Hong Kong Beef Curry
Chinese / Cantonese (港式咖喱牛腩). Hong Kong is a very interesting place. You can find all kinds of cuisines from all over the world that have been adapted to the local taste, resulting in a unique cultural and culinary combination. On this little island, curry is not as bold and spicy; instead, it is gentle and mild, with a slight sweetness. You can make curry with chicken, meatballs, or seafood, but beef curry is one of the most popular takeout dishes in Cha Can Ting restaurants (茶餐厅).
Ingredients
| 907 g | beef stew meat |
| 2 Tbsps | vegetable oil |
| 140 g | purple onion, diced |
| 45 g | shallot, diced |
| 15 g (about 5 cloves) | garlic, diced |
| 9 g | minced ginger |
| 2.5 g (about 1) | cinnamon stick |
| 0.4 g (about 2) | bay leaves |
| 1 g (about 1 square inch) | aged tangerine peel |
| 18 g | zhuhou paste |
| 17 g | satay sauce |
| 5.4 g | curry powder |
| 2.6 g | turmeric powder |
| 12.5 g | palm sugar |
| 16.6 g | soy sauce |
| 28 g | Chinese cooking wine, optional |
| 240-480 g (1-2 cups) | hot water |
| 200 ml | coconut milk |
| 17.1 g | salt, or to taste |
| 400-600 g (about 2-3) | potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks |
Instructions
Ingredient Tips: Aged tangerine peel (陈皮) can be replaced with fresh lemon or orange peel; be sure to remove the white pith before using it. Zhuhou paste (柱候酱) is what makes this curry Cantonese, as it is primarily used in Cantonese-style braised dishes; if you don't have it, skip it or use the same amount of hoisin sauce. Satay sauce (沙茶酱) makes the curry creamier and thicker because it contains a lot of peanuts; if you don't have it, combine 8g/1/2 Tbsp peanut butter and 8g/1/2 Tbsp shrimp paste, or use almond butter if allergic to peanuts. Turmeric powder is optional because curry powder already contains turmeric. Palm sugar can be replaced by brown sugar. Instead of potatoes, you can also use carrots or daikon radish.
- Cut the beef into 1-inch cubes. Any stew meat will work well here, such as shank, chuck roast, or brisket.
- Add the vegetable oil to a pot (preferably a clay pot or Dutch oven) along with the diced onion, shallot, garlic, and ginger. Stir over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until the aromatics are soft and translucent.
- Add the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, orange peel, zhuhou paste, satay sauce, curry powder, turmeric powder, palm sugar, and soy sauce. Stir for 2-3 minutes or until everything is combined into a thick paste.
- Add the beef and the Chinese cooking wine. Use a spatula to deglaze the bottom of the pot and keep mixing until all the meat is coated nicely. Chef's Secret: I simplified this recipe by adding the raw beef to the curry. Usually, Cantonese people like to blanch the meat before braising it to achieve a clean taste. However, curry is so flavorful that blanching will not make a big difference in taste; you can blanch it if you want to cook like legit Cantonese people.
- Add the water and coconut milk. The amount of liquid should be enough to cover all of the meat. Bring this to a boil and add some salt to adjust the flavor. Simmer on low heat for 2 hours.
- Add the potato chunks to the clay pot and cook for another 30 minutes with the beef.
- Garnish with diced cilantro and serve with white rice.