Chinese Borscht Soup Recipe: Heartwarming and Healthy Soup!
Borscht soup is originally made with beetroots. But the Chinese borscht soup that originated in northeast China doesn’t have the beetroot. It is made with beef brisket, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, and several spices. You will enjoy this hearty soup the most in winter.
Learn to make this popular soup following the Chinese borscht soup recipe. I have shown the preparation and cooking process in easy steps for your convenience. Make this healthy and filling soup to provide the essential nutrients for your family. Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Chinese Borscht Soup Recipe Overview
Check the recipe overview to get the necessary information about calorie count, required time, etc.
| Course: Main | Cuisine: Chinese | Difficulty: Hard | ||
| Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes | ||||
| Serving | Preparation Time | Cooking Time | Calories | |
| 4 persons | 25 minutes | 1 hour 45 minutes | 258 kcal | |
Ingredients Needed for the Chinese Borscht Soup Recipe
You will need the following ingredients to make borscht soup. Gather everything before you move on to the next step.
- Beef: 500g of beef brisket
- Flour: 2-3 tbsp
- Olive Oil: 2 tbsp
- Butter: 30g
- Ginger: 25g, sliced
- Bay Leaves: 2 pcs
- Tomato: 1 pc, diced
- Onion: 1 pc, diced
- Carrot: 1 pc, diced
- Potato: 1 pc, diced
- Cabbage: 100g, shredded
- Sausage: 1 pc of red sausage
- Ketchup: 3 tsp
- Creamy Candy: 2 pcs
- Salt: 1 tsp
- Sugar: 1 tsp
- Black Pepper: ½ tsp, freshly ground
Chinese Borscht Soup Recipe: Step-By-Step Instructions
A good chunk of the preparation time will go into cleaning the beef. Let’s get into the process.
Step 1: Cut and Clean the Beef Brisket
Remove the brisket from the packaging and cut it into small cubes. Each piece should be about 1-1.5 inches long. Take the briskets in a bowl and sprinkle about 1-2 tbsp of flour onto the beef. Add enough water to submerge the beef. Squeeze the beef cubes well and wash them.
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Then, soak them in water for about 20 minutes. Drain the bloody water and clean the beef with water again. Squeeze the beef pieces again to remove moisture from them.
Step 2: Fry the Beef
You should fry the beef without any oil. Put the beef cubes in a dry pan and stir-fry them. The moisture will come out of the beef. Remove the water and keep frying the meat.
Step 3: Add Water and Remove the Foam
Once the beef is fried for about 10 minutes, add boiling water to it. Also, add two ginger slices and two bay leaves to the pan. After a few minutes, remove the foam from the top.
Step 4: Simmer the Beef
Put the beef with the water and the spices into a pressure cooker. Simmer them for about 90 minutes. While the beef is simmering, let’s prepare the vegetables.
Step 5: Cut the Vegetables
Clean the tomatoes, onions, carrots, potatoes, and cabbage. Dice all the vegetables except for cabbage. Potatoes should be cut into a bit larger pieces than onions and carrots. Also, remove the skin from the sausage and cut it into pieces.
Step 6: Stir-fry the Vegetables
Heat a pan and put 2 tbsp olive oil in the pan. Add 10g butter to the oil and let it melt. Put the diced onions into the pan and saute the onion. Then, put the diced carrots and potatoes. Stir-fry the veggies for about five minutes. Once the vegetables have got some color, add the diced tomato.
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Also, add 3 tsp of ketchup to the vegetables and stir-fry everything for a few more minutes.
Step 7: Add the Beef Soup
Once the beef soup has been simmered, pour it into the vegetables. Then, season the dish with salt, sugar, and freshly ground black pepper. Cover the pot and cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes.
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Then, add the shredded cabbage and sausage to the soup. Keep cooking the soup for 10 minutes.
Step 8: Make the Butter Sauce
Take 20g of butter in a small pan and melt it. Add 1.5 tsp of flour to the butter and stir it on low heat. Make sure the flour doesn’t burn or turn into lumps. Make a smooth paste.
Step 9: Add the Sauce to the Soup
Check the seasoning level of the soup first. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Put two creamy candies into the soup. They will increase the milky aroma and enhance the flavor. Lastly, add the butter sauce you just made to the soup. Keep stirring the soup until it thickens. Now, the borscht soup is ready to serve.
Nutrition Facts of the Recipe
Beef borscht soup is a highly nutritious dish, enriched with many essential nutrients. Check the nutritional values of the dish below.
- Total Carbohydrates: 16g
- Protein: 17g
- Total Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 3.5g
- Total Dietary Fiber: 2g
- Total Sugar: 5g
- Cholesterol: 49mg
- Sodium: 113mg
- Potassium: 95mg
- Calcium: 42mg
- Iron: 0.7mg
- Vitamin A: 112IU
- Vitamin C: 32mg
Do’s and Don’ts of the Recipe
As this is a complex recipe, I want to share some tips to make the process easier.
Do’s
- Prepare the vegetables while the beef is simmering. It will help you complete the dish faster.
- As there is no soy sauce in this recipe, you need to check the salt at the end and adjust the amount if necessary.
Don’ts
- Don’t cook this dish over high heat. Use medium-high or medium-low heat to enhance the taste.
- Don’t cook tomatoes first. Otherwise, they will melt down.
Chinese Borscht Soup Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Remove the brisket from the packaging and cut it into small cubes. Each piece should be about 1-1.5 inches long. Take the briskets in a bowl and sprinkle about 1-2 tbsp of flour onto the beef. Add enough water to submerge the beef. Squeeze the beef cubes well and wash them.
- Then, soak them in water for about 20 minutes. Drain the bloody water and clean the beef with water again. Squeeze the beef pieces again to remove moisture from them.
- You should fry the beef without any oil. Put the beef cubes in a dry pan and stir-fry them. The moisture will come out of the beef. Remove the water and keep frying the meat.
- Once the beef is fried for about 10 minutes, add boiling water to it. Also, add two ginger slices and two bay leaves to the pan. After a few minutes, remove the foam from the top.
- Put the beef with the water and the spices into a pressure cooker. Simmer them for about 90 minutes. While the beef is simmering, let’s prepare the vegetables.
- Clean the tomatoes, onions, carrots, potatoes, and cabbage. Dice all the vegetables except for cabbage. Potatoes should be cut into a bit larger pieces than onions and carrots. Also, remove the skin from the sausage and cut it into pieces.
- Heat a pan and put 2 tbsp olive oil in the pan. Add 10g butter to the oil and let it melt. Put the diced onions into the pan and saute the onion. Then, put the diced carrots and potatoes. Stir-fry the veggies for about five minutes. Once the vegetables have got some color, add the diced tomato.
- Also, add 3 tsp of ketchup to the vegetables and stir-fry everything for a few more minutes.
- Once the beef soup has been simmered, pour it into the vegetables. Then, season the dish with salt, sugar, and freshly ground black pepper. Cover the pot and cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes.
- Then, add the shredded cabbage and sausage to the soup. Keep cooking the soup for 10 minutes.
- Take 20g of butter in a small pan and melt it. Add 1.5 tsp of flour to the butter and stir it on low heat. Make sure the flour doesn’t burn or turn into lumps. Make a smooth paste.
- Check the seasoning level of the soup first. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Put two creamy candies into the soup. They will increase the milky aroma and enhance the flavor. Lastly, add the butter sauce you just made to the soup. Keep stirring the soup until it thickens. Now, the borscht soup is ready to serve.
FAQs
While reading the recipe, some questions can arise in your mind. I tried to answer a few of them below.
How does the Chinese version of borscht soup differ from the traditional Russian recipe?
The traditional Russian borscht soup recipe is made with various vegetables, including beetroot. The beetroot gives Russian borscht soup its signature color. As the Chinese version doesn’t use beetroot, it has a brighter color. The flavor of the Chinese borscht soup is also more refreshing.
How long should the soup simmer to allow the flavors to develop fully?
Chinese borscht soup should simmer for at least 90 minutes so that the flavors can develop fully. Without simmering enough, the soup might taste a bit bland and have a pale color.
Can leftovers of Chinese borscht soup be stored and reheated?
Yes. You can store leftover borscht soup in the refrigerator for 2-3 days and reheat it.
Can I make Chinse borscht soup with any other parts of beef?
Of course. You can use beef shank, chuck, oxtail, etc., to make the Chinese borscht soup.
Conclusion
Some dishes in the Chinese cuisine become a meal on their own. Chinese borscht soup is one of those dishes. The soup is so delicious and filling that you can complete your meal with one or two bowls of this soup. It contains carbs, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals to keep your immune system boosted.
Try this Chinese borscht soup recipe, which is also called Luo Song Tang. Though it takes some time and effort to make, you will be amazed by the aroma and flavor of this healthy soup.
