Beef Thukpa with Hand-Pulled Noodles and Timur Chilli Oil

Method

1. Noodle dough: mix the flour and salt in a bowl, pour in the water gradually and bring it together with your hand. Knead for 6 min until smooth and springy, about as soft as an earlobe (add a few drops of water if it cracks). Cover with cling film and rest for 30 min; resting relaxes the gluten so the dough stretches without tearing.

   Add in this stepPlain flour 160 gWater 84 mlSalt (for the dough) ½ tsp

2. Slice the beef across the grain into 3 mm slices (20 minutes in the freezer makes this easier) and toss with the soy sauce and cornflour; keep it in the fridge. Bring water to the boil in a 14 cm pot over high heat, lower in the eggs straight from the fridge with a spoon and cook for 6 min 30 sec, then plunge them into iced water and peel when cool. You get a set white and a jammy yolk.

   Add in this stepBeef sirloin 240 gSoy sauce (for the beef) 1 tspCornflour 1 tspEggs 2

   high heat

3. Peel and halve the onion and cut the ginger into 3 thick slices. Place them cut side down in a dry 20 cm pot over medium-high heat and leave them for 4 min without moving, until deeply charred in spots. Charring adds the smoky sweetness you taste in a good noodle shop's broth.

   Add in this stepOnion 1Fresh ginger 15 g

   medium-high heat

4. Add the oil, lightly crushed garlic, chopped tomato, cumin, coriander, turmeric and half the timur and stir for 3 min until the tomato softens. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, then simmer on medium-low heat for 20 min, skimming off any foam.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 1 tbspGarlic cloves 3Tomato 1Ground cumin ¾ tspGround coriander ¾ tspGround turmeric ¼ tspTimur (or Sichuan pepper) 0.4 tspBeef stock 1,000 ml

   medium-low heat

5. Chilli oil: put the chilli flakes, sesame seeds and the rest of the timur (crushed) in a heatproof bowl. Heat the oil in a small pan over medium-low heat for 2 min, until a chilli flake dropped in sizzles gently (about 150 °C); it must not smoke. Pour it carefully over the bowl; it foams up, so use a bowl twice the size you think and keep your face back.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil (for the chilli oil) 2 tbspChilli flakes 1 tspSesame seeds 1 tspTimur (or Sichuan pepper) 0.4 tsp

   medium-low heat

6. Divide the dough into one piece per serving, roll each into a rope about 1 cm thick, flatten it with your palm and gently pull it into long ribbons about 1 cm wide; if that's tricky, tear it into 5 cm pieces, the classic Tibetan-Nepali hand-torn style. Drop into a 22 cm pot of boiling water on high heat and cook for 2 min 30 sec, until they float and are chewy-tender, adding the bok choy for the last minute. Drain.

   Add in this stepBok choy 120 g

   high heat

7. Strain the broth into a clean pot (discard the onion, ginger and solids) and keep it simmering over medium heat. Add the carrot and cook for 2 min, then add the beef slices one by one and cook for 1 min 30 sec, just until no longer pink. Taste and season with salt.

   Add in this stepCarrot 80 gSalt to taste

   medium heat

8. Divide the noodles and bok choy between warm bowls, ladle over the broth, beef and carrot, and top with a halved egg, spring onions and coriander. Serve with lime wedges and the timur chilli oil to spoon over to taste.

   Add in this stepSpring onions 1Fresh coriander 5 gLime ½