Hot pepper soup

Mix 300 g bread flour with 175 g water, pre-mixing by hand, then knead on low speed 8 to 10 minutes.

Shape the dough into a round ball, cover and rest 30 minutes.

Put the dough into a bowl of water and press, stretch and fold it repeatedly to wash the starch out; the water clouds and gluten strands appear.

Wash without stopping for 10 minutes, then pour the starch water into a big bowl through a sieve to catch gluten bits.

Rinse the gluten with a little more water until the water runs clear, then soak it so it does not dry out.

Let the starch water sit at least 6 hours so the starch sinks, then pour off the top liquid.

Blanch the beef ribs and neck: cover with water in a pot, bring to a boil on high, skim the foamy scum with a fine sieve.

Take the beef out, discard the water, wash the pot, return the beef and pour in half a liter of boiling hot water.

Turn the heat to the lowest and simmer 2 and a half hours.

Soak the peanuts, daylily, kelp, wood ear fungus and sweet potato starch noodles 2 hours, or until fully rehydrated.

Rub the skins off the peanuts and discard them. Drain the daylily. Rinse the kelp and cut it into two inch strips. Slice the wood ear thinly. Cut the noodles into two inch pieces.

Toast the white pepper, black pepper, long pepper, Sichuan peppercorns, fennel seed, star anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, angelica root, licorice root, amomum pod, black cardamom, cloves and white cardamom in a cast iron skillet on low heat 3 to 5 minutes, until fragrant.

Cool the spices a little, grind them fine, pass them through a sieve and stir in 1 tsp ginger powder.

Lift the beef out of the stock, add the peanuts and keep cooking on low.

Remove the bones, shred the meat with forks, discard any bone bits and return the meat to the broth.

Add the diced scallion, garlic and minced ginger and keep cooking on low heat.

Stretch and rip the washed gluten into small pieces, or cut it with a knife, and add it to the soup.

Add the rehydrated daylily, kelp, wood ear fungus and sweet potato starch noodles.

Season with salt, soy sauce and dark soy sauce, then taste and adjust.

Dissolve the spice powder in a little of the broth and mix it into the soup, adding it little by little to taste.

Stir the starch water until the settled starch is mixed back in, then add it to the soup little by little until it is as thick as gravy.

Top with diced cilantro, and drizzle hot chili oil for more heat.