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Cosy up with this tender, slow-cooked Chinese beef curry in a rich, savoury sauce with garlic, ginger, and five-spice. Perfect for meal prep, or a make-ahead family meal. This beef curry is freezer-friendly and packed with flavour. Serve it over rice or noodles for a comforting, fuss-free fakeaway at home.
Nicky’s Recipe Notes
I’ve been making this dish for about a decade now. It started out as a big batch meal when the family used to all pile into my grandad’s little house and take turns cooking for about 15 of us. I thought it would be useful to share it with you as a meal for four-to-six people (I usually serve 4 people then put two portions in the freezer) that we make again and again because it’s so simple and so flippin’ tasty!
- It’s make-ahead friendly – easy to prep and cook in advance, then reheat when needed. The flavour deepens over time too.
- It’s a family favourite – a hit with kids and adults. The curry itself is mild, but you can adjust the spice level or or add chillies on top for those that like a bit of heat.
- It’s freezer-friendly. Make a double batch and freeze in portions for a quick dinner in the week.
- It’s great to make for a crowd. You can easily double or even triple the recipe.
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients
- I like to use dark soy sauce in this for a rich sauce. Paired with the brown sugar you get a nice balance of savoury with a tiny touch of sweet.
- The braising beef (also called stewing beef, diced beef, beef cubes) is perfect for slow cooking, becoming tender and flavourful. You can also swap for pork (chunks of pork shoulder work best) too.
- The Chinese five-spice is an absolute must for that signature Chinese curry sauce flavour. The addition of the garlic and ginger gives the sauce a rich, aromatic base.
Pro Tip
If you’re serving to people with different spice palates, serve up the mild portions first, then stir in a teaspoon of chilli flakes or a good dash of hot chilli sauce and serve to the people who like it a little hotter.
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Chinese Beef Curry
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 lbs) braising beef chopped into bitesize chunks
- 3 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 large onion peeled and roughly diced
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 2 tbsp minced ginger (or ginger paste)
- 1 tsp Chinese five spice
- 500 ml (2 cups + 1 tbsp) beef stock
- 60 ml (4 tbsp) dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
- 200 g (7oz) mushrooms thickly sliced (I like chestnut/cremini mushrooms but sue your favourite)
To Serve:
- egg fried rice or boiled rice
- prawn crackers
- sliced spring onions (scallions)
- chilli flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C/325F (fan).
- Add the chunks of beef to a bowl with the flour, salt and pepper and toss together to coat.1 kg (2.2 lbs) braising beef, 3 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour, ½ tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
- Heat the oil in a dutch oven or large, heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat. When hot, add the beef and fry for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown all over.2 tbsp oil
- Turn the heat down to low and add the onion to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to soften.1 large onion
- Add in the garlic, ginger and five spice and stir though for 30 seconds.3 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp minced ginger (or ginger paste), 1 tsp Chinese five spice
- Add the beef stock, soy sauce, brown sugar and the mushrooms. Bring to the boil, stirring a few times to release any remaining crispy bits from the bottom of the pan.500 ml (2 cups + 1 tbsp) beef stock, 60 ml (4 tbsp) dark soy sauce, 2 tbsp soft brown sugar, 200 g (7oz) mushrooms
- Place a lid on the pan and cook in the oven for 3-4 hours – stirring a couple of times during cooking – until the meat begins to fall apart. You can add a little more water or beef stock if it starts to look too dry. Alternatively you could transfer to a slow cooker and cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours, or, you could cook on a low heat, on the hob, with the lid on for 2-3 hours.
- Serve with rice and prawn crackers and top with chilli flakes and spring onions if you like.egg fried rice or boiled rice, sliced spring onions (scallions), chilli flakes, prawn crackers
Notes
Storage & Reheating
Cook, then cool as quickly as possible before refrigeration or freezing.- Refrigeration: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: Freeze for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheating: Warm gently in a lidded pan on the hob (stovetop) or in the oven at 180C/375F (fan) until piping hot. Stir a couple of times during reheating. You may need to add a few splashes of water or stock to loosen up the sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This Chinese Beef recipe was first posted in September 2016. Updated in July 2025 with additional information, new photos and a few tweaks to the recipe.
? Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! After browning the beef, sautéing the onions and adding all of the sauce ingredients, transfer everything to a slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
Yes, double all of the ingredients (make sure your pan is big enough) and cook in the oven for the same amount of time. It will take around 10 minutes longer to fry everything off initially due to the increased volume of ingredients.
I use fairly inexpensive braising/casserole or stewing steak – often known as chuck steak, which comes from the forequarter. Usually, this consists of parts of the neck, shoulder blade, and upper arm. It’s a tough but very flavourful cut of meat. It has a lot of connective tissue, which needs longer cooking to break down and become tender.
🍲 More fantastic Chinese-style favourites
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Hi, this recipe sounds really nice but I want to make it for two people not 12 could you please help me with the amount of ingredients I would need.
Thank you
I like to batch cook at the weekends and freeze portions ready for the days when I haven’t too much time to cook. This looks perfect. Seeing the comment from Louise that it freezes well, will be making this at the weekend.
Fab! Hope you enjoy it Kath 😀
Great recipe and super tasty. I made double the quantity and used it for batch cooking served with a small portion of rice and lots of fresh vegetables. It freezes well and takes a lot of hassle out of mid week cooking. A firm favourite in my household!
So glad you like it Louise – thanks for letting me know how it went 😀
Thanks once again Nicky for such a great recipe! Easy to prepare, meat was melt in the mouth and so tasty. I’m not an avid fan of Chinese (nor are my family), find them far too gloopy but this is more like a good old fashioned stew consistency, perfect. It was a hit all round and another success to put on the list! ;0)
Love this big batch beef, lovely, great to freeze too.
Not sure though when the ginger should be added, I added with the garlic and five spice.
Would live more big batch, freezeable Chinese recipes, any suggestions please?.
Thanks for spotting the typo Sheila. The ginger goes in at the same time as the garlic (I’ve updated the recipe now).
I haven’t got any more freezable big batch chinese meals, but I’ll certainly try to get some more on the blog soon.
If you like curry, this is a good one for making in bulk and freezing: https://www.kitchensanctuary.com/slow-cooked-spicy-chicken-curry/
Many thanks, will certainly try the curry sounds lovely.
MMM… not only does it sound delicious! It also looks stunning! Not easy for a stew!
I love making big batch meals that we can eat throughout the week. Little work upfront, but totally a time saver after! This looks delicious. Love the chili in there…big fan 🙂 This would make a perfect Friday or Saturday night meal. Pinned!
Looks amazing!
Love this idea of making a big batch! Two dinners in one makes life easier. I am sure my kids would love the flavors in here, especially that Five Spice powder!
This looks lovely! I’m going to try your recipe in the pressure cooker tomorrow.