The Beef Chow Fun My Dad's Made 100,000 Times
Why this recipe
Most beef chow fun recipes online are tested only a handful of times. My dad used to make this dish multiple times a day, every day, for 50 years and can make this in his sleep.
I know you'll love it as much as our community does! This recipe has over 2.2M views, 51.4K likes on YouTube.
Beef Chow Fun, also known as Chow Hor Fun, gets its name from the town of Shahe in Guangzhou, where this distinctive style of flat rice noodles was first created.
The Cantonese name for the dish is 乾炒牛河. 乾 gon1 meaning "dry," 炒 caau2 meaning "stir-fry," 牛 ngau4 meaning "beef," and 河 ho4*2 meaning "flat rice noodles." "Dry" indicates that this is not a very saucy dish, so you shouldn't see a big puddle of sauce pooling at the bottom. (There’s a saucier version, too!)
As more Chinese people started coming to America in the 40s and 50s, over two-thirds of them were Guangdong Yan (like my mom and dad). Up until the 60s and 70s, Chinese food in America was primarily Cantonese cuisine.
That’s why, today, Cantonese dishes like chow fun and chow mein are still among the most popular dishes across over 40,000 Chinese restaurants in America.
Making restaurant-quality beef chow fun at home
Restaurant-level smokiness and wok hei may be hard to achieve, but my dad will show you how you can still nail that flavor and texture at home.
Since it's unlikely that you have jet-level burners at home (or do you?), the noodles will have to cook for a little longer than they would in a restaurant. Be patient and let them get toasty before you agitate or stir them.
Thank you, Kikkoman!
This recipe is brought to you in part by Kikkoman. My dad has been using Kikkoman flavors throughout his 50-year career as a chef, and it's a privilege to get to partner with them on such an iconic recipe, beef chow fun!
- Kikkoman products are a major flavor enhancer and bring out the “umami” taste, and helps balance and round out flavors
- Kikkoman® Less Sodium Soy Sauce is perfect for home cooks who are looking to cut down on their sodium levels, without sacrificing flavor
- Kikkoman offers wide range of Gluten-Free Asian sauces, including Gluten-Free Oyster Sauce and Gluten-Free Hoisin Sauce
- The KikkomanUSA.com Chinese site offers easy Asian recipes that home cooks can enjoy any night of the week
You can learn more about Kikkoman and follow them on social media here:
- Website: https://www.KikkomanUSA.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KikkomanChineseUSA (Kikkoman 萬字在美)
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kikkomanusa_chinese/ (Kikkoman 萬字在美)
Ingredients
Instructions
Cut and wash beef
Cut your flank steak (10 oz) into medium or 1/4-inch slices.
You don't want to make your slices too thick or thin because the meat should hold itself together during the cooking process but it should not be so thick that you spend a long time chewing.
Chef’s Tip: To achieve perfect slices, partially freeze the meat or have it partially defrosted. The beef will be firm enough to cut through cleanly, making this process much easier.
Once cut, put the meat into a room-temperature water bath to rinse out the myoglobin. This helps the beef to cook and taste better.
Prepare vegetables
Peel and thinly slice the yellow onion into 1/4-inch thickness.
Wash the bean sprouts (1 handful), drain, and set aside.
Wash and chop the scallions (3 stems) into 1-inch long pieces. Use all of the green onions and separate the white parts from the green parts.
Make beef marinade
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the baking soda (1 tsp), cornstarch (1 tbsp), oyster sauce (1 tbsp), soy sauce (1 tbsp), tamari (1 tsp), white pepper (0.25 tsp), water (2 tbsp), cooking wine (1 tsp), sugar (1 tsp), and mix until everything is incorporated and smooth.
Mix beef into marinade
Drain the meat from the water bath, squeeze out the excess water.
Add the meat into the marinade and mix until the meat is fully coated in the marinade and set it aside.
Prepare rice noodles
Prepare the rice noodles (1 lb) by separating the noodles if you see them stuck together. The best way to do this is to gently massage them between your hand and a cutting board. If there are a few noodles that are stubborn, you can peel them apart.
Our tip for when you aren't going to cook this dish on the day that you buy the fresh rice noodles is to separate them, seal them in cling wrap, and put them in the fridge. Do not put them in the freezer!
When you take them out for cooking, microwave them for a minute before stir frying.
Make chow fun sauce
In a small bowl, mix tamari (1 tsp), soy sauce (1 tbsp), and oyster sauce (1 tbsp). Once mixed, set it aside.
Stir fry beef
Add cooking oil (1 tbsp) to the marinated beef to seal the juices in the beef.
Heat up the wok to the highest heat for about 1 minute and a half before adding more cooking oil (3 tbsp). This may vary depending on your cookware.
Heat the oil for 30 seconds or until the oil starts to ripple.
Add your beef and cook for 40 to 60 seconds on high heat. It's fine if it's a little red because we will continue to cook it later.
Remove the beef from the wok and set it aside. You can strain the excess oil from the beef at this time.
Stir fry vegetables and noodles
Wipe down the wok before cooking the other ingredients.
Add a small amount of oil to the wok. You won't need a lot because the rice noodles already have some oil.
Fry the yellow onion and the white parts of the scallions for 20 to 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Add the rice noodles (1 lb). Take your time stirring them because they will need some time to loosen up in the wok. If you over stir them, they can break.
If your noodles are sticking to the wok, take them out and set aside. Scrub the wok clean, heat it back up to start frying again and add the noodles back.
Cook the noodles for two minutes or until golden brown. Another way to know when they're ready is when you can smell them.
Add the sauce and cook for 1 minute until the noodles are well coated in the sauce. At this point, if you feel that the noodles are not dark enough, you can add more dark soy sauce.
Add the green parts of the scallion and bean sprouts.
Cook for 30 to 45 seconds before adding in the beef.
Add beef back
Add the beef and mix. Let everything cook together for 1 more minute. Turn off the heat and add the sesame oil (1 tsp).
Taste test and plate
Taste to adjust the flavors and plate once it's to your taste! This is usually served at the center of the table and everyone can take the amount they want.