West Lake Beef Soup (西湖牛肉羹)

Mince the beef (8 oz) by first cutting it into thin slices. Cut the thin slices into thin strips, and then chop those thin strips into small pieces. To get a finer chop, you can make a few extra general passes over the whole mound of chopped meat with your cleaver.

If you'd rather avoid chopping the meat up by hand, you can definitely use store-ground meat instead!

Then, we'll rinse the beef to wash away the excess myoglobin. This step will reduce the metallic taste from the myoglobin and also improve the clarity of the broth. Put the meat in a bowl of water and massage and mix around to agitate it. Then, pour the meat into a fine strainer to drain the water out. Set it aside to continue draining.

Make the marinade by combining cornstarch (1 tbsp), white pepper (0.25 tsp), sugar (0.25 tsp), salt (0.50 tsp), and water (5 tbsp). Then, mix together.

Get the beef ready for the marinade by squeezing as much water out of it first. The less water is in the beef, the more room it has to absorb that delicious flavor! Mix the beef into the marinade until it's fully incorporated, then set it aside.

Cut the tofu (8 oz) into 1/2-inch thick slices. Then, cut perpendicular to those cuts to create squares. Carefully flip the tofu onto its side and cut 1/2-inch thick pieces to result in small cubes.

Then, wash the yellow chives (2 oz), and trim and discard the ends. Cut the chives into 1/2-inch long pieces.

Next, prepare the eggs (4 ). Have two bowls ready as you crack and separate each egg. First, hovering over your "egg white bowl", crack an egg and peel the shell apart into two halves. Then, pass the yolk from shell to shell, allowing the egg whites to fall into the bowl below. When the egg white has been separated to your satisfaction, pour the yolk into the "egg yolk bowl". Repeat with the remaining eggs.

We won't be using the egg yolks for this recipe. You can cook them separately or in a different dish.

Parboiling the beef is important to get a clearer, better broth.

Heat a pot or wok with 2 cups of hot water. Add the beef and break up any clumps. The meat should easily break apart at a light touch. Parboil for just 30-40 seconds, then turn off the heat. Transfer the beef out into strainer to drain.

If the pot that you use here is the same one that you intend to use for making the whole soup, give it a quick wash and wipe dry to clean off any unwanted residue.

Bring your pot to the stove, and add chicken broth (14 oz) and water (6 cup). Turn the heat up to high and cover the pot with a lid.

While waiting for the water to boil, create the thickening slurry by combining potato starch (6 tbsp) and water (7 tbsp) in a separate bowl. Mix thoroughly until the starch is fully dissolved. Depending on how thick you like your soups, you might not need all of this slurry, or you may want to make even more.

Then, take the egg whites and beat them well, until they start to form bubbles.

Once the broth is boiling, it's time to add all the ingredients. First, add the beef and stir it in. Then, while stirring continuously, slowly pour in the thickening slurry. (In our video, my dad thought that the soup could be even thicker, so he whipped up extra slurry and added that in. It's up to your own preference!)

When the consistency of the broth is to your liking, add the tofu and stir gently to mix it in. Then, slowly pour the egg whites in while stirring gently. Similar to Egg Drop Soup, the eggs will cook as they move, turning into tender wisps of white. When the egg whites are all in, there may be some unsightly egg white foam, and you can scoop that right out.

Then, turn the heat off to season the soup. Add salt (2 tsp), sugar (1 tsp), white pepper (0.25 tsp), and sesame oil (1 tsp). Mix the seasonings in well, give it a taste, and adjust if necessary. Transfer to a serving bowl. Enjoy!