Sichuan noodle shop style red braised beef noodle soup

Put the cool water, smashed ginger, liaojiu and knotted scallions in a pot, add the beef brisket and bring to a boil over high heat, skimming the proteins if the liquid is gunky.

Boil rapidly about five minutes, remove the beef to cool and reserve the blanching liquid.

Cut the beef into about half centimetre sheets.

Swirl about a tablespoon of oil in a wok over a high flame, add the beef once lightly smoking and stir fry about five minutes until well browned; remove.

Mince the chili bean paste.

Add six more tablespoons of oil to the wok, add the chili bean paste with the flame off, then fry slowly over a low flame about five minutes to expel moisture and stain the oil red.

Raise to medium, return the beef and fry together about a minute, then shut off the heat.

Return the beef and its red oil to the reserved poaching liquid, add soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt and the spice mix.

Bring to a boil, drop to a simmer, cover and cook 90 minutes until the beef is tender but still holds together.

Cool to room temperature and store; good about a week in the fridge, enough for about eight bowls.

Stock: add the pork bones to a pot of cool water with a slug of liaojiu, boil about two minutes, then take them out.

Put the blanched bones in a new pot of cold water with smashed ginger, knotted scallion and a glug of Shaoxing wine, bring to a boil, then cook on the lowest flame three hours; cool and discard the aromatics.

Chili oil: toast the dried chilies over a low flame about seven minutes until they deepen in colour and break easily between the fingers.

Pound them in a mortar to a coarse powder.

Heat the oil in a pot over a high flame until smoking, about 220 centigrade, then shut off the heat.

Let it cool a bit, then over a medium low flame fry the smashed ginger and sliced onion about ten minutes until the onion is golden brown.

Add the cinnamon, star anise and fennel seed, fry another minute or so, then strain everything out and return the oil to the pot.

Heat to about 150 centigrade, until the oil bubbles around a pair of chopsticks, add the toasted chili flakes, mix well and shut off the heat.

Stewed peas: soak the dried yellow peas in cool water in the fridge for a full 24 hours.

Mix the drained peas with the baking soda and let sit about ten minutes.

Fill with water, bring to a boil, drop to a simmer and cook covered one hour on low.

Skim the floating shells off with a strainer and dip out the water.

Noodles: mix the AP flour, salt and sodium carbonate, drizzle in the water and press the shaggy dry dough together into a ball.

Rest covered half an hour, knead about eight minutes, then rest another thirty minutes.

Flatten and pass through a pasta maker at the widest setting, folding in half, three times; twice at the second widest; twice at the third widest.

Dust the sheet, cut the noodles through the pasta maker and dust again immediately.

Boil 150 grams of noodles per portion about one minute, then remove.

Season each bowl with salt, MSG, Sichuan peppercorn powder, soy sauce and toasted chili oil, nestle in the noodles and optional blanched veg, and pour the soup over.

Top with the red braised beef, its braising liquid, stewed peas, sliced scallion and chopped cilantro, adjusting to taste.