Lanzhou Beef Noodles in Clear Spiced Broth

What you need

• 1.2 kg (2 1/2 lb) beef shin bones, or other marrow bones
• 900 g (2 lb) beef shank, in 2-3 large pieces
• 3 l (12 cups) water, cold
• 1 piece ginger, about 5 cm (2 in), sliced
• 2 spring onions, white parts only, cut in lengths; green parts kept for serving
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 cao guo (Chinese black cardamom) pod, lightly cracked; Indian black cardamom works too
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 300 g (10 oz) daikon, peeled, cut into thin half-moons
• 600 g (1 1/4 lb) fresh wheat noodles, hand-pulled or alkaline ramen-style; or 400 g (14 oz) dried
• 1 handful cilantro, chopped
• chili oil, for serving

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Cover the bones and shank with cold water in a large bowl and soak for 30 min to draw out the blood. Drain.

2. 2

   Put the bones and shank in a large stockpot with the 3 l of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

3. 3

   Lower the heat to a steady simmer and skim off all the grey scum until the surface stays clear, about 10 min.

4. 4

   Add the ginger, the white spring onion pieces, star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, peppercorns, fennel and bay leaves. Tie the small spices in a muslin bag first if you have one.

5. 5

   Simmer gently, partly covered, until a chopstick pushes easily into the shank, 2 1/2-3 hours. Never let it boil hard, or the broth turns cloudy.

6. 6

   Lift out the shank and let it cool. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a clean pot and discard the bones and aromatics.

7. 7

   Skim off as much fat from the surface as you like. Season with the salt and white pepper; the broth should taste slightly salty on its own.

8. 8

   Add the daikon to the broth and simmer until tender and translucent, 10-12 min. Keep the broth hot.

9. 9

   Slice the cooled shank thinly across the grain.

10. 10

    Bring a separate large pot of water to a rolling boil. Cook the noodles until just tender, 2-3 min for fresh, then drain.

11. 11

    Slice the green spring onion parts thinly.

12. 12

    Divide the noodles among deep bowls and ladle the hot broth and daikon over them.

13. 13

    Top each bowl with sliced beef, cilantro and spring onion greens. Spoon chili oil over the top and serve straight away.

Imported from omnivorescookbook.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.