Hong Kong Borscht Soup

Ingredients

• 680 g (1 1/2 lb) boneless beef chuck, cut into 4 cm chunks
• 450 g (1 lb) beef bones
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, cut into chunks
• 170 g (6 oz) tomato paste
• 410 g (14 1/2 oz) canned diced tomatoes
• 200 g (7 oz) fresh tomatoes, cut into chunks
• 2 L (8 cups) water
• 2 bay leaves
• 400 g (14 oz) small potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 225 g (8 oz) carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 140 g (5 oz) celery, cut into chunks
• 340 g (12 oz) cabbage, cut into 4 cm pieces
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp sugar (optional, to soften the tomato tang)

Method

1. Pat the beef dry. Cut the potatoes, carrots, celery and fresh tomatoes into chunks about the size of the beef so they cook evenly, and cut the cabbage into 4 cm pieces.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot (at least 5 L) over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in two batches, 3-4 minutes per batch, and lift it out. Brown the beef bones in the same pot for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes until it softens. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until it darkens slightly.
4. Return the beef to the pot with the canned and fresh tomatoes, bay leaves and water. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then cover and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours.
5. Add the potatoes, carrots and celery and simmer, partly covered, for 30 minutes.
6. Add the cabbage, garlic powder, pepper, salt and sugar (if using) and simmer for 15 minutes more, until the beef is tender and the cabbage is soft. Add a little hot water if the soup gets too thick.
7. Remove the bones and bay leaves, skim the fat from the surface, taste and adjust the salt, and serve hot.
8. Pressure cooker option: do steps 2-3 in the cooker, then add the beef, bones, tomatoes, bay leaves and 1.25 L (5 cups) water. Cook for 35 minutes at high pressure and let the pressure drop naturally for 15 minutes. Add the vegetables and seasoning, cook for 5 minutes at high pressure, then release the pressure quickly.

Tips

• The vegetables go in late on purpose: added at the start they turn to mush long before the beef is tender.
• Browning the beef and cooking out the tomato paste give the broth its deep, rounded flavour.
• The pressure cooker needs less water (1.25 L) because almost nothing evaporates under the lid.
• For a clearer, lighter soup, chill it overnight and lift off the set fat before reheating.
• Keeps 3-4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer; it tastes even better the next day.