Recipe: The Ultimate Hong Kong Cafe Comfort Food You Can Make With Instant Noodles

Spend a day in Hong Kong and you’ll likely end up eating in a cha chaan teng – fuss-free cafes where Western ingredients meet Cantonese sensibilities. These affordable, low-key diners started popping up in the 1950s when the growing working class needed a spot for comforting staples like milk tea, toast and noodles. 

It’s a tradition that chef ArChan Chan knows well. Before returning to Hong Kong to helm the kitchen at Ho Lee Fook, Chan honed her skills at top Melbourne restaurants like Cutler and Supernormal. In her book, A Day in Hong Kong, she highlights the humble eateries that continue to feed millions daily with an old-school mix of club sandwiches, milk tea and congee.

One of the cha chaan teng’s most beloved fixtures is satay beef noodles. “Though not a fancy dish, a bowl of this is one of the most popular things to order,” writes Chan. With her recipe, you can re-create this comforting classic at home in less than half an hour, using instant noodles straight from the packet.

“This dish is known as satay, but it’s not like the Thai-style satay made with peanuts and turmeric. Hong Kong-style satay sauce (also called sa cha sauce) is dark brown in colour and less spicy,” Chan writes.

Silky strips of marinated beef are tossed through the noodles in a rich, umami-forward sauce. Sa cha sauce is the key ingredient here – look for it at your local Asian grocer. Once you track it down, the rest comes together in minutes. Finish with a scatter of spring onion and sesame seeds, and dinner is done.

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Sa cha beef noodles

Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes to marinate
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

300g beef eye fillet (tenderloin) or any cut for quick cooking, cut into thin strips
100g (⅓ cup) sa cha sauce (see Notes)
1 tsp caster (superfine) sugar
3 tbsp canola oil (or other cooking oil)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 red shallot, finely chopped
340g dried instant noodles (see Notes)
Sliced spring onion, to serve
Toasted sesame seeds, to serve

Marinade

1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp caster (superfine) sugar
2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
1 tbsp canola oil

To make the marinade, combine all the ingredients and 2 tbsp of water in a bowl. Add the beef and turn to coat well, then set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the sa cha sauce, sugar and 125ml (½ cup) of water.

Heat a frying pan over high heat. Add 1 tbsp of the cooking oil, then the beef and saute for 2 minutes or until almost cooked and just starting to brown. Transfer the beef to a bowl and set aside. Wipe out the pan and return to high heat. Heat the remaining oil, then add the garlic and shallot. Saute for 30 seconds. Return the beef to the pan, followed by the sauce mixture. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 2 minutes, until heated through and the beef has had time to absorb the flavour.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the packet instructions. Drain.

Divide the noodles among serving bowls and top with the beef and sauce. Sprinkle with spring onion and sesame seeds, and serve.

Notes

Sa cha sauce is available in Asian grocery stores.

For a healthier version, use rice vermicelli instead of instant noodles.