Taiwanese Beef Soup

Yet another try- this time with a recipe from one of the Wei-Chuan cookbooks. This one serves six people. Start by heating a few tablespoons of peanut oil in a pot and stir frying:

• 3 green onions cut in 1" sections
  
• 3 slices of fresh ginger
  
• 3 cloves garlic
  

When the mixture is aromatic- it should smell like a good Chinese restaurant- add the following, one at a time, stirring while adding:

• 1-1/2 Tablespoons bean paste (from a Chinese grocery)
  
• 1-1/2 teaspoons hot bean paste (Chinese or Korean)
  
• 3/4c soy sauce
  

Now add:

• 2 lbs fat marbled beef, cut in 1-1/4" chunks
  
• 2 Tablespoons cooking wine or sherry
  
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
  
• 2 quarts water
  
• 2 star anise flowerlets
  

Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Cook for at least an hour, or two if necessary- the beef must be very tender and falling apart. The liquid should reduce to about 1-1/2 quarts (six cups).

You can do this in advance- the day before if you like. To serve, you'll need a pound of Chinese noodles and a pound of green vegetable. Gai Lan (sometimes called Chinese broccoli) is a good choice, but I used baby Bok Choy, which I quartered lengthwise.

Boil enough water to cook the noodles. Blanch the vegetables in this water for a minute, and then remove them and cook the noodles. Don't discard the cooking water- you'll need it.

To serve, place the following in each bowl:

• a dash of hot chili oil
  
• a little pepper
  
• a portion of the vegetable and the noodle
  
• a portion of meat and a cup of broth
  
• A cup of the water you cooked the vegetable and noodles in
  

Verdict: It's pretty good, but I think I can do better.