Beef Chow Fun aka 干炒牛河 "gon chow ngau ho" literally means Dry Stir-fried Beef rice noodles. This classic Cantonese dish is an absolute favorite of ours and a MUST. It's a dish of seared beef with soft and springy rice noodles tossed in a sweet & savory soy sauce mixture. If you're ever at a Hong Kong style or Dim Sum restaurant, you will find Beef Chow Fun on the menu.
What makes this dish so delicious is the charred aroma & taste of the seared beef and flat rice noodles created by stir frying it vigorously in a flaming hot wok. We call this é‘Šæ°£ "wok hei", which translates to "the breath of a wok". Wok hei is hard to create at home if you don't have a true wok stove set up with a big flame. However, it comes close to taste if you stir fry the noodles separately first on high heat.
Ingredients
Servings: 4
Beef Marinade:
10 oz. Beef Flank steak, Sirlion, Skirt steak (or any beef) - thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1.5 teaspoon Soy Sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground White pepper
2 teaspoon Avocado oil
Sauce mixture:
2 Tbsp Soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp Dark Soy sauce
1 teaspoon Oyster sauce
1/2 Tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
dash of White pepper
Other:
1 lb fresh Flat Rice noodles, cut 1 inch wide
8 stalks Scallions, chopped 2 inch long
6 ounces Mung Bean sprouts
3 wide slices of Ginger, cut quarter size
1 medium Onion, chopped
3 Tbsp cooking oil, separated
Instructions
Marinate Beef for at least 30 minutes. In a wok, heat 1 Tbsp oil on high then sear beef until browned and 95% cooked. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Heat 1 Tbsp oil on high in a clean wok. Add rice noodles and stir fry quickly for a 1-2 minutes (this creates that charred aroma & taste). Set aside.
Heat 1 Tbsp oil on high heat. Separately add ginger, scallions, onions, then bean sprouts. Cook until tender. Toss in noodles then pour in soy sauce mixture. Stir fry vigorously until all noodles become brown.
Add seared beef and stir fry until desired doneness. Enjoy!
Notes:
You can buy fresh Flat Rice noodles at most Chinese supermarkets. It's typically in the noodle section. It's rectangular shaped, white, flat, and soft - packaged in a clear plastic bag.
Once you buy it, try to cook it the same day for maximum freshness. You can cut it fresh, separate the noodles, and stir fry it right away. If you leave it in the fridge overnight, the noodle will harden.
To soften the noodles, the trick is to slice the hard noodles first then blanch it in hot boiled water for a few seconds until it softens before cooking! Once soft, rinse noodles under cold water and drain. If the noodles become too soft, it will be choppy when stir fried.
If you make this recipe, we'd love to see it! Tag us at @NY.Foodie on your stories & posts.