Today, I revisited the Food Place food court, located at Pavilion Mall. The food court is located beside the Oriental Kopi Restaurant. It is time to try food from another stall.
This time, I ordered a Curry beef bakkwa from the Bee Cheng Hiang stall. They sold it in 200 grams at RM50, 300 grams at RM75 and 600 gram at RM150 per packet. They sold it to me in one piece so that I can taste test and write about it.
Curry Beef Bak Kwa, a speciality from the company Bee Cheng Hiang. It is a modern variation of the traditional bak kwa, a sweet barbecued meat jerky popular in Singapore, Malaysia, and southern Chinese communities.
Curry beef bak kwa is a thin sheet of minced beef jerky that is marinated with sugar, soy sauce, spices, and curry seasoning before being grilled over high heat.
The meat is minced, pressed into square sheets, and roasted until slightly caramelised and glossy. The grilling process gives it a smoky aroma, chewy texture, and sweet-savoury flavour, while the curry spices add a warm, fragrant kick compared to the classic sweet pork version. It is typically eaten as a snack, often cut into smaller pieces and enjoyed warm.
Bak kwa has roots in Chinese preserved meat traditions, especially from Fujian and Guangdong. Chinese immigrants brought the technique to Southeast Asia, where it evolved into the sweet barbecued style common today.
Traditionally, meat was marinated with sugar and spices and grilled over charcoal to preserve it and enhance flavour.
In 1933, entrepreneur Teo Swee Ee began selling homemade barbecued meat slices from a street cart in Chinatown, which eventually became the brand Bee Cheng Hiang. Over time, the company expanded across Asia and introduced many variations, including pork, chicken, fish, and beef bak kwa. Bak kwa became especially associated with Chinese New Year, when families buy large amounts as gifts or festive snacks.
Curry beef bak kwa is a modern twist on traditional Southeast Asian barbecued meat jerky—sweet, smoky, chewy slices of grilled beef infused with curry spices, derived from Chinese preserved meat traditions and popularized by brands like Bee Cheng Hiang.