West Lake beef soup

Method

1. 1 Finely chop the beef, blanch it in boiling water for 30 seconds, then rinse with cold water to keep the soup clear.
2. 2 Bring chicken broth to a boil with ginger, then add diced soft tofu and cook for 5 minutes.
3. 3 Mix cornstarch with water and pour it into the soup, stirring until it thickens slightly. The soup must be thickened before adding the eggs; otherwise, the egg whites will sink to the bottom.
4. 4 Pour the egg whites separately in a thin stream over the tip of a chopstick and do not stir for the first 20 seconds — this creates cloud-like white streaks on the clear soup.
5. 5 Add the beef, turn off the heat, then drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle with cilantro.

With an appliance

• Microwave 28 min

  Replace step 1: put the ground beef in a bowl of water, heat at 600 W for 45 seconds, then rinse with cold water to remove the foam; keep steps 3 and 4 on the stove until thickened enough before adding the egg whites.