Spicy Beef Soup
The time has come for a spicy soup with warming effect. The beef pieces are gently simmered in a broth so rich in aromas that it will warm your soul too during these winter months.
Ingredients
800g beef neck
1 large onion
8 garlic cloves
1 large ripe tomato (or 3 canned tomatoes)
50g ginger (whole piece, unpeeled)
1 generous tablespoon chili oil (I had one with crispy onion bits; or you can use 1 level tablespoon hot pepper paste mixed with 1 tablespoon oil)
salt
Aromatics
1 heaping tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 large bay leaves
10 cloves
1 star anise
For serving: rice noodles (about 30g / serving), chopped parsley and green onion
Servings: 5-6
How to prepare spicy beef soup
- Cut the beef neck into approximately 3 cm cubes. Spread them in a large tray, in a single layer. Place alongside the onion (whole and unpeeled), garlic cloves (whole but peeled), whole tomato, and whole ginger.
- Put the tray in the oven at 220C for 20 minutes. Check the garlic after 10 minutes and if it's golden, transfer it to the pot where you'll prepare the soup.
- Then transfer the meat pieces to the soup pot as well. Peel the tomato, crush it with a fork and add it over the meat. Cut the onion in half and put it in the pot. Cut the ginger into slices and add it too.
- If the tray where you roasted the meat and vegetables has juices left from the meat, pour them into the pot through a strainer.
- In a small pan, toast the whole aromatics for a few minutes, until they start to smell pleasant, just to revive their aroma.
- Add the chili oil and aromatics to the pot with meat and mix everything well. Add 8 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt.
* chili oil can be found in Asian stores. - Bring the pot contents to a boil. Turn the heat to low, the soup should just gently simmer. Put the lid slightly ajar over the pot and let it cook for 1 hour.
- After one hour check the meat, it should be cooked. If not, leave it for another half hour. After this time it should be tender if you used beef neck.
- Towards the end check that the soup is salty and spicy and add more salt or chili oil if desired.
- Turn off the heat and let the soup sit covered for another 30-60 minutes, to let the flavors meld.
- Strain the soup through a fine sieve. Transfer only the meat pieces from the sieve back to the soup. Press the solids in the sieve to extract as much flavor as possible. Discard what remains in the sieve.
- Serving: put cooked noodles in a bowl, add as many meat pieces as you want on top, add 3 ladles of hot soup and then sprinkle with parsley and green onion.
