This Hong Kong-style Curry Beef Brisket is a rich, hearty and comforting dish, made easily in an Instant Pot (pressure cooker). Chunks of beef, curry powder and coconut milk build the base of flavor in this delicious curry stew.

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What is curry?

Curry refers to a broad term for dishes with a sauce flavored with a variety of spices, originating from India/South Asia.

There are many different varieties of curry, ranging from dry-style curries such as beef rendang, or wet-style curry like HK-style curry fish balls, and use of various ingredients such as tomato puree or dairy, such as in chana masala or butter chicken.

What's the difference between Hong Kong curry and other curries?

Japanese curry is a milder, sweeter curry that is simliar to a thick stew.

Southeast Asian curries (Malaysian) contain coconut milk and spice pastes, similar to what you'll find in laksa noodle soup.

Hong Kong-style curry also contains coconut milk, which is influenced from Malaysian curry.

Adding coconut milk to curry tempered down the spices and made it milder and sweeter, making it more palatable for the Cantonese people.

Why you'll love this recipe

This HK Curry Beef Brisket is pretty straightforward, with a few major steps.

Efficient: using an Instant Pot (pressure cooker) cuts down the time in cooking down the beef brisket, which can take hours over the stovetop.

Tender: You can use beef brisket or beef finger meat, which are both tough cuts of meat, however, when cooked in a pressure cooker, the become soft and tender, absorbing flavor.

Delicious: Cooking the potatoes and carrots separately rather than together with the beef ensures that they won't be too mushy.

Ingredients you'll need

For the beef brisket

beef brisket or beef finger meat: brisket is a tough piece of meat that requires many hours of cooking time to break down its connective tissue; finger meat comes from between the ribs and is also a tough cut
sea salt: for seasoning the meat
potatoes: cut into large chunks, about 1 ½-2" in size
carrots: cut into chunks; optional
daikon: cut into chunks; optional

Curry sauce

shallot: or white onion, minced
garlic: minced
star anise: a spice that has 5 points and has a flavor similar to licorice
bay leaf: comes from the laurel tree and adds flavor to stews and curry
turmeric powder: fresh turmeric looks similar to ginger and is commonly available as a yellow/orange powder; has a slightly bitter, peppery taste with mustardy smell
curry powder: is a blend of different spices such as coriander, turmeric, cumin, chili that is used to make curries; different brands will taste different -- choose one that suits your taste; typically HK-style curries have a more yellow color and that depends on the curry powder blend as well as the turmeric. My curry powder and turmeric powder are both orange in color.
chou hou sauce: (also chu hou paste or chou hou sauce) is a Chinese paste that consists of fermented soybeans, sesame, ginger and garlic used in many braised meat dishes; very similar to hoisin sauce; you can omit if you don't have it on hand
rock sugar: which is a light yellow sugar that has a crystalline appearance, with a mild sweet flavor; or you can use granulated sugar
soy sauce: adds a savory flavor to the curry
coconut milk: delivers a rich, aromatic creaminess that cuts down the spices from the curry, making it more milder in taste; use canned full-fat coconut milk where possible
water: you can add more water for a thinner curry; typically HK-style curry is more thinner
cornstarch: acts as a thickener, and gives the curry a glossy finish

You can find these ingredients in Asian supermarkets.

How to make curry beef brisket

Prepare the beef

Wash the beef brisket/finger meat and place into a large pot.

Cover the beef with water and bring to a vigorous boil over high heat for about 5 minutes. The impurities and scum will float to the top.

Drain the beef into a colander and rinse well with clean water.

Heat the Instant Pot (SAUTE function) and add in beef, rendering out the fat and browning it on all sides. (You may need to brown in batches).

Use a pair of tongs to remove the meat and either place onto a chopping board to cut into large chunks (or use kitchen scissors to cut).

To the rendered fat, add in the shallot and garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add in bay leaves, star anise, turmeric, chou hou sauce, curry powder, salt, rock sugar, soy sauce and continue to sauté, taking care not to burn the curry powder.

Next, add in the chunks of beef, water and coconut milk. (Ensure that the meat is covered with enough liquid).

Place the cover on, set the vent to SEAL and press the MEAT/STEW function for 35 minutes at HIGH PRESSURE.

Let the Instant Pot naturally release pressure.

Transfer the cooked chunks of beef to a separate bowl, cover and set aside.

Cook the potatoes

Add the potatoes and carrots to the Instant Pot, into the curry broth.

Cover with lid and set the vent to SEAL.

Set to MANUAL function for 3 minutes at HIGH PRESSURE.

Do a quick release.

Remove the potatoes and carrots from the pot and add them to the beef. Discard the spices so you're only left with the curry beef broth.

Make the curry sauce

Use the SAUTE button and bring curry beef broth up to a simmer.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, curry powder, turmeric powder, cold water and give it a stir to dissolve any lumps.

Pour the cornstarch slurry into the pot and bring it up to a boil.

Add the cooked beef, potatoes, carrots into the pot and stir the curry sauce to coat all of the beef and potatoes.

Remove from heat and garnish with green onions and cilantro (optional).

How to serve

Serve the Hong Kong Curry Beef Brisket with steamed rice, noodles, or fried rice.

Pair the dish with popcorn chicken, curry fish balls, chicken wings, or crispy tofu.

For drinks, serve with HK milk tea bubble tea, jasmine milk tea, Ovaltine, soy milk, or yuenyueng (Hong Kong Coffee Tea Drink).

How to store

Fridge:

Store the beef curry in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

As with other curries, it tastes even better overnight, as the beef will have had a chance to absorb more flavor.

Freezer:

You can store and freeze the curry for up to 3 months (in an airtight container).

To freeze the curry, I recommend portioning out the curry into servings so you don't need to defrost/reheat the entire batch.

Expert tips

Feel free to adjust the amount of coconut milk and water to your liking.

Add more water for a thinner curry, which is what you'll typically find in HK cafes.

You can choose to cook the potatoes separately in a pot of boiling water if you don't want to use the Instant Pot.

The longer the curry sits in the fridge, the more flavor it develops.

If you don't have curry powder, you can also use curry paste.

To skim off excess fat: let the broth cool separately and place into the fridge to chill. Skim off the hardened fat from the broth the following day.

Other curry recipes you may like

Be sure to check out these recipes:

Easy Curry Fish Balls

Instant Pot Kashmiri Beef Short Rib Curry

Easy Chicken Katsu Curry

Chinese Curry Beef Buns

Let me know if you try out this recipe -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!

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5 from 4 votes