Hong Kong Style Borscht Soup
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound beef bones
- ½ pound beef chunk meat or stew meat
- 1 small onion (diced)
- 3 small carrots (peeled and diced)
- 4 celery stalks (diced)
- 1 can tomato paste (170g)
- 3 tomatoes (core removed and diced)
- 12½ cups water
- 1/2 cabbage (rinsed and cut into large bite size)
- 5 bay leafs
- 6 black peppercorns (optional)
- 2 red potatoes (peeled and diced)(optional)
- 2½ teaspoons salt
- 1½ tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ground black pepper
- vegetable oil
Instructions
- 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 for a couple minutes. Set aside to drain and cool.
- In another large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon 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, 12½ cups water, chopped cabbage, bay leafs and black peppercorns (if using). Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium-low heat and cook for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the beef chunk meat and cut into bite size pieces. Put back to soup. Add potatoes if using and continue to cook for another 1½ 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).
Notes
- For beef bones, ask your butcher and he should have it.
- If you like, you can just use beef short ribs. I have done it with 1½ pounds short ribs.
- If you prefer, you can also add cooked macaroni into the soup at the very end to serve as a noodle soup.