· Ingredient · 6 min read
Henan Hula Tang Recipe
This soup features marinated beef, tofu skin, and spices simmered in beef bone broth. Peanuts, day lily, fungus, gluten, and sweet potato vermicelli are added, and the broth is thickened with a flour batter. The soup is served with vinegar, sesame oil, and fried dough sticks or buns.
Ingredients
• 500g beef
• 1 piece of tofu skin
• 30g dried day lily
• 20g dried fungus
• 100g peanuts
• 80g gluten
• 80g sweet potato vermicelli
• 80g flour
• Salt (to taste)
• Appropriate amount of chicken essence
• Appropriate amount of light soy sauce
• Appropriate amount of dark soy sauce
• 15g white pepper
• 4 slices of ginger
• 5 star anise
• Appropriate amount of Sichuan pepper
• A small piece of cinnamon
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 cloves
Recipe
1. Prepare the Ingredients: Cut the beef into small pieces and marinate it with salt, chicken essence, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, Sichuan pepper, star anise, and ginger slices for one hour. Meanwhile, soak the fungus, day lily, and sweet potato vermicelli. Cut the tofu skin into strips and dice the gluten. For the peanuts, place them in cold water, add salt, two star anise, and a few peppercorns, then boil for 10 minutes. After boiling, leave them to soak in the water without removing them. Don’t skip boiling the peanuts, as this step is essential for the color of the soup.
2. Cook the Beef: Once marinated, heat oil in a pot, and stir-fry the beef for a few minutes until browned. Remove from the heat.
3. Make the Soup Base: In a larger pot, add about 5 liters of beef bone soup (or water). After the water boils, add the fried beef, bay leaves, and cinnamon. Cook for half an hour, then add the soaked fungus and cook for another half hour. Use a colander to remove the floating spices like peppercorns, star anise, and ginger slices.
4. Add the Peanuts and Other Ingredients: Remove the boiled peanuts and add them back into the pot. Then, add tofu skin, golden needle vegetables, vermicelli, and gluten, bringing everything to a boil.
5. Prepare the Batter: Mix flour with water to create a thick batter and stir until smooth.
6. Incorporate the Batter: Slowly pour in the batter while stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Once boiling, add 15 grams of white pepper powder and a tablespoon of chicken essence. Cook for about 5 minutes before turning off the heat.
7. Serve: Optionally, you can add some vinegar and sesame oil to the bowl. Pair it with fried buns, dough sticks, or sweet cakes for an authentic Henan breakfast experience.
Tips
• For the best flavor, use beef bones to make the soup.
• If short on time, water can be used instead of homemade soup, though the flavor may not be as rich.
• Stick to beef in this recipe; avoid using pork, mutton, or other meats.
• Henan’s Hu La Tang does not include green vegetables, bean sprouts, tofu, eggs, or tomatoes. If these ingredients are present, it isn’t considered authentic Hu La Tang.
• You can substitute fungus with kelp if necessary.
• This soup doesn’t contain chili peppers; its spiciness comes from the white pepper, so be sure to use that instead of black pepper.
• Add white pepper towards the end of cooking to ensure its flavor stands out.
• Be generous with the white pepper; insufficient amounts will compromise the authentic taste of Hu La Tang.
• Use sweet potato vermicelli exclusively; other types won’t work.
• Feel free to adjust ingredient quantities based on your preferences.
• Use spices sparingly, as too much can overpower the beef’s flavor.
