Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

Step 1

Place the beef in a Dutch oven, cover it with water and place it on a high heat.

Step 2

Boil for 1 minute.

Step 3

Drain it in a colander and rinse it thoroughly with lukewarm fresh water to remove impurities and blood.

Step 4

Then, in an electric cooker or a classic pressure cooker, heat the oil over medium heat.

Step 5

Add the ginger, garlic, scallions and onion in that order, stirring for a few seconds between adding each ingredient.

Step 6

Stir to lightly caramelize everything.

Step 7

Add the tomatoes and dried peppers.

Step 8

Add the meat, tomato paste, spicy bean paste, sugar, soy sauce and Shaoxing wine, and mix everything well.

Step 9

Pour in the 2 quarts (2 liters) of water. Add the packet of Chinese spices and herbs (lu bao) and mix.

Step 10

Close the cooker and cook under pressure for 30 minutes over medium heat then 2 hours over very low heat.

Step 11

When the cooking time is over, carefully release the pressure valve.

Step 12

Boil noodles in plenty of water according to package directions. Drain them.

Step 13

In the noodle cooking water, blanch the halved baby bok choys lengthwise for 2 minutes or until just tender.

Step 14

Serve each bowl of beef noodle soup with a serving of noodles, ½ baby bok choy and generous pinches of cilantro, slices of scallion, marinated Chinese mustard leaves, and, optionally, slices of fresh red pepper (optional) .