West Lake beef soup recipe
West Lake beef soup is a hearty ground beef soup with shiitake and tofu. The soup is soothing, flavorful, and healthy. Great for family and colder months!
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 0.5 lb Sirloin steak or flank steak, fats trimmed, or lean ground beef (90% lean, 10% fat)
- 4 oz fresh shiitake 10 large caps, or 2.5 oz dried shiitake mushrooms (needs to be rehydrated)
- 14 oz. soft tofu
- 0.3 oz ginger sliced, 3 slices
- 0.5 tsp coarse sea salt plus more to taste
- ½ tbsp Michu or Chinese cooking wine
- 1 tbsp avocado oil divided
- 32 oz chicken broth
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tbsp potato starch or tapioca starch
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 0.5 tsp Takii mushroom seasoning optional
- Drizzle Toasted sesame oil
- Large handful Cilantro finely chopped, or 2 spring chopped spring onions
Instructions
- If using steak, slice it thinly against the grain. Mince the slices into very small pieces that are almost similar to ground beef texture.
- Cut the shiitake mushrooms into small cubes. Carefully dice the tofu into small cubes. Slice the ginger into thin, wide strips.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and a splash of Chinese cooking wine. Add the beef bit by bit, stirring constantly to break up clumps. Parboil for 2 minutes to remove scum. Drain the beef in a colander and rinse under water for 1 minute, breaking up any clumps with your hands. Leave to drain well.
- Heat a large soup pot over medium heat until warm. Add 0.5 tbsp oil and lower heat to medium-low. Add the ginger and stir fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Discard the ginger.
- Add the mushrooms and remaining 0.5 tbsp oil. Sauté for 1 minute with a pinch of salt.
- Gently add the tofu and drained beef to the pot. Pour in the stock. Stir gently to prevent beef clumping. Leave lid slightly ajar. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, 10-12 minutes.
- Separate 2 eggs, whites in one bowl and yolks in another. Whisk each until foamy. Make a slurry by mixing 3 tbsp starch with 6 tbsp water.
- Once soup boils gently, use a skimmer to remove scum from the surface to keep broth clear. You can also use a spoon to do this.
- Stir the slurry again and pour into soup to thicken, about 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and mushroom seasoning if using.
- To make egg ribbons, keep the soup at a gentle simmer. With one hand stirring and the other hand pouring, slowly drizzle in egg whites from high above, wait for a few seconds then gently stir to separate the white. Repeat the same process for the egg yolks to create ribbons.
- Turn off heat. Taste and add salt if needed. Garnish with sesame oil and cilantro or scallions. Serve hot or warm.
Video
Notes
- For authentic West Lake beef soup, the broth must be clear, not cloudy. To achieve this clarity -
- first parboil and rinse the beef to remove impurities before adding it to the soup, similar to the technique for making pho broth.
- Use a lean cut of beef like sirloin, trim off any excess fat, and hand-mince the meat into small pieces. Pre-ground beef tends to be more fatty and therefore makes the broth cloudy. Hand mincing results in better texture and mouthfeel.
- As the soup simmers, frequently skim off any scum or fat from the surface using a fine mesh strainer. This keeps the broth perfectly clear.
- Why hand chopping/mincing the beef?
- Hand mincing the beef rather than using pre-ground gives you more textural control and a toothsome, tender mouthfeel. Slicing and finely chopping a lean cut allows you to remove fat before mincing, making for a leaner product. While more time-consuming than pre-ground, hand-mincing results in beef that melts in your mouth yet retains substance. For speed, use a food processor to finely chop the meat.
- Can I use ground beef instead?
- Yes, you can. Please use lean ground beef with 90% lean and 10% fat.
- Can I use another type of ground meat?
- You can but it won’t be Westlake beef soup. You can use ground chicken or pork. It will still taste yummy.
- Why parboil the beef?
- Parboiling the beef before adding it to the soup helps remove excess fat and impurities that would make the broth cloudy. The brief parboiling allows the fat and scum to rise to the surface where it can be skimmed off and discarded. This keeps the final soup broth clear, not cloudy, and less fatty.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 182kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 807mg | Potassium: 283mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 93IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 2mg