When I visited my parents in New York, we were at Chelsea Market, which enchanted me incredibly. It was Halloween time and the entire hall was decorated with various figures – yes, the Americans can do that! While a swing with a creepy doll rocked from the ceiling to and fro, cobwebs stuck in all corners. On Chelsea Market, there were not only great boutiques selling jewelry, clothes and cooking utensils, but also some interesting restaurants and street food stalls.

So we also discovered a stall with Asian and Taiwanese soups being pimped with fresh and locally made noodles. Watching the pasta maker was an experience. In his place I would be reluctant. Dough throughout the day?! That would not be my calling. But he smiled the entire time and seemed like he was really enjoying it. And that’s how the noodles tasted. No wonder this stall was overflowing, and the soup was served there like on a treadmill.

The Taiwanese soup convinced us so much that we wanted to imitate it directly. And here is the recipe for you.

1. Wash and dry the meat under running water. Then sauté in a saucepan with a little oil and pour in 1 liter of water. Allow to simmer for about 1.5 hours over medium heat. I usually prepare this excerpt the night before.
2. Peel ginger with a spoon and cut into 2 mm thick slices. Peel garlic and lightly crush with a knife, also crush the lemongrass so that all the aromas in the soup can develop.
3. Wash the spring onions, cut one half into large pieces. Cut the other half into fine rings and set aside (this is used for garnishing at the end). Wash the tomatoes, remove the stalk and cut into large pieces. Also wash the carrots and parsnips and cut into slices about 1 cm thick.
4. Stew ginger, garlic, lemon grass, onions, chilly, tomatoes, carrots and parsnips in a casserole dish with a little oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. After about 2 minutes, add the light and the dark soy sauce. Pour the vegetables with the broth from the previous evening, pouring the broth through a sieve so that the foam and remains do not get into the broth. Add another 500 ml of water and spices (except salt). Allow to simmer for about 1.5 hours with the lid closed over medium heat.
5. Just before the soup is ready, put a pot of water on the pasta and bring to a boil. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions, drain and distribute on small soup bowls or plates.
6. Wash the Pack Choi, cut in half and blanch for half an hour in a salted water. Then roughly chop. Season with salt and serve with noodles and pack chorus before serving.