Braised Beef Noodle Soup (Hong Shao Niu Rou Mian)

Make the spice sachet first. Place the Chinese cinnamon, black cardamom, fennel seeds, star anise, dried tangerine peel, bay leaves, white peppercorns, licorice root, sand ginger, and amomum white cardamom in a piece of cheesecloth or a fillable tea bag, then tie or seal it tightly.

Rinse the beef under cold water. In a large soup pot, combine the water, ginger, and beef. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for several minutes until foam rises to the surface. Skim off the scum, then remove the beef and strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve. Reserve both the broth and the ginger.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the rock sugar, the white parts of the scallions, and the whole garlic head. Cook until the scallions are lightly charred and the sugar begins to dissolve.

Add the beef to the pot and stir well to coat. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the surface of the beef is lightly browned.