Beef Lyvzha
A hearty and rich soup that will bring the whole family to the table. Like many Ossetian dishes, Beef Lyvzha is nourishing and filling. It is made with meat and vegetables. Because there is only a small amount of broth, it turns out somewhere between a soup and a main dish.
Updated : 12 August, 2026
Easy
About 30 min.
Ingredients
600 grams
Beef
400 grams
Potato
2
Onions
1
Carrot
4
Garlic
5
Peppercorns
30 grams
Dill
0.5 teaspoon
Thyme
to taste
Hot pepper, ground
3 liter
Water
3 tablespoon
Sour cream
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
For this recipe, you will need a 5 liter / about 5.3 quart pot.
Step 2
Rinse the beef thoroughly, then cut it into fairly large pieces, about 3 x 3 cm / about 1 1/4 x 1 1/4 inches. Place the pieces of meat in the pot and pour in 3 liters / about 12 3/4 cups of cold water. Place over heat.
Step 3
Bring to a boil and carefully skim off all the foam so the broth stays clear. You can also try placing the meat into boiling water; then there will be less foam and it will be easier to remove. If you cannot get the broth clear, strain it. The broth must be transparent.
Step 4
Add 1 whole onion to the pot with the boiling broth. Cook the meat with the onion for 1.5 hours over medium heat, covered with a lid.
Step 5
Prepare the remaining vegetables for the soup. Cut the potatoes into large wedges. Cut the carrot into large strips. Slice the second onion into half rings. Finely chop the garlic and dill with a knife.
Step 6
Season the broth with salt and add the sliced onion. At this point, the whole onion that was cooking in the broth can be removed, or you can leave it until the soup is finished.
Step 7
After adding the onion, add the carrot and cook everything for 15 minutes.
Step 8
If you have not removed the whole onion yet, now is the time to do it. Take the onion out.
Step 9
Add the potatoes cut into wedges.
Step 10
After 20 minutes, add the herbs and spices to the soup. Leave the aromatic soup to finish cooking for another 10–15 minutes over low heat, covered with a lid.
Step 11
Serve Lyvzha soup with Ossetian tsakhton sauce. To make it, mix sour cream with chopped garlic and dill. The richer the sour cream, the tastier the Lyvzha will be.
Author note
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