This recipe for Hong Kong-style Borscht (Oxtail Soup) uses tomatoes instead of beets for a tangy and hearty version of beef and vegetable stew. With melt-in-your-mouth oxtail and tender beef chuck roast cooked low and slow, it‘s no wonder this is my husband‘s favorite soup!
Yesterday was my husband’s birthday. Since our birthdays are just one week apart, we used to go to a nice restaurant in San Francisco to celebrate our birthdays together. After our children were born, we started a new tradition: he prepares my birthday dinner, and a week later I prepare his birthday dinner and we celebrate together with our children.
This year my husband cooked Thomas Keller’s Pork Tenderloin for us, and I cooked his favorite soup, Hong Kong Style Borscht, as per his request.
You might wonder and ask me what “Hong Kong Style” means. According to my husband, this is Chinese-style (precisely Hong Kong-style cafe) Borscht soup. The original Ukrainian Borscht soup uses beetroot as the main ingredient while tomato is the main ingredient for the Hong Kong style.
This soup is my husband’s favorite because his mom used to make it. Besides his mom’s version, it also reminded him of the late-night Hong Kong cafe meals during college since the soup was served complimentary with most meals. As soon as I became his wife, he asked me if I can make Borscht soup. He was asking me who grew up drinking mostly miso soup! Well, I had no idea how to make it and I kept ignoring his wishes for the past few years.
My husband probably got fed up with me ignoring his request so one day he came to me with a recipe in one hand and asked me to make it. I thought I should give it a try and I made the soup. I wasn’t much of a fan of oxtail before this soup but I added it because his mom always included oxtail. Oh boy, I’m so glad I did because it adds a wonderful flavor! The fatty goodness from the oxtail blends into the soup and provides some yummy grease in a predominately vegetable soup.
So that’s the story of my husband’s favorite soup. One time we invited my brother-in-law for having this soup and he really loved it as well. I was happy I could re-create their mom’s favorite soup from their childhood memory. I hope you enjoy this soup because I also fell in love with this soup and so did my children. It’s a family favorite now. Have a great week!
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Oxtail Soup – Hong Kong Style Borscht
Ingredients
- 1.2 lbs oxtails (4–5 pieces)
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for searing the stew beef)
- 1.2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast (patted dry before searing; I recommend chuck roast for its tenderness and higher quality; you can use stew beef, but it‘s not as tender)
- 1½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for cooking the vegetables)
- 2 onions (sliced)
- 7 ribs celery (chopped into small pieces)
- 2–3 carrots (peeled and cut into ½-inch (1.3 cm) pieces)
- 4 tomatoes (cut into wedges)
- ¼ head green cabbage (chopped; about 3 cups)
- 8 cups beef stock/broth
- 1 can tomato paste (6 oz, 120 g)
- 2 russet potatoes (peeled and cut into small cubes)
For Seasonings A
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 Tbsp dried basil (or 2 Tbsp fresh basil)
- 1 tsp paprika
- freshly ground black pepper
For Seasonings B
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar (packed)
- 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Instructions
To Prepare the Oxtails
- Soak 1.2 lbs oxtails in cold water for 1 hour, changing the water a few times. Transfer the oxtail to a large pot of water, bring to a boil, and lower the heat to simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to remove the foam and scum. Set aside. Tip: Soaking and blanching the oxtail before cooking will remove any blood and impurities.
To Sear the Chuck Roast
- In a large heavy-bottom pot (you will need a 6.75 to 8 QT pot), heat 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat and sear the surface of 1.2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast. Once seared, transfer to a plate and set aside. Tip: This step will enhance the savory flavor.
To Cook the Soup
- In the same pot, heat 1½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil on medium heat and sauté 2 onions (sliced) and 7 ribs celery (chopped) until they are tender.
- Add the seared chuck roast (or stew beef), 2–3 carrots (peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces), ¼ head green cabbage (chopped), 4 tomatoes (cut into wedges), 8 cups beef stock/broth, and 1 can tomato paste and bring it to a boil.
- Add the oxtails. Once it boils, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. With a fine-mesh sieve, skim off the scum and foam on the soup’s surface. This step can be tedious but it’s the key to a clean taste when you drink the soup.
- Add Seasonings A: 2 bay leaves, 1 Tbsp dried basil, 1 tsp paprika, and freshly ground black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low or low. Cover and simmer (not boiling) for at least 3–4 hours, or until meat comes off from oxtail bones and becomes tender.
- Add 2 russet potatoes (peeled and cubed) and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in Seasonings B: 3 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar, and 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Mix well. Ladle the soup into individual bowls. Enjoy!
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container or in the pot and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month. Remove the potatoes as their texture changes when frozen.
Hi! Can you make this without the bones? I love a good ox tail soup but my grocery store doesn’t sell any beef bones (I asked). Actually I saw a package of bones… once in three years! So wondering if/how this can be adapted to just beef broth if possible. Looks so good!
Hi Grace! The bone gives rich flavor in the broth but if you can’t find it, then you just have to make it without it. It’ll be still delicious. Don’t skip the searing part. 🙂
Hi there,
I was just wondering if this recipe can be made in the instant pot. If so, what are the instructions?
Thanks!
Hi Marilyn! Yes, I have and here’s the recipe and video: https://www.justonecookbook.com/pressure-cooker-oxtail-soup/
Enjoy!
Hi Marilyn! Here it is: https://www.justonecookbook.com/pressure-cooker-oxtail-soup/
Enjoy!
I made it and it was delicious.
Hi Mimi! I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you so much for the kind feedback!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! I tried this last night and it was delicious!
Super healthy and just like the one I had in HK.
Hi Jo! I’m so happy to hear that! This is our favorite soup now too (it used to be just Mr. JOC’s). Thank you for trying this recipe and taking your time to write the kind feedback. xo
This is my go-to recipe for Chinese Russia borscht. Such a favorite and so delicious! Thank you!
Thank you so much, Connie! It’s Mr. JOC’s favorite and he was just saying yesterday he wants to eat this. 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback. xo
Chinese Borscht recipe- why boil the oxtails for one hour then drain the water? Wouldn’t the water be flavourful?
Hi Helen! Someone left a comment on my recent Pressure Cooker Oxtail post about the same thing, which got me thinking.
I wish I did some research before using oxtail for the first time, but I follow a Chinese blogger’s recipe (I mentioned in the Note, but that website is no longer available) to prepare the oxtail. I followed exactly – didn’t think twice about it – and I kept making the same way – so I made the pressure cooker recipe based on this recipe.
I did some extensive research and you’re right – 15 minutes is good amount. Japanese usually put oxtails in water, bring to boil, throw away water, add water, bring to boil, throw away… usually 1-3 times.
I think, 15 minutes is good, and I updated the recipe. Thank you for bringing to my attention!
Love the soup when i used to have it in a Hainanese run Russian restaurant. The restaurant has closed some time ago.
Thank you for the recipe. I have used it many times now. The soup always bring a smile to those who love the flavour of beef and one bowl of it is never enough. So, whenever I cook this soup I always cook it in a large pot.
Today, I’m trying it out on two pressured pot. Hope it works just the same.
Hi Chng! I’m so happy you liked this recipe. Mr. JOC’s favorite and I make this a lot in winter time. 🙂 My next Instant Pot (pressure cooker) recipe I’ll be sharing on my blog is this recipe! Hope yours came out well using pressure cooker. 🙂
Thanks. It was a great pot of soup.
The soup on the pressure pot reduced the cooking time. The taste and consistency are just the same with slow cooking.
Would love to see your recipe on instant pot.
Thank you for your response! I’ll need to work on it soon! 🙂
Nami,
Have you used the OnePot for this recipe? Can you?
Thanks,
Irene J
Hi Irene! I’ll work on it. 🙂
I love all your recipes! You mentioned that you’re now making this in the instant pot pressure cooker. Can you please post the recipe. I want to make it in my 6 quart instant pot.
Thanks
Hi May! Next time I make, I’ll take notes. When I make for my family, I don’t always follow the recipe precisely… 😀
Hi may I know the brand of the pot that u r using to boil this soup or which brand do u think it can keep most of the water even it boils for 3-4 hours. The water in my pot evaporate so fast that after two hour it will be completely gone. I really want to but a pot that can retain the water/soup. Thank u
Hi Yolinda! I use a Le Creuset cast iron pot for making this soup (now that I have an Instant Pot, I’ve been making it with this pressure cooker these days). Do you cover to cook? If you cover and simmer, it should not evaporate much. Maybe you do, but still evaporate? I’m afraid your heat is a little too strong. Hope this helps. 🙂
Maybe my flame is too strong. How strong is ur flame for medium heat and I knew that Le Creuset could not use under high heat so can u tell me how strong is ur flame for medium so that I can keep my pot for a lifetime thank you
Hi Yolinda! You will need to “simmer”. It shouldn’t be rolling boiling, it’s right below boiling temp. Every stove “medium” is different. My new stove is so strong, my “medium” now is “medium high” on my previous stove… You will need to cook on simmer. 🙂
Thank you for ur answer
This is a favourite of mine too growing up in Hong Kong. I will make this.
Hi Sylvia! Hope you enjoy! It’s our family’s favorite soup now. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I tried to make this soup but did not have any beef stew or cabbage but it turned out amazing. It was really hearty. Much better than the versions I’ve had in some HK style cafes. Thank you for sharing. We definitely make this again.
Hi babybluepowder! Thanks so much for your feedback. I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe! I miss eating this dish – I should make it this week. 🙂
Hi Nami! Just recently have been to Hong Kong and tried in one of their cafe’s Borsch! It was so funny for me, because I grew up eating Russian borsch cooked by my mother every week:) , which is of course completely different dish. But I started to look for information on origins of Hong Kong Borch and that is what I found out – whenRevolution happened in 1917 in Russia , lots of Russians emigrated to different parts of the world, including China! Namely in Beijing they started to open restaurants , offering food that was dear to them – borsch, beef stroganoff etc. As Time passed, receipes were adjusted to Asian tastes and transformed into what we see today in Hong Kong cafes! I found it facinating! Thanks for sharing this receipe.!
Hi Eka! Thank you so much for writing, and how interesting! This is my husband’s favorite soup back in college and I didn’t even now about Hong Kong style Borsch till he mentioned. This is my family’s favorite soup now and I make it once in a while. I think I fell in love with this soup already. 🙂 Thank you for stopping by!
I made this today and it’s definitely gourmet. HK style restaurant borscht is fairly watered down when it comes to ingredients. I found 1.5 hours not enough time for the ox tail meat, it’s likely I’ll boil that for an hour by itself the next time I make it.
I definitely recommend this recipe to everyone.
Hi Stryder! Thank you for your feedback! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Yes, if you have more time, it’s definitely better to cook for a little longer. I mentioned at least 1.5 hours in my recipe, but I usually cook more than that on low heat. Maybe I’ll try boiling oxtail longer next time too! Thank you for your input! 🙂
This recipe was amazing! I love HK style borscht, and I’ve tried making it before but this one is by far the best recipe. My brother liked it so much he had three huge bowls of it (and he usually goes for the non-borscht soups when we go to chinese cafes), so I think it was a huge success.
The oxtail definitely makes it taste way better than the ones you get in cafes, too.
Hi Sora! Thank you so much for your feedback! Aww you made my day! I’m so happy to hear you liked it. Isn’t it amazing? I fell in love with this soup and I can have it every week (and kids eat all these veggies without any complaint!). I’m glad you and your brother enjoyed it. It’s pretty easy to make and it’s so delicious. One time I didn’t have oxtail so I made with stew beef, but for sure oxtail makes this soup 100x better! Thank you again for making this and letting me know! 🙂