Chinese Braised Beef Brisket
I love serving this Chinese braised beef brisket over hot steamed rice, especially on a cool evening. It is hearty, deeply flavourful and even better the next day. Simple ingredients, plenty of sauce and melt-in-your-mouth beef—this is one comforting dinner worth waiting for.
Short Description of the Recipe
This Chinese braised beef brisket is a rich, comforting one-pot meal made with tender beef, carrots and potatoes simmered in a deeply savoury sauce. Ginger, garlic, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, chu hou paste and star anise give the dish its warm Cantonese-style flavour. The brisket cooks slowly until it becomes beautifully tender, while the vegetables soak up all that glossy sauce.
Why It’s Good
The best part of this Cantonese beef brisket recipe is how much flavour develops from simple ingredients and a little patience. Brisket starts out firm, but after a long, gentle simmer it becomes soft enough to break apart with a fork. Don’t worry if it still seems tough after the first hour. It just needs more time.
The sauce is savoury, slightly sweet and full of warm spice without being overly hot. The carrots add sweetness, and the potatoes make the dish extra hearty. It is also one of those meals that tastes even better the next day. The sauce thickens, and the flavours really settle into the beef.
When to Serve It
Serve this Chinese beef brisket stew for a cozy family dinner, Sunday supper or relaxed weekend meal. It is especially good during the colder months when you want something warm and filling, but we enjoy it any time we are craving a hearty rice dish.
Spoon the tender beef and vegetables over steamed jasmine rice so the rice can catch every bit of the sauce. It also works well with noodles or alongside simple steamed greens. This is a great make-ahead dinner for busy evenings because it reheats beautifully and doesn’t lose its flavour.
Tips and Tricks
Choose a well-marbled beef brisket. A little fat keeps the meat juicy during the long cooking time and gives this Chinese braised beef brisket its rich flavour. Trim away only very thick pieces of fat.
Cut the beef into large, even chunks. Pieces around 1½ inches work well. Smaller pieces can dry out or fall apart before the vegetables are tender.
Blanch the brisket first. Boiling the beef briefly and rinsing it removes foam and impurities, leaving the finished Cantonese beef brisket stew with a cleaner, smoother sauce. It adds one extra step, but it is worth doing.
Cook the chu hou paste with the aromatics. Let it fry with the ginger, garlic and green onions for about 30 seconds before adding the liquid. The smell changes almost immediately and becomes much deeper.
Keep the heat low and steady. A gentle simmer makes the brisket tender. A hard boil can make the beef tighten and may reduce the sauce too quickly.
Give the beef enough time. Brisket often feels tough before it becomes tender. Check it after two hours, but don’t panic if it still needs another 30 minutes. The fork should slide in easily.
Add the carrots and potatoes later. If they go into the pot too early, they can become mushy. Add them during the final 35 to 45 minutes so they stay tender but still hold their shape.
Use daikon for a more traditional variation. Cantonese-style beef brisket is often made with daikon radish instead of potatoes. Daikon absorbs the savoury soy and star anise sauce beautifully.
Taste before adding salt. Chu hou paste, soy sauce and oyster sauce already contain plenty of seasoning. I usually wait until the end before deciding whether the dish needs any extra salt.
Let the dish rest before serving. Even 10 to 15 minutes helps the sauce settle and thicken slightly. This slow-cooked Chinese beef brisket is even better the next day, once the ginger, soy sauce and warm spices have had time to blend.
Variations
Use daikon radish instead of potatoes. For a more traditional Cantonese braised beef brisket, add large chunks of peeled daikon during the final 40 to 50 minutes. Daikon absorbs the rich soy and star anise sauce beautifully and becomes tender without falling apart too quickly.
Make it with beef short ribs. Bone-in short ribs create an even richer sauce and give the dish a flavour similar to a Chinese-style beef stew. They may release more fat, so skim the surface before serving.
Add Chinese mushrooms. Soaked dried shiitake mushrooms bring a deep, savoury flavour to this Chinese beef brisket recipe. Add them when the broth goes into the pot so they have plenty of time to soften.
Try carrots and daikon together. This is one of my favourite combinations. The carrots add a little natural sweetness, while the daikon soaks up the savoury braising sauce.
Make it spicy. Add one or two dried red chilies, a spoonful of chili crisp or a small amount of Chinese chili paste. Keep it fairly subtle so the ginger, garlic and star anise still come through.
Leave out the potatoes for a lighter version. Serve the tender Cantonese beef brisket stew with steamed rice and a simple green vegetable instead. Bok choy, gai lan or steamed broccoli all work well.
Add tomatoes for a tangier sauce. Stir in two chopped tomatoes or a small spoonful of tomato paste with the chu hou paste. This gives the sauce a slightly brighter flavour while keeping it rich and comforting.
Make it in a slow cooker. After blanching and browning the beef, transfer everything except the vegetables to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, adding the carrots and potatoes during the final 2 hours.
Use an Instant Pot. Pressure-cook the brisket and sauce for about 40 minutes, followed by a natural pressure release. Add the vegetables afterward and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes. This is much faster, though the stovetop version develops a slightly deeper sauce.
Serve it with noodles. Spoon the beef, vegetables and plenty of sauce over egg noodles, rice noodles or thick wheat noodles. Add a little extra broth to turn it into a comforting Chinese beef brisket noodle soup.
Storage Tips
Cool the brisket before refrigerating. Let the Chinese braised beef brisket stop steaming, then transfer it to a covered container. Don’t leave it sitting at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep the beef, vegetables and sauce together so the brisket stays moist. The flavour often gets even better overnight as the soy sauce, ginger and star anise settle into the meat.
Reheat it gently. Warm the brisket in a covered saucepan over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of beef broth or water if the sauce has thickened too much in the refrigerator.
Freeze the beef for up to 3 months. Place cooled Cantonese beef brisket stew in freezer-safe containers, leaving a little room at the top. I prefer freezing it without potatoes because potatoes can become soft and grainy after thawing.
Thaw it safely. Move the frozen brisket to the refrigerator the night before you plan to serve it. Reheat until the beef and sauce are hot all the way through.
Remove excess fat while it is cold. The fat rises and firms up on top of the sauce in the refrigerator, making it very easy to lift off with a spoon before reheating. This leaves the sauce rich but not greasy.
Store rice separately. Keep steamed rice in its own airtight container so it doesn’t absorb all the sauce or become overly soft. Reheat the rice and Chinese beef brisket separately, then spoon the hot stew over top before serving.
Chinese Braised Beef Brisket
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with lid
- Large saucepan for blanching the beef
- Sharp chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Wooden spoon or sturdy cooking spoon
- Colander for draining and rinsing the brisket
- Small bowl and whisk for the cornstarch slurry
- Ladle (for serving)
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds beef brisket cut into 1½-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 5 slices ginger fresh
- 5 cloves garlic lightly crushed
- 3 green onions white and green parts separated
- 2 tablespoons chu hou paste
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce light
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce dark
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or Chinese rock sugar
- 2 star anise whole
- 1 cinnamon stick small
- 4 cups beef broth or water, plus more as needed
- 3 carrots medium and cut into thick pieces
- 1 pound yellow potatoes cut into large chunks
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- Salt as needed
Optional thickener
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
Blanch the beef.
- Place the brisket in a large pot and cover it with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Drain, rinse the beef under warm water and wipe out the pot. This step gives the finished sauce a cleaner flavour.
Cook the aromatics.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic and white parts of the green onions. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, just until fragrant.
Add the sauces.
- Stir in the chu hou paste and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the brisket, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce and sugar. Stir well so every piece of beef is coated.
Slowly braise the brisket.
- Add the star anise, cinnamon stick and beef broth. The liquid should nearly cover the meat. Bring everything to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Add the vegetables.
- Add the carrots and potatoes. Cover and continue simmering for another 35 to 45 minutes, or until the brisket and vegetables are tender. Add a little more water if the sauce becomes too thick before the beef is ready.
Finish the sauce.
- Remove the star anise and cinnamon stick. Stir in the white pepper and taste before adding salt—the soy sauces may already provide enough.
Thicken, if desired.
- Mix the cornstarch with the cold water. Stir it gradually into the simmering stew and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the sauce becomes glossy and lightly thickened.
Serve.
- Garnish with the sliced green parts of the onions. Serve hot with steamed jasmine rice or noodles.
Notes
- Don’t rush the cooking time. Brisket can seem tough partway through cooking, but it softens beautifully once the connective tissue has had enough time to break down.
- For a more traditional Cantonese version, replace the potatoes with peeled daikon radish cut into large chunks.
- Make it ahead. This Chinese beef brisket tastes even better the next day after the sauce and spices have had time to settle.
- Skim excess fat from the surface before serving, especially when reheating leftovers.
Ellen Britt
Hi, I’m Ellen — a passionate home cook dedicated to creating easy, flavorful recipes inspired by real-life cooking and shared family traditions. Every recipe on this site is a true collaboration, developed and tested together in our kitchen to ensure it’s reliable, simple to follow, and absolutely delicious.