Westlake beef soup - 3 recipes to whet your appetite

Westlake beef soup 西湖牛肉羹 (xi hu niu rou geng) is quite a famous soup, at least to me.

Hailed from Westlake China, it is a classic dish from that region. Outside of China, it is not as popular and well known as the perennial favorite: hot and sour soup.

Both are classic thickened soups.

The soup thickener most commonly used is cornstarch but it can be substituted with arrowroot powder. I found 3 fairly simple recipes, not a lot of chopping or fanciful cutting required.

---

1. Westlake beef soup with egg white flowers

This version is a simplified version with only 2 key ingredients: beef and egg white. If you are trying to experiment with thickening and egg dropping, this is a good recipe to try.

Ingredients

225g beef fillet
2 egg whites
950ml soup stock
1 tablespoon chopped spring onions
2 tablespoon of cornstarch mixture
White pepper to taste

Seasoning for beef

1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon cooking wine (optional)
1 tablespoon soy sauce

It is also good to remove the pot from the heat before adding the egg white to prevent overcooking.

Directions

1. Clean the beef and cut into really thin strips (against the grain)
2. Marinate the beef with the seasoning for beef and let it stand for about 15 minutes. Longer if you have more time
3. Beat the egg white to break up any lumps. Avoid beating too vigorously. We do not want to incorporate too much air, just to break the whites up a little.
4. Bring soup stock to a boil, add beef. Stir to separate the beef strips
5. Bring to a boil again and stir in the cornstarch mixture
6. Remove from heat and drizzle the egg white into soup, stirring the soup gently
7. Use a pair of chopsticks or fork to guide the beaten egg white into the soup if you are new at this.
8. Add the pepper and sprinkle chopped spring onions just before serving

Recipe link: http://www.homemade-chinese-soups.com/westlake-beef-soup.html#westlake1

---

2. Westlake beef soup with lettuce and fried dough fritters

This recipe calls for fried dough fritter 油条 (you tiao), if it is hard to find in your locale, substitute with white bread cubes or wonton wrappers. Both have to be fried to obtain crispiness.

Ingredients

200g tender beef fillet
3 leaves lettuce
1 fried dough fritter
2 stalks coriander
6 cups soup stock
4 tbsp cornstarch solution
Salt, pepper and sesame seed oil to taste

Marinate

1 tbsp cooking wine
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp cornstarch

Directions

1. Slice the beef fillet thinly and mix well with marinate
2. Julienne the lettuce leaves and place into serving bowl
3. Cut the fried dough fritter into small pieces, fry them till they are crispy
4. Dice the coriander
5. Bring the soup stock to a boil, add the beef slices and salt to taste
6. Drizzle the cornstarch solution into the soup to thicken the soup
7. Once the soup thickens, pour into the serving bowl and over the julienned lettuce

Sprinkle pepper and sesame seed oil and top with fried dough fritter pieces

Recipe link: http://www.homemade-chinese-soups.com/westlake-beef-soup.html#westlake2

---

3. Thickened ground beef soup

This thickened soup uses ground beef which is easier to find and cheaper too.

Dear visitors

If you want to re-post information on this page, ask me first or follow these instructions. I'm flattered that people think my content is good enough to re-use but I think it is only polite to seek permission. Pictures appearing on this page are not necessarily mine. Click through to find the original flickr owner.

This page has been edited and updated on 10 August 2013.

Thanks, Phoebe

Share on Facebook

Chinese Soups / Beef soup recipes / Westlake beef soup Chinese Soups / Thickening soups / Westlake beef soup