Chinese Cinnamon Beef Noodle Soup

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 3 cinnamon sticks (about 3 inches each)
• 6 scallions, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons anise seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons asian chili paste
• 7 cups water
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 1/2 lbs boneless beef chuck
• 9 ounces fresh udon noodles (or 6 ounces dried)
• 1 1/2 lbs bok choy
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Recipe

• 1 cut beef chuck into 3/4 in thick chunks if you did not purchase precut stewing beef.
• 2 heat the oil in a heavy soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. when very hot, add the cinnamon, scallions, garlic, ginger, anise seeds, and chile paste; cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
• 3 add the water, broth, soy sauce, and vinegar; bring to boil over high heat.
• 4 add the meat and bring to vigorous simmer. lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, partially covered, until the meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours, checking to be sure that the soup doesn''t boil or stop simmering.
• 5 shortly before the soup is done, bring a large pot of water to boil. cook the noodles according to package directions until just tender. drain and rinse under cold water.
• 6 when the meat is tender, remove the cinnamon sticks. add the bok choy to the soup and simmer until the stalks are crisp-tender and the greens are very tender, 5 to 10 minutes. stir in the noodles and let them warm through. serve immediately, garnished with the cilantro leaves.
• 7 i'm guessing on the serving size as i no longer follow the recipe. i use the ingredient list as a guide.