Chinese tomato beef soup (tomato fat beef soup)

Chinese tomato beef soup, or Fan Qie Fei Niu Tang (番茄肥牛汤), is a hearty dish that I don’t see often, outside of China. It is typically served as a main dish, because it is loaded with goodies and is filling like a stew. But compared to stews, this one takes much less time to put together.

Chinese tomato beef soup in a bowl — Chinese tomato beef soup (tomato fat beef soup) 30

Chinese tomato beef soup ingredients

Thinly sliced beef

Many American-style soups and stews use thick chunks of beef. This Chinese tomato soup is a little different. The beef in this recipe is very thinly sliced so it practically melts in your mouth when you take a bite. It is simply heavenly!

You can find these skinny cuts of beef in most Asian markets and they are usually labeled as beef for Chinese hot pot. Hot pot beef is very well marbled with lots of delicious fat and cut with meat slicer into paper-thin pieces, so that it cooks quickly. This is exactly what you want for this soup recipe.

You can also find similar thin cuts at Japanese markets, labeled as shabu shabu meat or sukiyaki meat.

NOTE: it’s very unlikely that you can slice the meat thin enough at home using a knife. Because the meat is usually sliced with a professional meat slicer while frozen, to create the paper-thin slices. If you use hand sliced meat instead, you should marinate the beef first and cook it for a shorter time, to keep it from overcooking.

Fatty sliced beef for hot pot — Chinese tomato beef soup (tomato fat beef soup) 31

Enoki Mushrooms

Enoki mushrooms, or Jin Zhen Gu (金针菇), are a very skinny, long type of mushroom that has a shape similar to that to noodles. They typically come in bunches and can be quickly rinsed and then tossed right into the broth. They cook quickly and add a mild earthy flavor to the soup.

I like that the enoki mushrooms add a nice texture to the soup and soak up the delicious flavor of the beef. You can use regular sliced white or brown mushrooms as well, if you cannot find enoki mushrooms. In this case, you need to add the mushrooms earlier, because they will take longer to cook.

Set up

Take a look at the ingredients you will need to make Chinese tomato beef soup:

Diced tomato
Ingredients for the soup base (oyster sauce, light soy sauce, tomato paste, sugar and white pepper)
Chicken broth
Thinly sliced fatty beef
Enoki mushrooms
Aromatics (minced ginger, minced garlic, sliced green onion)

Ingredients for making Chinese tomato beef soup — Chinese tomato beef soup (tomato fat beef soup) 32

Chinese tomato beef soup close up — Chinese tomato beef soup (tomato fat beef soup) 33

How to Make Chinese Tomato Beef Soup

Saute the ginger and garlic in oil.
Cook the tomatoes until softened.
Add the chicken broth and all the seasonings.
Add the sliced beef.
Skim any foam off the surface of the soup and discard.
Cook the mushrooms. Then finish up with green onion and white pepper.

A different approach

Most Chinese tomato beef soup recipes blanch the beef quickly in a separate pot and add it back to the soup at the end, to prevent overcooking.

I’ve tried that method but found that the added step takes a lot of effort. Plus, the soup ended up less flavorful.

I prefer to cook the beef right in the tomato soup. Not only does it add so much flavor to the soup, but it saves a lot of time as well.

If you use proper hot pot style fatty beef, most of the fat will melt away (and you can remove the fat by skimming), and the beef will remain tender. I wouldn’t worry about overcooking the beef.

How to serve Chinese tomato beef soup

I love serving this Chinese tomato beef soup with steamed rice to make a complete meal. The other great way is to boil some noodles and add them to the soup, to make it a one-pot dinner. It is also great as a complimentary dish, as part of a larger meal. I like to pair tomato beef soup with a vegetable bowl, like Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce or vegetable fried rice. No matter how you serve this delicious Chinese soup, you will adore every single, flavorful bite.

My authentic Chinese tomato and beef soup is the best you will ever try. The fresh tomatoes and thin pieces of beef both add so much intense flavor to the broth that you won’t find in other recipes. Plus, my beef soup recipe is very easy to make, coming together in just minutes. Keep this recipe on hand as it is a perfect fall and winter dish that you can make again and again. Enjoy!

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