Name: Beef Chow Fun (Ho Fun)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 225g (1/2 lb) beef such as rump or skirt, thinly sliced against the grain; FOR THE MARINADE; 2 tsp light soy sauce; 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry; 2 tsp corn flour (corn starch); 2 tbsp water; 1 tsp sugar; 1 tsp rapeseed or peanut oil; FOR THE STIR FRY; 2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) or peanut oil (Or a little more if needed); 2.5cm (1 inch) ginger, sliced into 5 thin rounds; 2 tbsp minced garlic; 1/2 onion, thinly sliced; 4 spring onions, sliced lengthwise down the centre and then in half. Keep white and green parts separate; 450g (16oz) thick flat rice noodles (ho fun noodles); 1 tbsp dark soy sauce; 2 tbsp light soy sauce; 90g (3oz) beansprouts

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This beef chow fun is a quick and easy Chinese stir fry you need to try soon.

Beef Chow Fun, also known as Beef Ho Fun or Beef Hor Fun, is a popular Cantonese dish in Chinese cuisine. It consists of stir-fried flat rice noodles (ho fun or chow fun noodles) with slices of beef, bean sprouts, green onions, and other flavourful ingredients.

The dish is well-known for its wide, flat rice noodles, which have a soft and broad texture. Cantonese cuisine is famous for its emphasis on freshness, simplicity, and balanced flavours.

You will notice when you first dig in to your homemade beef chow fun that it is a good example of all of these characteristics. If you have trouble getting the chow fun noodles, no worries! This beef chow fun is delicious prepared with any wide rice noodles.

What is the history of beef chow fun?

Exactly how long Beef Chow Fun has been a popular dish in China is not known but as it is such a big part of cultural and family gatherings, you would be safe to bet that it’s been around for hundreds of years. Beef Chow Fun is a popular Cantonese dish with origins in southern China, particularly in the Guangdong province.

The dish has a rich history that reflects the culinary traditions of the region. You will now find many different versions around the world but they are all quite similar.

Do you need to tenderise the meat before cooking it?

At Chinese takeaways, the meat is usually tenderised before cooking. This is an easy job so it is worth taking the time to do. You can read my detailed instructions on how to velvet beef along with how to slice it here.

Once you have velveted the meat, you can start this recipe by placing it in the marinade.

Velveting your beef is especially important when using tougher cuts of meat such as rump, skirt or flank steak. That is for perfection. You could make this beef chow fun without velveting the beef.

What vegetables do you add to beef chow fun?

Traditionally you just add spring onions and bean sprouts. More modern interpretations of the dish feature other vegetables in the mix. You could do this too. Popular vegetables you can add are mushrooms, baby sweetcorn, bell peppers or whatever you like really.

How long can you keep this beef chow fun in the fridge?

You can easily store it, covered in your fridge for about 3 to 4 days. Then to reheat it, just pour it all in a hot wok and fry it until heated through. You do want to stir continuously when reheating dishes like this.

If you only have a little beef chow fun left over, you can heat it up in your microwave for a few minutes.

Can you freeze this dish?

Yes and it will freeze well for up to 6 months. If you decide to freeze it, be sure to freeze it in portion sizes that are convenient for you.

Pro tips:

When using tougher cuts of meat like skirt steak, you should take the time to velvet it first. You could use more expensive cuts such as ribeye which does not need to be tenderized.
Fry the meat and noodles separately over a really high heat. You want your wok to be smoking hot before adding it which will give the meat a nice, smoky flavour.
Don’t be afraid to experiment. This is a traditional version of beef chow fun be feel free to try the recipe with other meat, prawns and additional vegetables.

Step by step photographs.

Get all of the ingredients for the recipe prepared before you start cooking. This will make cooking much easier.

Place your sliced beef in the marinade and stir well to coat thoroughly. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. The longer the better.

Place a wok over a high heat with about 2 tbsp of oil. Then fry until nicely charred on the exterior but still a bit red in the centre.

Adding the garlic, ginger and spring onions (scallions) to the wok.

Add the sliced onions, garlic, ginger and the white parts of the spring onions. Stir it all up well to combine and fry for about 3 minutes. Then transfer it all to a plate and set aside.

Add the sesame oil and your cooked noodles to the wok and fry to heat them through. If it all begins to smoke, that is good and will add flavour.

Return the beef and veggies to the wok and stir them into the noodles Add the sauce ingredients and continue frying until good and hot. Stir in the remaining spring onions (scallions) and bean sprouts.

Stirring the contents of the wok to combine.

Give it all a good stir to combine and continue cooking and stirring for about 3 minutes. If you have some of the marinade left over, you can add it too.

Divide between 4 plates and serve with more soy sauce and Chinese crispy chilli oil if you like.

Beef is amazing served like this!

Dig in! You are going to love this one.

If you like this beef chow fun, you might like to try some of these Chinese takeaway favourites too:

I am currently updating my blog with the most popular Chinese takeaway recipes so be sure to check back often for new recipes. There are a lot on the way!

Have you tried this recipe for beef chow fun?

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Yield: 4