Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• For the broth: 1kg beef marrow bones or beef shin bones
• 500g beef shin, in one piece
• 3 litres cold water
• 6 slices fresh ginger
• 4 spring onions, tied into a knot
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick or piece of cassia bark
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 black cardamom pod (cao guo), lightly crushed
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 2 tsp fine salt, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 300g mooli (daikon), peeled and sliced into 5mm rounds
• To serve: 400g fresh or dried wide wheat noodles (hand-pulled lamian, or flat ribbon noodles)
• 4 tbsp chilli oil
• Large handful of fresh coriander, chopped
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely grated

Method

1. Put the bones and beef shin in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse the bones and beef under cold running water to remove the scum.

2. Clean the pot, return the bones and beef and add the 3 litres of cold water, ginger, spring onions, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, black cardamom and Shaoxing wine. Bring to the boil, then reduce to the gentlest simmer.

3. Simmer, partly covered, for 2 hours 30 minutes, skimming any foam. Lift out the beef when tender, about 2 hours, if it is done before the broth is ready.

4. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a clean pan. Season with the salt and white pepper. Slice the beef thinly against the grain.

5. Add the mooli to the hot broth and simmer for 15 minutes until tender and translucent.

6. Cook the noodles in a separate pan of boiling water according to the packet instructions, then drain well and divide between 4 deep bowls.

7. Ladle over the hot broth and mooli, lay on the sliced beef, then top each bowl with chilli oil, coriander, spring onions and a little grated garlic. Serve straight away.