Herb and spice braised beef Soup

INGREDIENTS for 4-6 servings

Meat department

• Beef, chuck short ribs, boneless - 2-3 lb, cubed 1.5"

Produce department

• Ginger, 1/2" thick slices - 4

• Green onion - 4

• Daikon radish - 1, peeled, cubed 1"

Spice rack & Baking aisle

• Salt - 2 tbsp

• Sugar, rock or white - 1/2 tsp

• Cardamom, whole - 4, cracked

• Cinnamon stick - 1

• Fennel seeds - 2 tbsp

• Nutmeg - 1, cracked

• Red pepper, dried - 2

• Sichuan peppercorn - 2 tsp

• Star anise - 3

International aisle

• Soy sauce - 1 tbsp

Specialty item

• Michiu (Taiwanese "Honbiou" cooking rice wine) - 1/4 cup

DIRECTIONS

1. Place beef meat cubes in a soup pot. Add water to cover all the beef ingredients. Bring it to a boil. Leave the pot boiling for 10-15 minutes. Pour out the muddy water. Rinse the beef ingredients thoroughly under fresh water until all the scums are rinsed away.

2. Add clean water (3000cc) back to the soup pot with the beef ingredients. Set the stove to high heat.

3. While the water is heating, using a small pan, lightly toast the spices over low heat for 2 mins. Pack the toasted spices in a spice bag or ball so it's easier to pick out from the broth later.

   • Cardamom, whole - 4, cracked

   • Cinnamon stick - 1

   • Fennel seeds - 2 tbsp

   • Nutmeg - 1, cracked

   • Red pepper, dried - 2

   • Sichuan peppercorn - 2 tsp

   • Star anise - 3

4. Add the spice pack, salt (2 tbsp) rock sugar (1/2 tbsp), and daikon cubes to the broth.

5. Bring the broth to boil. Adjust the heat to keep the broth simmering without the lid for at least 1 hour. Skim out any "scum" that comes to the surface. Check the level of the liquid every 30 mins and add water as needed to maintain the original level.

6. Serve as a soup (adjust saltiness by adding water or more salt) or with any types of noodles as a noodle soup, or over rice (泡飯).

NOM NOM CHOMP!