Title: Hong Kong Style Borscht Soup
Categories: Chinese, Soups, Beef, Vegetables
Servings: 4
1 lb Beef bones
1/2 lb Beef chunk meat or stew
- meat
1 sm Onion; diced
3 sm Carrots; peeled, diced
4 Celery ribs; diced
1 cn Tomato paste (170g)
3 Tomatoes; cored, diced
12 1/2 c Water
1/2 Cabbage; rinsed, cut into
- large bite-sized pieces
5 Bay leaves
6 Black peppercorns
2 Red potatoes; peeled, diced
2 1/2 ts Salt
1 tb Sugar
1 1/2 tb Lemon juice
1 1/2 tb Worcestershire sauce
Ground black pepper
Vegetable oil
Let me be very clear. This is not the East European borscht. There is
no beetroot and sour cream. This is the borscht soup that is
common in Hong Kong. Russian cuisine was once popular in Shanghai
around the time of Word War II. After the war, many Shanghainese
migrated to Hong Kong and they brought along Russian food. However,
Russian food never took off in Hong Kong. Since borscht soup is a
vegetable soup and it's seen as part of western cuisine, many
restaurants start making it. It has gained popularity, especially in
Hong Kong style cafes (cha chaan teng). The recipe was changed to
fit into the liking of Hong Kong people. The soup is no longer made
with red beets. Instead, it is a beef broth based tomato soup with
lots of vegetables.
My version of borscht is a bit richer than restaurants' version,
because it's made with a good amount of beef bones and tons of
vegetables. Before starting the soup, the beef and beef bones need
to be blanched first. It's a common Chinese practice to remove blood
from meats and bones.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the beef
bones and meat. Bring back to a boil. Drain and rinse the bones and
meat under tap water. Set aside.
In another large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add 1 tb
vegetable oil. Add onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add carrot and
celery and cook for another 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for
4 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and mix well. Add the bones, meat,
12-1/2 cups water, chopped cabbage, bay leaves, and black peppercorns
(if using). Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium-low heat
and cook for 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Remove the beef chunk meat and cut into bite size pieces. Put back
to soup. Add potatoes and continue to cook for another 1-1/2 hours.
Season with salt, sugar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and
black pepper. Taste and adjust with seasoning to your own taste.
Remove bay leafs and peppercorns. Transfer to serving bowls. Serve
immediately with dinner rolls or Hawaiian rolls.
If you want, you can also add cooked macaroni into the soup at the
very end to serve as a noodle soup.
