Hong Kong Satay Beef Noodles 沙爹牛肉麵

Hong Kong Satay Beef Noodles 沙爹牛肉麵 (Cantonese: sa de gnau yoke meen) is the most popular menu item at Hong Kong cafes in Hong Kong.  It’s shortened name is 沙爹牛丁(sa de gnau ding). I found it a bit surprising because my parents never ordered instant noodles at a restaurant!  It would seem like a terrible idea because you can make instant noodles at a fraction of the cost at home.  Just like I’d never be able to order a drink at a restaurant if they offered tea for free!  I remember being envious of people who could order a soft drink. But then, I’d just feel lucky being able to eat at a restaurant (I wasn’t hard to please). 

Enough about me already….now I realize that you need skill to make the Hong Kong Satay Beef Noodles.  And now, I get why people order instant noodles at a restaurant!

Firstly, here is some background information for you.  Hong Kong style satay beef was adapted from Indonesian satay skewers.  Chaozhou, a city in Guangdong was well known for their own style of satay sauce.  Since there was a large Chaozhou population in Hong Kong in the 50’s and many of them opened the first Hong Kong cafes, they brought their satay sauce recipe too.  Consequently, it was in one of these cafes that the Hong Kong Satay Beef Noodles 沙爹牛肉麵 was born.

There is one brand of instant noodles that are extremely popular in Hong Kong.  And that is the Nissin Demae Ramen 出前一丁(chut cheen yut ding).  It comes in various flavours.  I don’t think most restaurants add the flavour packages as they have their own soup base for the noodles.  Although, Hong Kong Satay Beef Noodles 沙爹牛肉麵 does not necessarily use instant noodles, if the menu doesn’t specify, then by default, it will be instant noodles.  However, you can request for alternatives such as macaroni or rice vermicelli.

So what’s so special about Hong Kong Satay Beef Noodles 沙爹牛肉麵?  For it to be good, the noodles must be slightly al dente; the soup should be flavourful; the beef should be soft, tender and plentiful.  Most importantly, the sauce should have some heat to it with a strong satay taste.  As you can see, this is not your typical instant noodle.  There are some high expectations!

Every restaurant that serves this will likely have their own way of making it.  Some will even have a special satay broth.  Others will have more peanut taste.  So lots of variations.  In my Hong Kong Satay Beef Noodles 沙爹牛肉麵 recipe, I will show you how I like it and the basic ingredients.  You can play with the amounts of the ingredients to customize it for yourself.  I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised as to how good this tastes!

For a full Hong Kong café experience, have this with a Hong Kong Lemon Tea 港式檸檬茶. Or check out my other Hong Kong café recipes.

Hong Kong Satay Beef Noodles 沙爹牛肉麵

This iconic dish is traditionally made with Nissin Demae Ramen. But if you’re not looking for authenticity, you can use any kind of instant noodles.

Some people don’t like to add vegetables because it dilutes the taste of the soup.

You can add egg, wieners and/or luncheon meat as well.

You can use thinly sliced fatty beef for hotpot for this recipe too. But don’t add the water to the marinade because this beef is too fragile and thin to survive the water infusion process, lol!

5 from 2 votes

Approximate cost (CAD) $7

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Resting Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Course Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Chinese, Hong Kong

Servings 2 Servings

Calories 1088 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 240 g Flank steak , thin sliced
• 2 pkg Nissin Demae Ramen , beef flavor
• 1 Shallot , chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic , chopped
• 2 tsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 tbsp Oil

Ingredients for beef marinade:

• 1 tsp Light soy sauce
• ½ tsp Dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
• ½ tsp Sugar
• 2 tsp Cornstarch
• ½ Large egg , beaten
• 25 ml Water
• 2 tsp Oil

Ingredients for sauce:

• 3 tbsp Chinese barbeque sauce aka Sha Cha sauce
• 2 tbsp Peanut butter
• 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
• 1 tsp Shrimp paste (fermented)
• 1 tsp Light soy sauce
• 1 tsp Dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Curry powder or curry paste
• 1 tsp Chaozhou chili oil
• 100 ml Water

Instructions

 

• Slice the beef against the grain into thin slices
  
• Soak the sliced beef in water for 5 minutes, rinse and squeeze dry
  
• Let the flank steak dry in a colander for 30 minutes
  
• After 30 minutes, in a mixing bowl, add 1 tsp light soy sauce, ½ tsp dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, ½ tsp sugar, 2 tsp cornstarch and ½ a beaten egg. Mix well
  
• Add 25 ml of water in 3 intervals to the beef and mix with your hands. Squeeze the beef gently to help it absorb the water. Mix until the water has been absorbed. Will take around 3 minutes
  
• Add 2 tsp of oil to the beef and mix well. Let the beef marinate for 60 minutes
• In a bowl, combine 3 tbsp of Chinese barbeque sauce, 2 tbsp peanut butter, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp shrimp paste, 1 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp curry paste (if using curry powder, do not add yet), 1 tsp Chaozhou chili oil and 100 ml water. Mix well
  
• After the beef has marinated for at least 60 minutes, check to see if there is any water in the bottom of the bowl. If so, just pour it out.
• In a wok, using high heat, heat up the wok
• Add 2 tbsp oil and add beef. Try to make a single layer. Do not stir for the first 30 seconds
  
• After 30 seconds, flip the beef over and let it cook for another 10 seconds. Then start stirring. Cook the beef until it’s 70% cooked
  
• Turn down the heat and remove the beef from the wok, leaving the oil
• Turn the heat to medium-high. Add the shallots to the wok. If there isn’t enough oil, add another 1 tbsp of oil
  
• Add garlic to the wok. Stir fry until aromatic.
• If using curry powder, add it to the wok and stir-fry everything together
• Add the sauce mixture. Bring to a simmer. Turn heat down to low
  
• Boil water in a pot to make instant noodles.
• Add the beef into the wok and mix well just before putting the noodles into the boiling water
  
• Follow the cooking instructions on the instant noodle package. For Nissin Demae Ramen, I suggest only cooking them for 90 seconds for an al dente texture
  
• As soon as you put the noodles and some of its soup into a bowl, use a ladle to scoop the beef and sauce on top of the noodles
• Serve immediately
  

Nutrition

Calories: 1088kcalCarbohydrates: 74gProtein: 47gFat: 66gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 146mgSodium: 3331mgPotassium: 631mgFiber: 5gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 70IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 73mgIron: 3mg

Keyword Beef, Hong Kong Cafe, Instant Noodles, Satay

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