Growing up in Hong Kong and living in Malaysia, I’ve always loved the bold flavors from both places. Today, I want to share a recipe that I’m truly satisfied with: my take on the classic Hong Kong-style Satay Beef Noodles 沙爹牛肉面.

It blends the essence of Hong Kong comfort food with Malaysia’s iconic satay flavors, all in one warm, delicious bowl. For this version, I’m adding my twist to the traditional formula with some Malaysian curry powder.

I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe and the rich, comforting flavor of this fusion-style noodle dish.

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The main ingredients required for making satay beef noodles

• Sacha sauce (沙茶醬) is a specialty sauce popular in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southern China. It is made with dried fish, garlic, ginger, shallots, sesame, coconut powder, dried shrimp, chili powder, and other ingredients (Source: ingredient list on the packaging of the Bull Head brand of Sacha sauce).
• Satay sauce (沙爹醬) is a peanut-based sauce primarily used as a dipping sauce for skewered meat known as satay. Satay is a well-loved dish in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. For instructions on preparing satay and satay sauce, please refer to this article. However, it is more practical to use store-bought satay sauce when incorporating it into recipes, such as in this case.
• Peanuts and peanut butter are included in this recipe to enhance the overall flavor. For ease of preparation, you may omit one of them to simplify the cooking process at home. If I had to choose between the two, I would opt for crushed peanuts due to their crunchy texture and freshness.
• Curry powder can be substituted with curry paste or chili powder. This allows you to adjust the level of spiciness according to your taste.
• Shrimp paste is optional, but it does help enrich the flavor. It is optional as dried shrimp is already one of the components in Sacha sauce.
• Baking soda is also optional. Its purpose is to tenderize the beef. You may not need it if you’re using high-quality tender beef, such as striploin.

How to prepare the satay beef for noodles

a. Marinate the beef

• Cut the beef into large, thin slices. Then mix it with sesame oil, Sacha sauce, cornstarch, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, baking soda (optional), rice wine, and salt.
• Once everything is well combined, add four tablespoons of water and continue mixing until the beef absorbs all the liquid.
• Refrigerate and let it marinate for one hour.

• After marinating, pan-fry the beef on both sides over medium-high heat in some oil until slightly browned.

b. Prepare the sauce

• Heat some oil to sauté the onion, ginger, and garlic until aromatic.

• Next, add the satay sauce, Sacha sauce, crushed peanuts, peanut butter (optional), curry powder, and shrimp paste (optional). Stir and cook for 1–2 minutes until well blended.

• Add chicken broth (or water) and bring to a boil. Continue cooking for another 2–3 minutes.
• Make a simple roux by combining 1 oz of flour with 1 oz of oil in a small pan. Mix well, then gently heat over low heat until the roux thickens slightly and becomes translucent.

• Pour the roux into the sauce to thicken it. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Return the beef to the sauce and simmer over low to medium heat until the meat is just cooked through.

• Serve over your choice of noodles and pair with green vegetables. Sprinkle some spring onion (scallion) on top of the noodles as a garnish.

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Hong Kong Satay Beef Noodles

Yield: 3 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

A homemade recipe blending Hong Kong-style satay beef noodles with Southeast Asia flavors using satay sauce, Sacha sauce, curry powder, and peanuts.

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Ingredients

Ingredients for the sauce

• 200g (7oz) satay sauce
• 200g (7oz) Sacha sauce
• 50g (1.5oz) roux
• 2 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 small onion
• 1.5 tbsp chopped ginger
• 1.5 oz peanut
• 2 tbsp peanut butter (optional)
• 2 tsp curry powder (optional)
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp shrimp paste (optional)
• 1 cup stock

Ingredients for the beef and marinate

• 200g (7oz) beef
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp Sacha sauce
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 2 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp water

Instructions

Marinate the beef

1. Cut the beef into large, thin slices. Then mix it with sesame oil, Sacha sauce, cornflour, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, baking soda (optional), rice wine, and salt.
2. Once everything is well combined, add four tablespoons of water and continue mixing until the beef absorbs all the liquid. Refrigerate and let it marinate for one hour.
3. After marinating, pan-fry the beef on both sides over medium-high heat in some oil until slightly browned.

Prepare the sauce

1. Heat some oil to sauté the onion, ginger, and garlic until aromatic.
2. Next, add the satay sauce, Sacha sauce, crushed peanuts, peanut butter (optional), curry powder, and shrimp paste (optional). Stir and cook for 1–2 minutes until well blended.
3. Add chicken broth (or water) and bring to a boil. Continue cooking for another 2–3 minutes.
4. Make a simple roux by combining 1 oz of flour with 1 oz of oil in a small pan. Mix well, then gently heat over low heat until the roux thickens slightly and becomes elastic.
5. Pour the roux into the sauce to thicken it.
6. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Return the beef to the sauce and simmer over low to medium heat until the meat is just cooked through.
7. Serve over your choice of noodles and pair with green vegetables. Sprinkle some spring onion (scallion) on top of the noodles as a garnish.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 7798Total Fat: 279gSaturated Fat: 73gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 184gCholesterol: 671mgSodium: 31604mgCarbohydrates: 739gFiber: 6gSugar: 334gProtein: 535g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 6/10/2025

Tips for the best Hong Kong satay beef noodles

1. It is much better to use roux to thicken the sauce than with cornstarch. Since roux is made from oil and flour, it binds the liquid more effectively and resists the separation of the oil from water. If you use cornstarch, the sauce may become thin again relatively quickly. That said, I understand there are many steps in this recipe, so for convenience, you can use cornstarch to thicken the sauce if it is meant for immediate serving.
2. I usually stir-fry the beef first before adding it to the sauce to simmer together. For a simpler version, you can skip the stir-frying step and cook the marinated beef directly in the sauce. The main difference is that stir-fried meat has a better flavor due to the browning effect.
3. Please note that different brands of Sacha and satay sauce vary in sweetness, spiciness, and saltiness. It is advisable to do a taste test before serving to ensure the flavors are well-balanced.
4. Some Sacha and satay sauces contain a high amount of oil. If that’s the case, reduce the amount of oil used during cooking or skim off the excess oil with a spoon at the final stage of preparing the sauce.

What is the best type of noodle to serve with the beef?

For the most authentic experience, I always use instant noodles to serve with the beef. This is the most common way it is served in the Hong Kong-style café (also known as Cha Chaan Teng). Another popular option is to serve it over a plate of macaroni. However, this is a very flexible recipe, as the beef also pairs well with rice noodles, pasta, or egg noodles.

You can opt for satay beef noodle soup or simply drain all the liquid from the instant noodles and toss them with the satay beef for a dry version.

What are other bestsellers in a Hong Kong-style café?

Hong Kong-style cafés, also known as cha chaan teng (茶餐廳), are beloved for their affordable, hearty, and fusion-style comfort food. Here are some of the most iconic dishes featured on this blog:

• Pineapple Bun with Butter (菠蘿油) – A sweet bun with a crunchy, cookie-like top, served with a thick slice of cold butter tucked inside.
• Macaroni Soup with Ham (火腿通粉) – Soft macaroni served in a light chicken broth with slices of ham. it is a classic breakfast staple.
• Baked Pork Chop Rice (焗豬扒飯) – Tender pork chop laid over fried rice, topped with tangy tomato sauce and melted cheese, then baked until golden.
• Hong Kong-style Borscht (羅宋湯) – A tomato-based soup (without beets) filled with beef, cabbage, carrots, and other vegetables. it is rich, hearty, and comforting.