Cut up the Beef shank into 2-inch cubes

Place the beef into a pot with cold water, 2 slices of ginger and 1 bay leaf.

Cook on medium heat until it boils ( around 10 minutes), the scum will float to the top.

Remove from heat,

Using a colander, discard the water and rinse the meat to remove any impurities, and set aside.

In a pan, dry toast spices for a few minutes to release their oil and aroma.

Set aside and let it cool down for a few minutes then place them into a spice bag/cheesecloth and secure it for easy retrieval later on.

In a heavy bottom pot, add oil, onions, garlic ginger and the white part of the scallions and cook them until translucent.

Add tomato, spicy bean sauce, and the beef. Cover the beef in the sauce and let it caramelize. Add tomato paste and deglaze the brown bits with rice wine

Add dark and light soy sauce, sugar, water and lastly the spice bag and bay leaves,

Cook for 3-3.5 hours on a regular stove or 1 hour on a pressure cooker for tender meat.

Adjust seasoning with more salt if needed after cooking and add more water if the soup is too concentrated.

Cook noodles according to package instructions,

Then boil the Bok Choy for a few minutes in the water

Serve the Beef Noodle Soup with noodles, a few stalks of Bok Choy, and meat, and garnish it with sliced green onions, cilantro, and some Chinese pickled mustard (optional)