Braised beef noodle soup (Niurou mian)

1. Cut the beef shin into 4-5 cm cubes, bring to the boil in cold water, boil for 3 minutes, then drain and rinse so the broth stays clear.

2. In a large pot, heat the oil and fry the sliced ginger, garlic and spring onions cut into large pieces for 1 minute; add the doubanjiang and fry for half a minute until the oil turns red.

3. Add the tomatoes cut into wedges and the beef and fry for 2 minutes, then pour in the Shaoxing rice wine and soy sauce, stir in the sugar and star anise and add the 2.5 litres of water.

4. Bring to the boil and simmer gently, half covered, for 2-2.5 hours until the beef is tender; adjust the broth to taste with salt or soy sauce.

5. Cook the noodles separately in water, adding the pak choi for the last minute; drain and divide between deep bowls.

6. Ladle over the hot broth and beef, sprinkle with spring onions and serve piping hot.

Tip: This is Taiwan's national dish, with its own festival every year. You can make the broth a day ahead – it tastes even better the next day, and the fat that sets on top is easy to remove.