The best bowl in Melbourne: Curry laksa

Serves 6 · 4 hr 30 min

A clear, fragrant beef broth simmered for hours with charred onion, ginger and warm spices, poured over rice noodles and paper-thin raw beef. Inspired by the beef noodle soup at Le Colonial in Houston.

You need

• 2 lb (900 g) beef oxtail, cut in sections
• 2 lb (900 g) beef marrow or knuckle bones
• 2 medium yellow onions (about 1 lb), halved and left unpeeled
• 4-inch piece fresh ginger (about 3 oz), halved lengthwise
• 3 whole star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick (3 inches)
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 5 quarts (4.7 liters) cold water, plus more for parboiling
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 lb (450 g) dried flat rice noodles (banh pho)
• 8 oz (225 g) beef tenderloin, trimmed and sliced paper thin
• 1 small white onion, very thinly sliced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1 cup Thai basil leaves
• 1/2 cup cilantro sprigs
• 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
• 3 limes, cut into wedges
• Hoisin sauce and sriracha for the table (3 tablespoons each)

How to make it

1. Put the oxtail and bones in the stockpot, cover with cold water by 2 inches, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil hard for 10 minutes while gray scum rises, then drain and rinse every piece under cold water. Scrub out the pot.
2. Heat the broiler with a rack 4 inches from the element. Broil the onion halves and ginger on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, turning once, until blackened in spots and soft. Cool, peel off the loose skin, and rinse.
3. Toast the star anise, cinnamon, cloves, coriander and fennel in the dry skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Tie them into cheesecloth.
4. Return the bones to the clean pot with the 5 quarts cold water, charred onion, ginger and the spice bundle. Bring to a boil over high heat, about 20 minutes, skimming off foam.
5. Reduce the heat to low so the surface barely trembles. Simmer partly covered for 3 hours, skimming now and then, and lift out the spice bundle after the first hour so it does not turn bitter.
6. Lift the oxtail onto a plate. When cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones in large pieces and set aside, returning the bones to the pot.
7. Strain the broth through the fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot, pressing lightly. Skim fat from the top with a ladle, then stir in the fish sauce, salt and sugar and taste, adding fish sauce until savory with a slight sweetness. Keep at a bare simmer.
8. About 40 minutes before serving, wrap the beef tenderloin and freeze it for 20 minutes to firm it up. Soak the dried noodles in warm tap water for 30 minutes, until pliable and white.
9. Slice the chilled beef against the grain as thin as paper. Arrange the sliced onion, scallions, sprouts, basil, cilantro, jalapeno and lime wedges on a platter.
10. Boil a large pot of water and cook the soaked noodles for 1 to 2 minutes, until tender but still springy. Drain and divide among 6 large bowls, then lay the shredded oxtail and raw beef slices on top.
11. Bring the broth to a rolling boil, then ladle at least 1 1/2 cups over each bowl; the heat cooks the raw beef to a blush pink within a minute. Serve with the garnish platter, hoisin and sriracha.

Pans and tools

• 12-quart stockpot
• rimmed baking sheet
• dry skillet
• fine-mesh strainer
• cheesecloth or tea ball for spices
• large pot for noodles
• sharp slicing knife
• instant-read thermometer

Chef's tips

• Common mistake: boiling the broth hard, which turns it cloudy. Keep it at a bare simmer and skim.
• Make-ahead: the broth keeps 5 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen. The fat that hardens on top is easy to lift off.
• Reheat the broth to a full boil before serving or the raw beef will not cook.
• Swap: use beef shank or short rib for part of the oxtail, and gluten-free tamari-free hoisin is optional at the table.

Contains: fish, soy, wheat.

From The Best 100: our home version, inspired by Le Colonial, Houston. Saved, it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, mise en place and what you already have.

Serves 4 · 3 hr · Medium

The Lanzhou formula: clear broth, white radish, red chili oil, green coriander and yellow noodles. Hand-pulling takes practice; fresh thick wheat noodles stand in well.

You need

• 2 lb (900 g) beef shank, in one piece
• 2 lb (900 g) beef bones
• 4 quarts (3.8 l) water
• 1 in (2.5 cm) ginger, sliced
• Spice bag: 2 star anise, 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, 1 tsp fennel seed, 1 small cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaves, 1 black cardamom, 1 tsp cumin seed
• 1 small daikon, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1 lb (450 g) fresh thick wheat noodles
• Chili oil, chopped cilantro and garlic chives or green onion

How to make it

1. Soak the shank and bones in cold water 1 hour, then blanch 5 minutes and rinse.
2. Simmer in the water with the ginger and spice bag 2 1/2 hours, skimming, until the shank is tender.
3. Lift out the shank, cool and slice thin. Strain the broth.
4. Simmer the daikon in the broth 10 minutes; season with salt and white pepper.
5. Cook the noodles, divide among bowls, add beef and daikon, ladle over broth and top with chili oil and herbs.

Chef's tips

• The broth should be clear; never let it boil hard.

Contains: wheat..

Chef Amazing's own recipe, written for a home kitchen. Saved, it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, mise en place and what you already have.

Serves 4 · 12 hr (mostly simmering) · Weekend project

Tonkotsu is pork bones boiled hard, not simmered, until the fat and collagen emulsify and the broth goes white. It takes a day, but it's mostly waiting.

You need

• 4 lb (1.8 kg) pork trotters and neck bones, cut by the butcher
• 1 lb (450 g) chicken backs
• 1 onion, halved, 1 head garlic, halved, 2-inch (5 cm) ginger, sliced
• 4 scallions, white parts
• For the tare: 1/2 cup (120 ml) soy sauce, 1/4 cup (60 ml) mirin, 2 tbsp sake, 1 tsp salt
• 1 lb (450 g) pork belly, rolled and tied
• 4 eggs
• 4 portions (about 1 lb / 450 g) thin fresh ramen noodles
• To serve: sliced scallions, nori, bean sprouts, pickled ginger, sesame seeds

How to make it

1. Cover the bones with cold water, bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes, drain and scrub off the grey scum. Clean the pot.
2. Return the bones with fresh water to cover by 2 inches (5 cm). Boil hard, lid off, 10 to 12 hours, topping up with boiling water to keep the bones covered. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and scallions for the last hour. Strain: you want about 2 quarts (1.9 l) of white broth.
3. Meanwhile, braise the pork belly in the tare plus 1 cup (240 ml) water, covered, at a low simmer for 2 hours, turning now and then. Cool, slice thin, and keep the braising liquid.
4. Boil the eggs 6 1/2 minutes, chill in ice water, peel and soak in 1/2 cup of the braising liquid for at least 4 hours.
5. Put 2 tbsp braising liquid in each warm bowl. Cook the noodles 1 minute less than the packet says, drain well and add. Ladle 2 cups of boiling broth over each, then top with pork, a halved egg, scallions and nori.

Chef's tips

• A pressure cooker gets the broth white in about 2 hours on high.
• Taste the broth with the tare in it before adding salt; the tare is the seasoning.

Contains: wheat, soy, egg, sesame.

Our recipe, the same one we give for tonkotsu ramen in Amsterdam. Saved, it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, mise en place and what you already have.

Serves 6 · 2 hr 30 min

Deeply caramelized onions simmered in beef stock and white wine, topped with toasted bread and a blanket of broiled Gruyere. Inspired by the bistro onion soup at Pastis, this is a home version, not their recipe.

You need

• 3 lb yellow onions (about 5 large), halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt, for the onions
• 1/4 cup water, for deglazing, plus more as needed
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 6 cups beef stock
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 6 slices baguette, 1/2 inch thick
• 1 garlic clove, halved
• 2 cups (8 oz) shredded Gruyere cheese
• Kosher salt, to taste

How to make it

1. Halve and slice the onions. The pile will look huge but cooks down to about 1 1/2 cups.
2. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and 1 tsp salt, stir, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, until wilted and sitting in their own liquid.
3. Uncover and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 40 to 50 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes and scraping the bottom, until the onions are the color of dark brown sugar and jammy. If they stick or scorch, add a splash of the 1/4 cup water and scrape.
4. Pour in the wine and scrape up the browned layer on the bottom of the pot. Simmer for 2 minutes, until the wine has almost evaporated.
5. Add the stock, thyme, bay leaves and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, partly covered, for 30 minutes. The broth should taste rich and slightly sweet.
6. While the soup simmers, heat the oven to 350°F. Lay the baguette slices on a baking sheet and toast for 12 minutes, flipping once, until dry and crisp. Rub one side of each with the cut garlic.
7. Discard the thyme stems and bay leaves. Stir in the sherry vinegar, then taste and add salt as needed. Beef stock varies a lot in salt, so season at the end.
8. Move an oven rack about 6 inches from the broiler and turn the broiler to high. Set the oven-safe bowls on a rimmed baking sheet and ladle in the hot soup, leaving 1/2 inch of space.
9. Float a toasted baguette slice on each bowl and pile on the Gruyere, letting it drape over the rim a little.
10. Broil for 4 to 6 minutes, watching closely, until the cheese is bubbling and browned in spots.
11. Let the bowls stand for 5 minutes, since the cheese and soup are extremely hot, and serve with a spoon and knife for cutting through the cheese.

Pans and tools

• 6-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot
• 6 oven-safe soup bowls (12 oz)
• rimmed baking sheet
• wooden spoon
• box grater

Chef's tips

• Common mistake: rushing the onions on high heat. They turn bitter instead of sweet, so keep it at medium and stir.
• Make the soup base up to 3 days ahead. Reheat it before topping and broiling.
• The base freezes well for 3 months. Always add the bread and cheese fresh.
• Swap Comte or Swiss for part of the Gruyere, and use dry sherry in place of the white wine.

Contains: milk, wheat (gluten).

From The Best 100: our home version, inspired by Pastis, New York. Saved, it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, mise en place and what you already have.