Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

1.3 lbs beef brisket (unsliced is best because it will be more tender)
2 scallions chopped into large pieces
4 slices of ginger
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup wine (Chinese cooking wine is best, but red or white wine is okay)
8 star anises
10 cardamom
12 whole peppercorns
10 cups water, chicken stock, homemade beef stock, or some mixture of these (e.g. 5 cups chicken stock + 5 cups water)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 portion noodles

Rise the beef and then blanch the beef in boiling water for a couple minutes until the beef stops giving off grey residue. Strain, discard the water, and rinse the foam off the beef.

Smash the garlic cloves with the flat side of a large knife. Stir fry the scallions, ginger, and garlic cloves in oil for approximately 1 minute until they are fragrant and softened. Add the wine and boil for 30 seconds. Add the anise, cardamom, and peppercorns. Be careful not to boil off all the liquid when you are adding the spices; if you need more time, then turn the burner or remove the pot from the heat. Add the water or stock when it is cold. Add the beef (with the fatty side up), soy sauce, sugar, and salt. If you are using canned chicken stock, note that it already has some salt so you should be conservative with the salt that you add. Bring to a slow boil. If more foam rises to the top, then skim the soup as necessary.

If your beef is sliced: Cook the soup partially covered at a slow boil for several hours until absolutely tender. Continue skimming any foam that rises to the top.

If your beef is not sliced: Cook it partially covered over low heat for a couple hours. Continue skimming any foam that rises to the top. Remove any remaining fat that you do not want to serve and slice across the grain (i.e. through the long fibers) into small thin pieces. Return the beef to the pot. If the fat is in a large piece then you can return it to the pot to continue extracting flavor from it. Cook for 1 hour or until the beef is really tender (which might take up to an additional hour).

Taste and add more salt if you desire. Strain out the spices and remove the fatty piece if you added it back in. Reserve some anise if you want to use it for garnish. You can serve the soup immediately or refridgerate and serve later. If you chill it, then skim off the solidified fat, before reheating. Since the noodles release starch as they are cooked, do not cook them in the soup. Instead cook the noodles in a separate pot of water. When they are done strain them and rinse with cold water. Set the noodles aside. When you are ready to serve place the noodles in the bottom of the bowl. Top with steaming hot soup and some beef. You can garnish the dish with carrot slices and anises as shown (note the anise is not edible) or with cooked baby bok choy (you could cook it briefly in the pasta water) and freshly minced scallions.

This recipe was adapted from: "Red Cooked Beef Noodle Soup" in 40 Kinds of Beef Noodle by Master Liang.