Beef Chow Fun (乾炒牛河)

Beef Chow Fun (乾炒牛河) has always been one of my all-time favourite Hong Kong dishes. I almost order it every time I ate at a cha chaan teng while growing up in Hong Kong.

Beef Chow Fun is a classic Cantonese stir-fried noodle dish that features a smoky wok hei, tender beef, and chewy thick rice noodles. You can find this dish in dim sum restaurants, cha chaan tengs (Hong Kong style cafe), and Cantonese restaurants all over the world. The key to an authentic Beef Chow Fun quick and high heat stir-frying, with the right balance of soy sauce, beef, onions and bean sprouts.

ingredients:

• 200g flank/ ribeye/ sirloin steak (beef cut with good marbling)
• 400g fresh hor fun noodles (flat rice noodles)
• 1 handful beansprouts
• 1/2 white onion, sliced
• 2 green onions, chopped to long pieces

Beef marinade:

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp baking soda (optional, for tenderising the beef)
• 1/4 tsp white pepper powder
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Stir-fry sauce:

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp MSG (optional)

steps:

1. Freeze the beef for 30 mins to firm up for easier slicing. Thinly slice against the grain and mix all the marinade ingredients (except sesame oil) together. Once absorbed, drizzle sesame oil to seal in the moisture. Set aside.
2. Gently separate fresh hor fun to prevent sticking.
3. Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Stir-fry beef until 80% cooked. Remove and set aside.
4. Add a little more oil, stir-fry onions until fragrant. Add noodles, let them sizzle for 1-2 minutes to create wok hei.
5. Pour in light and dark soy sauce and MSG (optional) and coat the noodles evenly.
6. Add green onions, bean sprouts and cooked beef. Toss everything quickly.
7. Stir-fry for another 30 seconds, then serve. Enjoy!

tips:

1. Use fresh hor fun noodles (wide flat rice noodles) – I highly recommend using fresh hor fun noodles (河粉) for this dish because of its soft, chewy and silky texture. Unlike dried rice noodles, fresh hor fun is naturally tender and slightly elastic.
2. Marinate beef with baking soda – This is a common technique in Cantonese cooking to achieve a tender and velvety beef texture. Baking soda increases the pH level of the beef, making it more alkaline, which loosens the muscle fibers and prevents them from contracting too tightly during cooking. While it’s not a must, you can definitely see a noticeable difference as the beef stays soft and succulent even after high-heat stir-frying.
3. Minimal tossing, maximum heat – Fresh hor fun noodles are usually soft and delicate, so try not to over-toss the noodles, as they can break apart and turn mushy. Use a gentle flipping motion with a spatula to move the noodles around and let them sit in the hot wok for a few seconds before flipping– this allows the noodles to develop a light sea and caramelisation.
   
   

check out more classic Hong Kong recipes:

• Hong Kong black pepper chicken rice
• Hong Kong pork chop rice
• Hong Kong scallion oil crispy chicken

Beef Chow Fun (乾炒牛河)

Cuisine: Cantonese, Hong Kong

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 200 g flank/ ribeye/ sirloin steak (beef cut with good marbling)

• 400 g fresh hor fun noodles (flat rice noodles)

• 1 handful beansprouts

• 1/2 white onion, sliced

• 2 green onions, chopped to long pieces

• Beef marinade:

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce

• 1 tbsp oyster sauce

• 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce

• 1/2 tbsp Shaoxing wine

• 2 tbsp water

• 1 tbsp cornstarch

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1/4 tsp baking soda (optional, for tenderising the beef)

• 1/4 tsp white pepper powder

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• Stir-fry sauce:

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce

• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce

• 1 tsp MSG (optional)

Directions

• Freeze the beef for 30 mins to firm up for easier slicing. Thinly slice against the grain and mix all the marinade ingredients (except sesame oil) together. Once absorbed, drizzle sesame oil to seal in the moisture. Set aside.
• Gently separate fresh hor fun to prevent sticking.
• Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Stir-fry beef until 80% cooked. Remove and set aside.
• Add a little more oil, stir-fry onions until fragrant. Add noodles, let them sizzle for 1-2 minutes to create wok hei.
• Pour in light and dark soy sauce and MSG (optional) and coat the noodles evenly.
• Add green onions, bean sprouts and cooked beef. Toss everything quickly.
• Stir-fry for another 30 seconds, then serve. Enjoy!

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