Huainan Beef Soup

Ingredients

• 1 kg beef bones
• 700 g beef brisket or shin, in one piece
• 40 g fresh ginger
• 3 spring onions
• 3 star anise
• 1 stick cassia bark
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 black cardamom pods
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp white peppercorns
• 2 slices dried liquorice root
• 1 small piece dried galangal
• 3 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 3 tsp fine salt
• 200 g dried sweet potato vermicelli
• 150 g tofu skin sheets (qianzhang)
• 150 g firm tofu
• 4 tbsp chilli oil
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• small handful coriander

Before you cook

• Soak the beef bones and brisket in cold water for one hour, changing the water twice, to draw out the blood.
• Tie the star anise, cassia, bay leaves, cardamom, fennel, peppercorns, liquorice and galangal into a piece of muslin.
• Slice the ginger into coins and cut two spring onions into lengths.
• Cut the tofu skin into wide ribbons and the firm tofu into thin slices.
• Slice the remaining spring onion finely and chop the coriander.

Steps

1. Put the drained bones and brisket into a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring it to the boil.
2. Boil hard for three minutes, then drain everything and rinse it under warm water.
3. Return the bones and brisket to the clean pot with four litres of fresh cold water.
4. Add the ginger coins, spring onion lengths, the spice bag and the Shaoxing wine.
5. Bring it to a boil, skim the surface clean, then drop the heat until the broth barely moves.
6. Simmer gently for one hour, then lift out the brisket and set it aside to cool.
7. Keep the bones simmering for a further two hours to build body in the broth.
8. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a clean pan and season it with the salt.
9. Slice the cooled brisket across the grain as thinly as you can.
10. Soak the sweet potato vermicelli in hot water for ten minutes until pliable.
11. Bring the strained broth back to a simmer.
12. Blanch the vermicelli in the broth for two minutes, then divide it between four deep bowls.
13. Blanch the tofu skin ribbons and tofu slices for one minute and add them to the bowls.
14. Lay the sliced brisket over each bowl and ladle the hot broth on top.
15. Finish each bowl with chilli oil, a splash of soy sauce, spring onion and coriander, and serve scalding hot.