Clear-stewed beef noodle soup

• 1.2 kg2.6 lb beef shank (牛腱, niújiàn), ideally the heart of the shank with its tendon, in 2–3 large pieces
• 1 kg2.2 lb beef bones (牛大骨), optional, for a sweeter, fuller broth
• 3 l12½ cups water, plus more for blanching
• 50 g1.8 oz fresh ginger, sliced and lightly smashed
• 3 spring onions, whites in 5 cm lengths for the pot, greens finely sliced for serving
• 3 tbsp Taiwanese rice wine (米酒) or Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp white peppercorns, lightly cracked, tied in muslin
• 400 g14 oz daikon (白蘿蔔), optional; peeled and cut into thick chunks
• 2 tsp salt, to taste
• 500 g fresh or 300 g dried1.1 lb fresh or 10.5 oz dried wheat noodles, thin or wide home-style (家常寬麵)
• 4 baby bok choy or a few leaves of other greens, optional, halved
• 4 tbsp pickled mustard greens (酸菜), chopped, to serve
• coriander (cilantro) leaves, ground white pepper, chilli oil, to serve

Method

1. 1

   1. Put the beef shank and bones in a pot, cover with cold water, bring to the boil and boil for 5 minutes, until grey scum rises.

2. 2

   2. Drain, rinse the meat and bones under warm running water to remove every trace of scum, and wash the pot.

3. 3

   3. Return the meat and bones to the clean pot with the 3 l water, the ginger, the spring-onion whites, the rice wine and the bag of white peppercorns.

4. 4

   4. Bring slowly to the boil, skim off any foam, then lower the heat until the surface barely shivers.

5. 5

   5. Simmer, partly covered, for 2 to 2½ hours, until a chopstick slides easily into the shank; never let it boil hard or the broth will turn cloudy.

6. 6

   6. Add the daikon, if using, for the last 40 minutes, until it is translucent and tender.

7. 7

   7. Lift out the shank, let it cool for 10 minutes and slice it 1 cm (⅜ in) thick across the grain.

8. 8

   8. Strain the broth through a fine sieve lined with muslin, discarding the bones and aromatics, and season it with salt; it should taste clean, beefy and gently peppery.

9. 9

   9. Cook the noodles in a large pot of unsalted boiling water until just tender, blanching the greens in the same water for the last minute, then drain.

10. 10

    10. Divide the noodles and greens between deep bowls, lay the beef and daikon on top, and ladle over the boiling broth.

11. 11

    11. Scatter with spring-onion greens and coriander and serve with pickled mustard greens, white pepper and chilli oil at the table.