What spices to add to borsch soup?

Question

What spices can I add to borsch soup to get that "hong kong style" taste to it? If you've tried it before at an asian cafe or restaurant then you probably know what I mean...it's sort of this slightly spicy and tangy taste.

Answer 1

According to the wikipedia entry on borscht there can be regional variations on this eastern european recipe.  It lists a variation called Hong Kong-style western cuisine.  It says tomatoes are used instead of beets and chili pepper is sometimes added.

According to the ganijin guide "Hong Kong style Borscht - a staple dish in diners known as Cha Chaan Teng...Bearing little resemblance to the East European soup of the same name"..."a light tomato soup, studded with a small amount of vegetables"

According to the urbanphoto blog, "Hong Kong-style “Russian borscht,” for instance, is nothing like Russian borscht at all: it is a robust tomato-based soup with chunks of potato, pork and cabbage."

Recipe Zaar has a recipe http://www.recipezaar.com/278418

another recipe from a blogger that admits it does not have the zing that is in the restaurant borscht they like http://crispybeef.blogspot.com/2006/02/r...

Answer 2

Being Polish and having Borscht on more than one occasion I have to say that I have never heard of Hong Kong Style or any Asians even having this.

Typically you would add nothing to it other than the main ingredients. However to add some elements of risk to it, some Poles like myself enjoy some sour cream in it.

Borscht is a typical Eastern Euro dish that is usually eaten cold. You may be confused as to the actual dish.

EDIT: Actually I found what you were looking for:

Here are the ingredients:

1 whole ox tail or 2 beef shanks

1 onion, cut into strips

1 tomato, chunked

2 potatoes, peeled and chunked

1 carrot, peeled and chunked

2 celery stalks, chunked

1/2 of a white or red cabbage, cut into strips

2 bay leaves

small can of tomato paste

couple cloves of garlic

salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne, and other spices to taste

Visit the link for exact cooking prep and time.

Answer 3

Borscht soup is Eastern European, so I'm not sure what you mean by "Hong Kong" taste. It's a beet and potato soup that's sometimes flavored with dill.