Instructions

1. Heat a pot with olive oil. Add the scallions and garlic chili sauce, stir-frying until fragrant.
2. Stir in the full packet of Sichuan mala stir-fry sauce and cook briefly to combine with the aromatics. If you want extra spice, stir in the half packet of malatang soup base here too (optional).
3. Add the baby bok choy and napa cabbage, then pour in the water — feel free to add more or less depending on how brothy you like it.
4. Add the cubed tofu, cover with a lid, and let everything cook down.
5. Add the beef brisket strips directly into the pot and cook through in the broth.
6. In a separate pot of boiling water, cook the shimeji mushrooms and woodear mushrooms until tender.
7. Once the broth has cooked down a little, add the boiled mushrooms into the main pot.
8. Add the sliced water chestnuts and let them boil in the broth for 4-5 minutes.
9. Turn off the heat and stir in the bean sprouts — they'll wilt slightly from residual heat.

I looove to pair this with freshly cooked noodles and then crack an egg into the broth while it's still very hot. And occasionally, instead of noodles, I'll eat this with a bowl of cooked white rice with a twist: instead of dropping plain rice in my rice cooker, I swap out 1/3 of the dry rice with lentils and cook it all together. It makes for a really wholesome and filling dinner! :)