West Lake Beef Soup (西湖牛肉羹)

West Lake beef soup is a delicate and heart-warming dish that features tender beef, mushrooms, and tofu pieces made into a chicken broth based egg drop soup.

West Lake Beef Soup, or Xi Hu Niu Rou Geng (西湖牛肉羹), is a classic dish from Shanghai Cuisine. This is a mild and delicate dish, named after the picturesque West Lake in Hangzhou. The dish features tender minced beef, earthy mushrooms, egg ribbons, and a gentle touch of white pepper made into a light soup. It’s thickened slightly with cornstarch, giving it that classic “羹” (gēng) texture—a consistency thicker than broth, with a velvety texture.

• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 slices ginger
• 1/4 block soft tofu , diced
• 4 oz white or brown mushrooms , diced
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 3 egg whites , beaten thoroughly
• 1 scallion , thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper