Recipe-1 › Curries of the world › Hong Kong curry beef brisket
A Hong Kong café (cha chaan teng) favourite: beef brisket simmered until tender in a mild, fragrant curry with potatoes and a little coconut milk or evaporated milk. It came from Indian and Malay curries by way of Hong Kong’s cooks, and is eaten over rice or with noodles.
Same steps, different flavour base MildRecipe-1 is one simple curry recipe in nine steps: fry onions and green chillies, add your vegetables or meat, add chilli powder and turmeric, then water and salt, and boil. With small changes the same nine steps make curries from all over the world.
This page takes those nine steps and shows what to change to make Hong Kong curry beef brisket. You don’t need to read anything else first: every base step is written out below. The changes are worked out on paper from what is typical for this dish; not yet kitchen-tested. Cooked it? Tell others how it went.
Green: the base recipe step (crossed out = do not use it for this dish)Red: what to do instead for Hong Kong curry beef brisket
See the full base recipe (with timers and tips) · See all curries on the world map
The amounts change with the number of people; cooking times stay about the same (use a bigger pot for more). Taste as you go: you can always add more chilli or salt, but you cannot take it out.
Main ingredient: 1 kg Beef brisket, blanched and cut into large pieces.
Where a step has a red line, do the red line and not the crossed-out green base step. Steps with only green are done just as in the base recipe.
Base step: do not useCut onions and chillies.
Hong Kong curry beef brisket: do thisCut the onions into wedges; leave out the green chillies.
Base step: do not useFry in some oil for around 4 minutes on medium-high heat.
Hong Kong curry beef brisket: do thisFry the onions with sliced ginger and garlic until soft.
Base step: do not useCut the vegetable(s) of your choice.
Hong Kong curry beef brisket: do thisUse the blanched brisket.
Base step: do not useAdd them and fry for around 4 minutes on medium-high heat.
Hong Kong curry beef brisket: do thisAdd the brisket and fry for a few minutes.
Base step: do not useAdd red chilli powder and turmeric.
Hong Kong curry beef brisket: do thisInstead of chilli powder, add 2–3 spoons of curry powder (or curry paste) and the star anise and bay leaves; keep a little turmeric.
Keep frying until just before they start browning.
Base step: do not useAdd some water.
Hong Kong curry beef brisket: do thisAdd hot water to cover.
Base step: do not useAdd salt.
Hong Kong curry beef brisket: do thisAdd soy sauce and a little sugar instead of most of the salt.
Base step: do not useBoil until the gravy is as thick as you like.
Hong Kong curry beef brisket: do thisSimmer covered for 1½–2 hours until tender; add potatoes for the last 30 minutes and the coconut or evaporated milk for the last 5.
Serve: Over rice, or with rice noodles.
For meat and seafood, make sure it is cooked through: chicken until no pink remains inside; mutton, goat and beef need long, slow cooking.
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