Instant Pot Chinese Beef Stew

This Chinese Beef Brisket Stew with Beef Tendon & Daikon (Chinese: 柱侯蘿蔔牛筋腩) is yet another classic Cantonese favorite!

It’s not only a staple you’d find in Chinese restaurants, “Beef Brisket & Tendon with Noodles” is also a well-loved classic in Hong Kong Noodle Shops.

My dad & I share a love for the satisfying chew collagen-rich beef tendons. So this easily became one of our comfort food growing up.

Oh~ and the yummilious Chu Hou Sauce goes so well with rice or noodles. Enjoy!! 😀

What is Chu Hou Paste (柱侯醬)?

Chu Hou Paste (Chinese: 柱侯醬) is a common sauce used in Cantonese cuisine. It was in fact created by a talented chef 200+ years ago in Canton Foshan (Chinese: 廣東佛山).

It has strong & deep layers of savory-umami-sweet creamy flavors packed with the aroma from soybeans, sesame, spices. It works wonders in dishes by imparting body and depths of flavors.

Besides Beef Brisket & Tendon, Chu Hou Paste is often used in some of our favorite Hong Kong food: HK Beef Curry (Chinese: 港式咖喱牛腩), Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork), Beef Entrails (Chinese: 牛雜), Lamb Brisket Pot (Chinese: 羊腩煲)… ohhh yaassss!! 😀

What is Beef Finger Meat?

“I didn’t know cows have fingers!?”

Boneless Beef Finger Meat (Chinese: 牛坑腩) is thin strips of beef cut from in between the ribs.

It’s probably the best cut for making Hong Kong Style Beef Stew. It’s extremely beefy, rich & juicy! oh, you’ll fall in love with this cut of beef. 🙂

Step-by-Step Instant Pot Chinese Beef Stew Cooking Guide

Here are the ingredients for Instant Pot Chinese Beef Stew:

Beef Tendons are optional. So if you can’t find it, simply omit it 🙂

All the sauces and paste we’re using here are from the Lee Kum Kee (Chinese: 李錦記) brand. No sponsorships or affiliations, but we grew up with this brand! 😀

Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Flavored Sauce, 9 fl oz

Product of Hong Kong

Sale

Lee Kum Kee Premium Soy Sauce, 16.9-Ounce Bottle (Pack of 2)

Product of China; Item Package Length: 5.842cm; Item Package Width: 25.146cm; Item Package Height: 35.306cm

 Prepare Ingredients

Prepare Chenpi:

• Rehydrate the chenpi by soaking it with cold water for 15 minutes.
• Use a spoon to scrub off chenpi’s white part because those can taste bitter.

*Note: Chenpi is not extremely critical in the recipe, so you may omit it if you can’t find it.

Prepare Beef Tendons:

• Pre-cooked: If possible, try to buy pre-cooked tendons to simplify the cooking process.
• Uncooked: If you bought uncooked beef tendons, pressure cook the beef tendons with a cup of cold water in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker at High Pressure for 1 hour & 15 minutes + Natural Release.

*Note: Beef Tendons are also optional. So if you can’t find it, simply omit it.

Discard the cooking liquid.

Rinse the cooked beef tendons under cold running tap water.

Cut beef tendons into smaller pieces, then remove some of the fat if you like.

Brown Beef Finger Meat

*Pro Tip – Parboiling Beef: Some of you may ask if we need to parboil the beef finger meat before we brown it. I will say no because parboiling the beef can remove some of the flavor/nutrients, especially because we are not making a clear soup here.

Heat up Instant Pot using Sauté More function.

*Tip: For older version, press “Saute” button, then “Adjust” button. For newer version, press “Saute” button twice.

Wait until it says HOT (takes roughly 8 minutes).

*Pro Tip: You really want the Instant Pot to be as hot as it can be for the maillard reaction.

Pat dry the beef finger meat.

Drizzle the inner pot with 1 tbsp peanut oil or olive oil. Then, brown 2 sides of the beef finger meat for 3 minutes per side in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.

*Pro Tip: You may have to brown the beef in two batches.

Set aside browned beef finger meat in a large container.

Saute Ginger and Garlic

Add crushed garlic cloves, sliced ginger, chopped shallot, and the white part of the green onions in Instant Pot. Saute until fragrant (roughly 2 minutes).

While the ginger and garlic are being sauteed, quickly cut the beef finger meat into stew size cubes on a chopping board.

Deglaze

Add precooked beef tendon pieces and browned beef finger meat cubes (with all the meat juices) in Instant Pot. Give it a few quick mixes.

Pour in 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry wine/water) and completely deglaze the bottom of the pot.

Make Chu Hou Sauce

Add 3 tbsp (45ml) chu hou paste, 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce, 1 tbsp (15ml) dark soy sauce, 2 tsp (12ml) oyster sauce, 3 star anises, 2 tsp (10g) rock sugar or white sugar, and a piece of chenpi in Instant Pot.

Give it a quick mix so all the ingredients are infused with the paste mixture.

Add in the daikon chunks, 1 cup (250ml) unsalted chicken stock, and a pinch of salt.

Give it another quick mix and make sure all the beef are partially submerged into the sauce.

Pressure Cook Chinese Beef Stew

Close the lid and turn Venting Knob to Sealing position.

Option 1 – For Super Soft Daikon: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 25 minutes (beef with some chew) – 32 minutes (melt-in-your-mouth beef), then 15 minutes Natural Release.

Option 2 – For Perfectly Cooked Daikon:

• Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 10 minutes, then Quick Release to set aside the Daikon;
• Then Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 12 minutes (beef with some chew) – 18 minutes (melt-in-your-mouth beef) + 15 minutes Natural Release.

After 15 minutes, release the remaining pressure by turning the Venting Knob to the Venting position.

Remove the lid carefully.

Thicken & Season

Bring the beef stew sauce to a simmer with the “Saute” button.

In a small mixing bowl, mix cornstarch with water, then mix it in one third at a time until desired thickness.

Taste and adjust seasoning by adding more salt. For reference, we added 2 large pinches of salt in the end.

Serve Chinese Beef Stew

To serve, add beef finger meat, beef tendons, and daikon to a serving bowl. Drizzle with the yummy flavorsome chu hou sauce.

We added a piece of lettuce at the bottom of the serving pot for authenticity. 😛

Enjoy your Instant Pot Chinese Beef Stew!~ 🙂

Tools for Instant Pot Chinese Beef Stew

• Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
• Kitchen Tongs
• Bamboo Wooden Spoons

Other Instant Pot Beef Stew

Instant Pot HK Beef Curry (港式咖喱牛腩)

Instant Pot Beef Stew