West Lake Beef Soup, or Xi Hu Niu Rou Geng (西湖牛肉羹), is a traditional dish from Shanghai Delicacies. This can be a gentle and delicate dish, named after the picturesque West Lake in Hangzhou. The dish options tender minced beef, earthy mushrooms, egg ribbons, and a delicate contact of white pepper made into a lightweight soup. It’s thickened barely with cornstarch, giving it that traditional “羹” (gēng) texture—a consistency thicker than broth, with a velvety texture.

Strategies within the recipe

1. Poach the bottom beef – You would possibly discover it very unusual to poach the bottom beef first earlier than including it to the soup. A fast poaching helps the meat obtain a really tender texture and it removes the blood, for a transparent soup. The flavour is much less developed than browning the meat would offer you, nevertheless it works nicely with the remainder of the gentle substances reminiscent of tofu and eggs. 
2. Egg white ribbons – Totally different from egg drop soup, West Lake beef soup makes use of solely the egg whites to create skinny strands of egg ribbons. Once more, the purpose is to create a really delicate soup with substances that don’t stand out an excessive amount of.  
3. A light soup base – Once I recreated the dish at dwelling, I used hen broth as a substitute of hen bouillon and water, that are extra generally utilized in West Lake Soup. That’s why my soup ended up with a darker coloration, whereas the normal dish has a a lot paler coloration. That is the one factor I did otherwise from the widespread method, by way of the soup base.

West Lake soup substances

• White or brown mushrooms: They’re diced so as to add texture and a gentle taste to the soup.
• Rooster broth
• Marinated floor beef: The meat is marinated in Shaoxing wine and salt for taste, and we’ll use cornstarch to create a young texture.
• Gentle tofu: Gentle tofu creates one of the best texture, however you should use medium or agency when you desire.
• Ginger slices
• Egg white: Save the yolk to make golden fried rice, or prime it on a Korean stew. 
• Cornstarch
• White pepper: Provides brightness to the soup and brings out the flavour of the substances.

The way to make West Lake beef soup

1. In a short time blanch the meat in sizzling water, break it aside, then drain it. The meat needs to be simply cooked by means of, and even nonetheless somewhat pink inside. This ends in a extra tender texture. 

2. Cook dinner the mushroom, tofu and ginger within the hen inventory very briefly for the soup base. Then use a cornstarch slurry to thicken the soup.

3. To make the egg ribbons, be sure to beat the egg whites totally to interrupt up any massive items. Then take away and discard the froth from the highest. Very slowly drizzle the egg into the thickened soup, then break the eggs aside to create ribbons. 

4. Then add again the cooked beef, salt, white pepper, and scallion to complete up the soup.

That’s it! The soup is tremendous quick to make. Although fairly gentle, it’s extraordinarily heart-warming and comforting. It’s the kind of soup that you just’ll need to have on a wet spring day, or once you’re feeling below the climate. Additionally it is an excellent dish so as to add to your dinner, to stability out heavier dishes and clear your palate. 

Afterthoughts

Similar to a quiet stroll alongside Hangzhou’s West Lake, this soup is about appreciating the little issues—the softness of the tofu, the earthiness of mushrooms, the heat of the broth. West Lake Beef Soup will not be the flashiest dish, nevertheless it’s a testomony to how considerate flavors and easy strategies can create one thing actually elegant.

Whether or not you’re exploring Chinese language soups or searching for one thing gentle and nourishing, give this one a strive. And go away a remark under to let me know what you assume!

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