Beef Noodle Soup (牛肉麵)

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds bone-in beef shank
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 scallion stalks chopped into large pieces
4 slices of ginger
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground bean sauce (dou ban jiang)
1 tsp spicy soybean paste
1 tsp sha cha barbeque sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 dried star anise
6 cups water
noodles
Optional:
spinach or other leafy greens
pickled mustard greens (suan cai)
cilantro
scallions

Directions:

Cut beef shank into 2 inch cubes, trimming excess fat.  If desired, blanch beef and bone in boiling water for 1 minute and remove.  In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat oil and stir fry scallions, ginger and garlic until fragrant.  Add beef, brown sugar, ground bean sauce, spicy soybean paste, sha cha bbq sauce and soy sauce and cook until meat is browned.  Add water, star anise, and bone, bringing soup to boil.  Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 1.5 to 3 hours until meat is tender (check after 1 hour).  Remove bone, star anise, scallions, ginger, and garlic pieces before serving.

Serve soup over noodles with leafy greens and chopped condiments (suan cai, cilantro, scallions), as desired.