Hong Kong Curry Beef Brisket 港式咖哩牛腩 is an extremely popular dish in most Hong Kong Cafés and Cantonese rice, noodle and congee restaurants. Chinese people traditionally consume very little beef. This is due to the influence of Buddhism for thousands of years. In addition, China, having a long agrarian history has always been appreciative of the hard-working cows. So how did the Curry Beef Brisket get so popular in Hong Kong? It started in 1841 when the British colonized Hong Kong. India was already a British colony at the time. When the British set up shop in Hong Kong, they also brought over Indian workers to work in law enforcement. Consequently, the Indians brought the curry spices, the British brought the beef and the rest is history!
As time passed, beef became more utilized and the curry spices were redesigned to suit the Cantonese palette. Namely, the curry is mild, the sauce is thick and there's always coconut milk. There are probably a million ways of making Hong Kong Curry Beef Brisket 港式咖哩牛腩. And everyone has their own twist on how they like it. A slight difference in technique or spices can become a signature of a restaurant.
My recipe uses Malaysian style curry. The method I prefer to use is the double braising method. I first braise the brisket using some aromatics and Chu Hou Sauce 柱侯醬. This sauce is a fermented soy paste common in Cantonese cooking, especially when making brisket. Then I use some of the liquids from the first braising and braise it a second time with curry powder, more spices and coconut cream. This method gives the brisket an underlying flavour from the Chu Hou Sauce. I think the combination is brilliant, it definitely stands out, making it a true Hong Kong style curry.
Try my Hong Kong Curry Beef Brisket 港式咖哩牛腩 and let me show you how you can make this tender brisket with layers of yummy flavours!
Looking for more Hong Kong classics? Check out my Hong Kong cafe recipe section!
Hong Kong Curry Beef Brisket 港式咖哩牛腩
Ingredients
- 1 kg Beef finger meat
- 650 g Potatoes , cut into desired size
- 1 large Onion , cut in wedges
- 1 small Onion for first braising, cut in wedges
- 5 cloves Garlic , chopped
- 4 slices Ginger
- 8 Bay leaves
- 2 Star anise
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 2 tbsp Curry powder
- 1 tbsp Turmeric powder
- 2 tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Chu Hou sauce
- 1 L Water
- 3 tbsp Oil
- 500 ml Oil for deep-frying potatoes (optional)
- 125 ml Coconut cream or coconut milk
- 2 tbsp Evaporated milk
- 1 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
Instructions
- Cut the beef into approx. 4-5 cm (1 ½”) pieces
- Prepare potatoes, onions, ginger and garlic
- Fill a large pot with water that can cover the beef, add beef and bring to a boil. Boil until meat is cooked. Will take approx. 3 minutes after the water starts to boil
adding the beef while the water is cold will help remove the impurities from the beef and still keep it tender after braising 
- Strain the beef and rinse with cold water. Discard the water in the pot
- Heat a wok or or braising pot at medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp oil
- Add ginger and the cut small onion. Fry until browned and aromatic
- Add 1 tbsp Chu Hou sauce and 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine, mix well
- Add beef and stir-fry for 2 minutes and mix well
- Add 4 bay leaves, 1 star anise and cinnamon stick
- Add water until the water covers the beef, approx. 1 L
- Turn heat to high and bring it to a boil. Turn heat down to low, cover with lid and let it braise for 1 hour. Stir after 30 minutes into braising
- Heat oil to fry potatoes. Fry until golden and set aside The temperature of my oil was at 325˚F
- After 1 hour, strain the beef, keep the braising liquid. Set both aside. Cinnamon stick, bay leaves and onions can be discarded.
- Heat wok or braising pot on medium-high. Add 2 tbsp oil. Add the cut large onion. Stir-fry until aromatic
- Add chopped garlic, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp curry powder and 1 tbsp turmeric. Stir-fry for 1 minute
- Add beef into the wok and stir-fry for 1 minute
- Add the remaining bay leaves and star anise
- Add the braising liquid saved. Add until the liquid almost covers the beef. If you want more sauce, you can add more of the liquid. Bring to a boil and then turn to low heat and braise for 30 minutes. If you did not deep-fry the potatoes, add them now. If your potatoes have been deep-fried, add them in 30 minutes
- After 30 minutes, add deep-fried potatoes, mix well and braise for another 30 minutes. If you already added the potatoes, just give it a good stir
- After 30 minutes, add 125 ml coconut cream and 2 tbsp evaporated milk, mix, bring to a simmer and taste test. Make adjustments, if any.
If you find the sauce to thin, you can thicken it with a cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch and 2 tbsp water) which you add in small quantities until you reach your desired thickness 
- Serve
This was great. Very tasty. Exactly what I was looking for.
Hi Artur, I'm glad you like this recipe, it's one of my favorites. Looking at your picture makes me want to make it soon! Thanks for sharing!
When do you add the chopped garlic? It's in the ingredients list but it's not mentioned in the recipe
Hi Aaron, I'm so sorry! The garlic is added in Step 15 along with the curry powder. You can also add it with the onions but to prevent them from getting too brown, I add it later. I've updated the recipe on the website. Thank you so much for pointing this out! Happy cooking!
Hi Aunty Emily, I just wanted to Thank You for sharing this wonderful recipe. As you described, HK curry brisket is a classic dish and it has always been one of my favorite comfort meals that I like ordering. I don't cook a lot but I followed your instructions exactly and it was delicious and actually much better than some of the places I've ordered from!! I like how you explained each step and also explained the reasoning behind the technique (eg. "adding the beef while the water is cold will help remove the impurities from the beef and still keep it tender after braising") as this is so helpful for someone like me without much cooking experience. I substituted carrots for potatoes and used normal milk because I didn't have coconut milk, and it still tasted amazing! I told my mom about this but since she does not eat beef anymore she requested that I make this using goat meat for her!
Hi Victor, than you for trying my recipe and taking the time to write this positive review! Since I've never been a chef, I often wondered about certain steps. Are the necessary? Can I skip it? Now that I'm giving the instructions, I try to answer the questions I had so that each person can decide if they think it's necessary to do the step. Btw, your curry looks awesome! Your mom is lucky to have you make this for her! Curry mutton is so yummy! If you want to reduce the gamey taste of the goat meat, you could increase the amount of spices by about 50%. If you have time, please give this recipe a rating so that it can attract more traffic. Thank you again! Happy cooking!
Hi Auntie Emily, thanks! The photo I took of the curry brisket is only showing 50% in the pot since I was so hungry I already ate half of it, lol. And thank you for your tip - I forgot that goat meat is more gamey, I will definitely add 50% more spices! I totally missed the rating thing in my first feedback, but I see it now! I was browsing your other recipes and they all look so good. Singapore noodles is another favorite comfort food of mine. I like how you put a lot of care in writing your recipes and have a picture for each step, and also your ingredients and technique seem very authentic and on-point compared to other recipe websites I've seen. I can't wait to try more of your recipes!
Hi Victor! Thanks so much for the 5 stars!! And your kind words!! I do quite a bit of research for each dish and sometimes they don't work out. When I was doing my pan-fried pork buns and xiaolongbao, I think that's all we were eating for a month! I like the traditional recipes but usually they're taught by older people who tell you "one bowl of flour and an adequate amount of water" which doesn't work for me! I'm not a natural in the kitchen so I need exact measurements and ratios which is what I try to put on my recipes. I also make lots of mistakes so it's easy for me to add tips on how to get it right the first time for my readers. I really appreciate that you recognized the effort ❤️ .....for Singapore vermicelli, choosing the vermicelli is a crucial step in making it well.
Hi Auntie Emily, Thanks for showing the actual package of the rice vermicelli that is best for making Singapore vermicelli -- when I go into the asian grocery store there are so many different varieties so I have no idea which one to choose because as you mentioned there are subtle differences between them. I will look around for the exact same Jiang Men (Kong Moon) type of vermicelli you recommended - fortunately there are many asian grocery stores here in my area! I totally agree, many restaurants and food court stalls offer Singapore vermicelli, but most of them do not take this dish seriously and just make it casually and quickly - and even the places that make this dish well it is not consistently good - I suspect because maybe the main cook that cooks it well is not working the day I go to order this (maybe their day off, or they are on break during my visit so the apprentice cook is on-duty) so I have to be lucky to get this dish made properly with sufficient wok hei, proper proportion of ingredients, and mixed well.
Hi Victor, you're welcome! I didn't realize that rice vermicelli had so many different types until I started researching and making Singapore Fried Vermicelli. I tried the 2 most common types side by side and came to the conclusion that Jiangmen style was the best one for frying. I used to order this dish quite often at restaurants but I'm usually more disappointed than I am impressed. The usual problems is that there's not enough wok hei and not enough flavour. Even adding the egg when the wok isn't hot enough can ruin the whole dish. The best way to get wok hei at home is to fry the curry directly on the wok first. All seasonings should go directly onto the hot wok first to bring out the toasty aroma. But even chefs at restaurants will put it on the food directly to save a little bit of time and then the flavour is totally off. I'm not a natural cook, but I have really picky taste buds! I blame my son for being picky but I know it's actually me! You also sound like you don't like to settle for mediocre food. For me, calories are too menacing to waste consuming them for just any food. Wishing you best of luck on making the best Singapore Fried Vermicelli!
Great recipe! Thanks again.
Hi Dennis! Thanks for trying the recipe! Keep checking for new recipes for dishes you might like. Happy cooking!
What brand of curry powder do you use?
Hi Theresa, I use a curry powder that I get from Hong Kong in Wanchai. They have a Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/hoplee.choi/. I believe that they also do mail orders, but you'd have to contact them. I prefer their curry blend over any other I've ever had. But if getting theirs is too difficult, Hong Kong curry blends are similar to Malaysian ones. So, my second choice would be Yeo's Malaysian Curry Powder. Just as an aside, I've also been adding some shrimp roe powder and dried flounder powder to my curries lately and found that it can add some depth to the taste as well. If you're adventurous enough, try adding pork floss too! I hope this helps! Happy cooking!
HI Auntie Emily,
Please, what brand/type of Curry Powder do you use? I am in S California and I see a number of curry powders in 99 ranch market.
Thank you for sharing your recipes!
Hi Shirley, I use a curry powder I get from Hong Kong (Choi Hop Lee). Prior to getting this, I would get the Malaysian one from Yeo's. Hong Kong curries tend to be more similar to Malaysian curries as opposed to Indian or Thai curries. I just made this the other day for a potluck party. It was a big hit! Happy cooking!
what does evaporated milk do for the recipe? never cooked with it before.
Hi Christina, the evaporated milk adds a tiny bit of sweetness just to round out the flavour and also gives it a smooth, velvety texture. It's optional and I'm sure most restaurants don't do it anymore but it's kind of an "old Hong Kong" thing.
This was incredible. I used heavy cream in place of coconut & evaporated milk. Tastes just like the Hong Kong-style restaurants here in Vancouver.
This is the real Cha Chaan Teng taste. Just a fantastic curry and the recipe technique reflects HK technique and tradition. Very grateful I found this excellent resource. Thank you Auntie Emily! Nei yow sum!!
Hi Thomas, I try really hard to make every dish as authentic to the region as possible. Thanks for your kind review! Happy cooking!
Thanks! I'm looking forward to exploring your other recipes as well. Your work helps me participate more fully in the Four Counties 四邑 community where I live.
Can I use pork instead?
Hi JT, the recipe is not for pork because the time and cooking for pork is different than from beef. The texture of the pork will be dry. You'd have to brown the pork first and reduce the cooking time. Other than that, you could probably do everything else in the recipe. However, I have never tried it with pork. If you do, you'll have to let me know how it turns out and what things you changed to make it work. Thanks! Happy cooking!
Sounds good! Depending on my situation, I might follow your recipe, or switch to your recommended pork recipe! Thank you!
This recipe tastes delicious but also has a couple of great ideas that I hadn’t considered before. Boiling the beef from cold water was really effective to extract the impurities, tenderize, and render some fat. Also, the layering of aromatics with a start-over step adding amazing depth to the flavor. Ginger, cinnamon the first time; garlic, turmeric, curry the second time; onions, bay leaves, star anise both times. Really wonderful! Thank you.
Hi Thomas, Thanks for trying my recipe! I really like curry beef brisket too! You may want to try my Hong Kong curry fish balls recipe too. It's super fun to eat and great for parties and potlucks! Happy cooking!