What Are Beef Chow Fun Noodles?
Fresh flat rice noodles are used to make the best beef chow fun noodles, which are then stir-fried with beef, bean sprouts, and green onions before being generously drizzled with a flavorful seasoning sauce.
The rice noodles are cooked in a wok over high heat, giving the finished dish a “wok hie” (breath of wok) umami flavor. It’s absolutely delicious and irresistible.
The best and simplest recipe to try at home is greasy Chinese rice noodles stir-fried with vegetables. It only needs a few common ingredients and can be prepared in under 30 minutes. It’s perfect for busy weeknights.
One of the most popular Chinese restaurant takeout dishes is beef chow fun noodles. This recipe will enable you to prepare an authentic stir-fry dish with rice noodles at a significantly reduced cost.
For those who enjoy noodles, there is also a healthy stir-fry recipe that uses less salt and oil but still produces delicious results.
Flavorful beef chow fun noodles call for these ingredients:
Four ingredients—soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Chinese rice wine or sherry, and cornstarch—are required for the marinade for the beef.
Soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and sugar are used as the recipe’s seasonings.
Beef Chow Fun: Recipe Instructions
Start by combining 8 oz. sliced flank steak, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda Marinate for 1 hour.
The meat is made more tender by the baking soda, giving it a texture similar to that found in restaurants. The beef becomes more tender the longer it is marinated.
Another helpful tip is to freeze the beef before slicing until firm but not solid. (Read more about how to prepare and tenderize beef for stir-fry in our article on the subject.) This makes slicing the beef much easier!.
Additionally, get the remaining ingredients ready before you start cooking.
Fresh rice noodles can be purchased in pre-cut or large sheets. If you have sheets, cut the rice noodles into pieces that are approximately 1 inch wide. You will need to blanch the rice noodles if they are very stiff and clumped together.
Just heat up some water in a wok and add the noodles.
Blanch them for 30 seconds or so. You’ll see them loosen into longer strands of noodles.
Remove from the wok and transfer to an ice bath. Drain.
Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to your wok after heating it on high heat until smoking. Add the beef and sear until browned.
If your wok is sufficiently hot, the meat shouldn’t stick. Remove from the wok and set aside.
Add the ginger and 1 1/2 more tablespoons of vegetable oil to the wok. Add the scallions after giving it about 15 seconds to infuse the oil with its flavorful richness.
In the wok, evenly distribute the fresh rice noodles and stir-fry for 15 seconds.
2 tablespoons of Shaoxing wine should be added to the wok’s rim.
Then, combine the beef with 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons regular soy sauce, and a pinch of sugar.
Make sure to stir-fry while scraping the bottom of the wok with a metal spatula. To thoroughly combine and evenly coat the huo fun with the soy sauce, lift it upward.
To taste, add a little salt and white pepper (taste the noodles first).
You might need to toss the rice noodles for a longer period of time if they were cold when you started. Less time will be needed if the rice noodles are fresh, at room temperature, or blanched. You should always keep your heat as high as possible. That is the key to achieving wok hei.
Stir-fry the bean sprouts with the addition and cook until just tender.
Serve your Beef Chow Fun Noodles piping hot. It tastes fantastic when served alongside some homemade chili oil or chiu chow chili sauce.
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For my US-based friends, here are similar meat substitutes that you can find on Amazon:
I just let them soak in boiling water until they doubled in size. Afterwards, I squeezed out the excess liquid.
Additionally, I manually divided these into thinner pieces in order to recreate “meaty” strips.
I also used some mushrooms. King oyster mushrooms were used, and I thinly sliced them.
For this recipe, I used mung bean sprouts, which give the noodles a delicious crunch. If you can, use bean sprouts, otherwise you can use a crunchy vegetable like shredded cabbage.
Note: You have the choice of using a wok or a regular nonstick pan, as I did here.
A large pan or wok should first be heated over medium-high heat.
Once hot, add the oil. I used neutral oil (vegetable oil to be exact).
Add in the onion and garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.
Add the rehydrated soy chunks and mushrooms.
Season the soy chunks and mushroom with 1 tbsp vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce or vegetarian stir-fry sauce, or to taste.
Turn up the heat before adding in the Shaoxine wine.
Reduce heat to medium after 1 minute, and then leave the pan unattended for about 3–4 minutes until lightly browned.
Add in the scallions and chives. Sauté for 1 minute.
Add in the flat rice noodles.
Over medium high heat, season with the remaining 1 tbsp vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce or vegetarian stir-fry sauce and soy sauces. Mix well and then add in the bean sprouts.
Increase the heat, then combine the sprouts and noodles.
Cook for 1-2 additional minutes, or until the noodles are cooked to your preference and the bean sprouts are crisp. If necessary, season the noodles further with soy sauce or vegetarian stir-fry sauce after tasting them.
Turn off the heat and serve while hot. Enjoy!
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You’ll find the full recipe below.
FAQ
What kind of noodles are in chow fun?
Hor fun (or ho fun noodles) are flat rice noodles used in the Cantonese dish chow fun. They are stir-fried with beansprouts and other vegetables, as well as meat, chicken, or seafood, and topped with a sweet and sour brown sauce.
What does chow fun consist of?
Using beef, wide rice noodles (he fen or huo fun), scallions, ginger, bean sprouts, and dark soy sauce, beef chow fun is a popular Cantonese dish. It is sometimes served at Cantonese roast meat establishments and is referred to as gon chow ngau huo in Cantonese.
What is a fun noodle made of?
Hor fun noodles, also known as shahe fen and originating in the Guangzhou town of Shahe, are the main component of this dish. Beef chow fun. Bean sprouts, soy sauce, and dry-fried beef ho funOther namesWide Flat Rice NoodleServing temperatureHot rice noodles, onions.
How does chow fun taste?
The flavor of beef chow hor fun is similar to that of salty, smoky, chewy, slightly charred rice noodles. Bean sprouts with the pungent flavors of green and white onion, and the tender chew of beef as an accent
