Hong Kong Beef Curry (港式咖喱牛肉)

What is Hong Kong beef curry

Hong Kong beef curry is a Cantonese take on the classic dish, influenced by its British colonial history and Southeast Asian flavors. It’s less spicy than Indian and Thai curries and often includes coconut milk, giving it a creamy texture. The curry powder used is typically milder and sweeter, creating a warm and aromatic flavor that’s approachable for all palates.

Cooking Hong Kong beef curry is a two-step process:

1. Braise the beef with spices, aromatics and Chinese sauces until the beef is tender and full of flavor.
2. Bring the braised beef and curry together with potato and carrot, then finish it up with coconut milk. 

Ingredients

You will need a set of ingredients for braising the beef and another set for making the curry paste.

Ingredients for braising beef

• Sauces and seasonings: Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, chu hou sauce, sugar and salt 
• Aromatics: Scallion, ginger 
• Spices: Cinnamon stick, star anise, bay leaves, cloves, and green cardamom

Ingredients for the curry paste

• Aromatics: Shallot, garlic, and ginger
• Spices: Curry powder, turmeric, cumin, coriander, mild chili powder, and black pepper

What type of curry powder to use?

I recommend Madras curry powder for Hong Kong beef curry, because it’s quite mild and slightly sweet. Another favorite is S&B curry powder, which is a Japanese brand. It has a very balanced taste and is suitable for this dish.

How to make Hong Kong beef curry

1. Blanch the beef to get rid of blood and impurities, which will give the beef curry a clean flavor.

2. Saute the spices, then brown the aromatics.

3. Cook the beef briefly with salt to develop flavor, then add the broth and all the seasonings. 
4. Braise for 1.5 hours, until the beef is getting tender.

5. Make the curry paste by blending the aromatics, then cook the aromatic puree and add the spices to make it into a curry paste.

6. Add the curry paste and onion to the braised beef. Cook for another 15 minutes. 
7. Then add the potato and carrot and cook for 20 minutes. Finish up by mixing in the coconut milk.

Now you have a pot of beef that has tender meat, vegetables that have soaked with the delicious flavor, and creamy curry that is mild, slightly sweet and full of aroma.

How to serve Hong Kong beef curry

• With steamed jasmine rice – It’s the classic pairing and my favorite.
• Over macaroni or spaghetti – Just like a Hong Kong diner. 
• With crusty bread or a dinner roll – Use the soft bread to sop up all that glorious curry.

Other Cantonese classics

• Claypot Rice
• Char Siu Chicken
• White Cut Chicken (白切鸡)
• Stuffed Tofu (囊豆腐)
• Cheung Fun with Shrimp (鲜虾肠粉)

Hong Kong Beef Curry (港式咖喱牛肉)

By Maggie Zhu

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 3 hours hours

Servings: 8 servings

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A rich and creamy Hong Kong style beef curry featuring tender beef braised in a lot of aromatics, then cooked with homemade curry paste and coconut milk.

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• 2 lbs beef stew meat , cut into 1.5” pieces (*Footnote 1)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 star anise pods
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 cloves
• 5 green cardamom pods
• 6 scallions , cut in half
• 3 slices ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 cups chicken stock (or water)
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chu Hou sauce (or hoisin sauce)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 medium yellow onions , diced
• 4 (1 lb) yukon gold potatoes , peeled and roll cut into 1” pieces
• 2 (1lb) carrots , peeled and roll cut into 1” pieces
• 1 cup coconut milk

Curry Paste

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 (300 g) shallots
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons ginger , roughly minced
• 2 tablespoons Madras curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon mild chili powder (or paprika)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

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Instructions

• Blanch the meat: Add the beef to a large pot and fill with cold tap water to cover the beef by 1”. Cook over medium-high heat until brought to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes to remove impurities. Strain and rinse the blanched beef with cold water. Drain again and set aside.
• Braise the Beef: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat in a large pot until it shimmers. Add the cinnamon stick, star anise, bay leaves, cloves and cardamom. Cook until the spices smell fragrant, 1 minute or so. Add the ginger and scallion. Cook until the edges turn golden brown, 2 minutes or so.
• Add the blanched beef and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock (or water), Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, Chu Hou sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then turn to low heat. Cover, and braise for 1.5 hours.
• Making the Curry Paste: While the beef is braising, make the curry paste separately. Blend the shallots, garlic, and ginger in a food processor or blender until smooth.
• Add the oil and the aromatic puree to a cold pan, turn to medium heat. Cook the aromatics for about 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly caramelized (*Footnote 2). If the puree begins to burn, deglaze with 2 tablespoons water, and continue cooking until the water has evaporated
• Add the curry powder and ground spices with another 2 tablespoons of water. Cook until the curry powder has toasted, about 4 to 5 minutes. The color should be a rich dark brown.
• Add the curry paste and onion: After 1.5 hours of braising, remove the scallion, ginger and whole spices as much as you can using a pair of tongs (*Footnote 3). Discard the removed spices. Add the curry paste you just made and the onion. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and turn to low heat. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes.
• Add the vegetables: Add the potatoes and carrots. Cover the pot and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Check the pot occasionally. If the broth is still too thin, you can uncover the pot to reduce the broth.
• Add the coconut milk and adjust the seasoning by adding more salt if needed. Turn off the heat. Serve hot over rice or noodles as a main course.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

1. You can use a well marbled cut of beef for the braising. Beef shank, brisket and short ribs all work well.
2. I like to use a Vitamix to puree the aromatics very finely, so the curry has a smooth texture. In this case, the garlic might oxidize and turn blue when you’re cooking it. It looks strange but you don’t need to worry! The curry will turn out tasty at the end.
3. You can remove the beef and strain the broth, which gets you a very clear broth. But I prefer to remove the aromatics using a pair of tongs, which saves a lot of time in comparison.
4. To make this dish gluten-free: use tamari to replace soy sauce, use dry sherry instead of Shaoxing wine, and use hoisin sauce to replace chu hou sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 410kcal, Carbohydrates: 29.1g, Protein: 35.6g, Fat: 16.9g, Saturated Fat: 6.6g, Cholesterol: 95mg, Sodium: 728mg, Potassium: 1078mg, Fiber: 4.6g, Sugar: 6.7g, Calcium: 44mg, Iron: 22mg

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