Taiwanese beef noodle soup | Papa Kwan

Ingredients

• Beef, 2 pounds. Fatty beef shank works best, but any large cut with some fat and marbling would do.
• Onion, 1 large, cut into slices
• Tomatoes, 2 large, cut into wedges
• Scallions, 3-4 stalks, sliced into 1 inch lengths
• More scallions, sliced for garnish (optional)
• Cilantro for garnish
• Ginger slices
• Garlic, 5 cloves
• Red chili pepper (optional)
• Chinese bean paste, 3 tbsp
• Star anise, 5 pieces
• Bay leaves, 3
• Brown sugar, 3 tbsp
• Dark soy sauce, 1/2 cup
• Soy sauce, 1/2 cup
• Xiaoxing cooking wine, 1/2 cup
• Chinese vegetables for blanching and garnishing. I prefer boy choy and other green vegetables.
• Noodles. Any noodles work, though I prefer udon or Chinese flour noodles.