Day 1

Tonight I began my first night of experimenting with noodle soup. I went with the Taiwanese Beef Braised Noodle Soup. I did not follow any recipes, played it by ear for the first time around, just to get a feel for being back in the kitchen. The most important lesson of tonight was taste – taste everything and critically. Cooking is all about taste (flavors). In this soup went 2lbs of beef shank, kikkoman soy sauce lite, Marukan rice wine vinegar, green onions, chinese 5 spice powder, which is a blend of star anise, fennel seed, cloves, cinnamon and cardamon, bok choy, tomato, onion and chinese rock sugar and star anise.

Observations:
-star anise is licoricy
-Too sweet (sugar, soy sauce, star anise)
-Too tangy (vinegar)
-Meat is tough

Thank my lucky stars that my sister came home with a bowl of the same stuff I was trying to make from Vanessa's. Here are some noticeable differences:
-Clean broth
-Tender meat
-Too much sesame
-Broccoli and carrot - i don't like the broccoli

Conclusion:
-Strain the broth
-Add vinegar and soy later on
-How to tenderize the shank