Packaged stewing beef is often made up of irregularly shaped pieces from different cuts, so cut your own stew meat from a boneless chuck roast or two 3/4-inch-thick chuck steaks.

SERVES 6 TO 8

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tsp. peanut or vegetable oil
• 3 cinnamon sticks (about 3 inches each)
• 6 scallions, cut into 11/2-inch pieces
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
• 11/2 tsp. aniseed
• 11/2 tsp. Asian chile paste
• 1 quart homemade or lower-salt chicken broth
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 21/2 lb. boneless beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 9 oz. fresh udon noodles (or 6 oz. dried)
• 1 1- to 11/2-lb. bunch bok choy, bottom trimmed, stalks washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oil in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. When very hot, add the cinnamon, scallions, garlic, ginger, aniseed, and chile paste; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add 7 cups water, the broth, soy sauce, and vinegar; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the meat and bring to a vigorous simmer. Lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, partially covered, until the meat is very tender, about 11/2 hours, checking to be sure that the soup doesn’t boil or stop simmering.
2. Shortly before the soup is done, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to the package directions until just tender. Drain and rinse under cold water.
3. When the meat is tender, remove the cinnamon sticks. Add the bok choy to the soup and simmer until the stalks are crisp-tender and the greens are very tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the noodles and let them warm through. Serve immediately, garnished with the cilantro leaves.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING:

• 490 CALORIES | 31g PROTEIN | 25g CARB | 29g TOTAL FAT | 11g SAT FAT | 13g MONO FAT | 2g POLY FAT | 100mg CHOL | 1,360mg SODIUM | 2g FIBER