside. Thinly slice the spring onion greens. Slice the beef thin, removing any chewy sinew or silver skin (add any beef trimmings to the broth pot).
6. When ready to serve, boil water in a large pot. Cook one portion of noodles for 1.5-2 minutes. Once cooked, remove the noodles and place them into a warm bowl. Blanch the bok choy in the same water.
7. On top of the hot noodles in the bowl, add the beef, then the blanched bok choy, and finally pour over some of the broth. Garnish with the spring onions and enjoy.