West Lake Beef Soup (Whole30, Gluten Free)

The West Lake Beef Soup recipe from our first cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Food For Humans, is a simple and delicious Whole30-friendly soup that’ll fill you up on any weeknight!

I’m sharing this classic Chinese soup recipe because it’s one of my childhood favorites. With bright green flecks of cilantro and cloudlike wisps of egg, this soup is both gorgeous and satisfying.

But don’t just take my word for it—Mindy Kaling, one of the coolest and funniest people on TV and the big screen, recently showed folks how to make my West Lake Beef Soup on her Instagram Stories and she told everyone how she loved both of my cookbooks. Is this real life? (You can check out her post here.)

Mindy did have a few questions about my recipe in her IG Stories, so I’ve answered them and a few others below:

COOKING TIPS,  SUBSTITUTIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS

The recipe calls for minced flank steak. What is that? Can I use ground beef instead?

Traditionally, this recipe is made with flank steak that is hand-chopped with a giant Chinese cleaver until it’s finely cut up. To make it easier to chop, I normally freeze the steak for about 30 minutes and then hack it up with my chef’s knife. If you don’t want to chop it by hand, you can use a food processor or buy lean ground beef.

Can I use another ground meat in place of beef?

Yes, you can substitute minced chicken thighs, pork, or dark meat turkey in place of the beef. It won’t taste the same, but the soup will still be delicious.

What do I do with the leftover egg yolks?

West Lake Beef Soup is a fancier version of Simple Egg Drop Soup, but it’s made with only whisked egg whites. I often use the leftover yolks to make one of my favorite desserts, Mexican Chocolate Pots de Creme. If you’d rather use the yolks, too, no problem: just add whisked whole eggs to the soup.

I hate cilantro! Can I leave it out?

West Lake Beef Soup is a cilantro-forward soup, but you can definitely leave it out if you are genetically predisposed to hate cilantro!

How do I store leftovers?

Leftover soup can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days, but it does taste best when it’s freshly made. Sometimes, the soup thins out upon reheating, but it doesn’t bother me. If you want to re-thicken the soup, you can add more arrowroot slurry when you heat it up.

Now let’s cook up a pot of West Lake Beef Soup!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• ½ pound flank steak, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Red Boat fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
• 6 cups Instant Pot bone broth or chicken stock
• ¼ pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
• ¼ cup arrowroot powder
• 3 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 cup packed fresh cilantro, finely minced
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced

Equipment:

• Chef’s knife
• Cutting board
• Large saucepan
• Small bowls
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Silicone spatula
• Ladle

Method:

Combine the beef, salt, vinegar, fish sauce, sesame oil, and ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper in a bowl. Mix well.

Bring the broth and mushrooms to a boil over high heat in a large saucepan. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer.

In a small bowl, whisk ¼ cup arrowroot powder with ¼ cup water to make a slurry.

Stir the arrowroot slurry into the simmering broth to thicken it.

Once the soup thickens, add the marinated meat and stir well. As soon as the meat is cooked through, turn off the heat. Taste the soup and season with salt and white pepper if needed.

In a slow, steady stream, pour in the beaten eggs whites from high above the pot, stirring as the whites hit the liquid.

The whites will cook upon contact with the hot soup, forming ribbon-like tendrils.

Mix in the cilantro and scallions…

…and stir well.

Ladle the West Lake Beef Soup into bowls and serve immediately.

---

Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).

---

 PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD