The red pot I make when kids are growing and evenings are cold is this one – tomato beef tofu soup, and this home cook’s version slides the beef in over low heat so the slices stay slick, never dry. A home cook wrote it in six steps with the promise in the title: the beef is silky, not a bit tough. I made it as written, and it is the sweet-sour, tender bowl that goes down easily.
Fan qie niu rou dou fu tang (番茄牛肉豆腐汤) is tomato beef tofu soup – slick slices of beef fillet simmered over low heat in a tomato broth with tofu and baby cabbage, bright with a pinch of sugar.
What Is Tomato Beef Tofu Soup?
This is the sweet-sour pot of beef and tomato: beef fillet is sliced thin, tomato peeled and diced small, tofu cubed, and baby cabbage washed. Onion and garlic bloom in oil, the tomato goes in and cooks down into its juice, water joins, and once it boils the heat drops to low for the beef slices – the low slide that keeps them tender. A little salt, chicken powder, and a spoon of sugar lift the broth.
For the all-tofu tomato pan of the same red pot, my pan-fried tofu in savory tomato sauce leaves out the beef.
1Pan-Fried Tofu with Egg in Tomato Sauce (Qie Zhi Ji Dan Dou Fu)This easy 30-minute dish features crispy pan-fried tofu and fluffy scrambled eggs braised in a rich, sweet, and savory tomato glaze. It's the perfect comfort food to serve over steamed rice.Check out this recipe
Why This Recipe Works
- The low-heat slide. Beef in over low heat – slick, never dry.
- Peeled tomato, small dice. It melts into the broth.
- Onion and garlic first. The aromatic base.
- The spoon of sugar. Sweet against the tomato acid.
- Tofu and baby cabbage. Soft and gentle in the red broth.
Equipment Needed
- A pot
- A ladle
- A spatula
Ingredients
- 200 g (7 oz) beef fillet, sliced thin
- 2 tomatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 block of tofu, cubed
- A few leaves of baby cabbage (or napa)
- 1/4 onion diced, and a few cloves of garlic
- A little salt, chicken powder, and 1 tsp sugar
Ingredient Notes
Beef fillet: Sliced thin and slid in over low heat. Tomato: Peeled and diced small so it melts. Baby cabbage: The gentle green. My braised tofu with bok choy is a green tofu plate of the same family.
Prep & Mise en Place
Slice the beef; peel and dice the tomato; cube the tofu; wash the cabbage.
Cooking Process
Step 1 – Prep the ingredients: 200 g beef fillet, 2 tomatoes pee
Prep the ingredients: 200 g beef fillet, 2 tomatoes peeled and diced small, 1 block of tofu cubed, and baby cabbage; slice the beef thin.
Step 2 – Heat oil in the pot and bloom the onion and garlic; add
Heat oil in the pot and bloom the onion and garlic; add the tomato dice and cook until it releases its juice; add water, bring to a boil, then drop to low heat and slide in the beef slices; season with a little salt, chicken powder, and a spoon of sugar.
Step 3 – The method is written in the step above
The method is written in the step above.
Step 4 – The broth is sweet-sour and appetizing
The broth is sweet-sour and appetizing.
Step 5 – The beef slices are slick and not at all dry
The beef slices are slick and not at all dry.
Step 6 – Spring is growing season for the little ones at home –
Spring is growing season for the little ones at home – make sure the family drinks this one; it is easy and simple.
Common Mistakes When Making This Dish
1. Dry, tough beef. Cause: boiling the slices hard. Fix: low heat and a gentle slide. 2. A sharp, raw tomato note. Cause: unpeeled or rushed tomato. Fix: peel, dice small, cook to juice. 3. A flat broth. Cause: no sugar or onion. Fix: the spoon of sugar and the bloomed onion. 4. Cloudy soup. Cause: boiling after the beef. Fix: keep it at a low simmer. 5. Broken tofu. Cause: hard stirring. Fix: gentle.
Variations
Spicier: A little white pepper or chili. Vegetarian: Skip the beef, double the tomato. My pan-fried tofu in savory tomato sauce is the beef-free red plate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why slide the beef in over low heat? It stays slick – the recipe’s promise. Why peel the tomatoes? The skins stay sharp and chewy. Why sugar? Against the tomato acid – the balance. How long does it take? About 25 minutes. Is it spicy? Not at all – and my savory tofu and egg stir-fry is the fast plate, golden pan-fried tofu the crisp one.
How to Serve
Serve warm with rice – with pan-fried tofu in savory tomato sauce, silky shrimp and tofu, and home-style tofu for a tofu table, or with red braised tofu and braised tofu with bok choy for contrast.
Storage & Reheat
Refrigerate 2 days; reheat gently. Never leave out more than 2 hours.
Allergen Notice
This recipe contains soy (tofu, soy). It is free of gluten (verify the soy), dairy, egg, nuts, fish, and shellfish.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
About the Author & Recipe Development
I am Jason Guo, a Chinese chef who has cooked professionally for more than five years – including time as a head chef – and now runs my own small restaurant in China, where tofu appears on the menu almost every day. This xiachufang cook’s tomato beef tofu soup is the red bowl I make when the table wants warm and sweet-sour, and the recipe’s low-heat beef rule is exactly why the slices stay slick. I tested it as written. I have not tested the vegetarian version, so that is your experiment, not my claim.
Authoritative References
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service – Safe Temperature Chart for safe storage of cooked dishes.
Tomato Beef Tofu Soup (番茄牛肉豆腐汤): The Slick-Film Bowl
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Prep the ingredients: 200 g beef fillet, 2 tomatoes peeled and diced small, 1 block of tofu cubed, and baby cabbage; slice the beef thin.
- Heat oil in the pot and bloom the onion and garlic; add the tomato dice and cook until it releases its juice; add water, bring to a boil, then drop to low heat and slide in the beef slices; season with a little salt, chicken powder, and a spoon of sugar.
- The method is written in the step above.
- The broth is sweet-sour and appetizing.
- The beef slices are slick and not at all dry.
- Spring is growing season for the little ones at home - make sure the family drinks this one; it is easy and simple.
