Beef Chow Fun Noodles (Gon Chow Ngau Ho)

Beef chow fun is a favorite Cantonese dish, made from stir-frying beef, he fen or sometimes called ho fun (wide rice noodles), scallions, ginger, bean sprouts and dark soy. In the U.S., it can usually be found in Cantonese restaurants that serve dim sum including one of our favorites, Pan-Fried Noodles w/ Chicken (Gai See Chow Mein).

Personally, I think beef chow fun is a sleeping favorite among Chinese food lovers, but the problem is that the traditional version isn’t widely available, and I don’t think there are a whole lot of good recipes out there (until now!).

An important element in the making of this beef chow fun dish is “wok hei” (鑊氣) which is a cooking technique that uses very high heat to create a wok sear that has its own unique umami flavor. You can see examples of old fashioned high flames in our Xian street food post where the flames are roaring hot. Wok hei is not an easy state to achieve using a home range burner but it can be done.

The other essential technique for making this dish is a technique called “pow wok” which essentially is a method of tossing the wok and the food without using a spatula. It is best practiced with a seasoned pow wok with a wooden handle for easy gripping as you are tossing the ingredients around. You may have seen something like it in your local takeout place with the open kitchen. For this dish, the continuous movement of the noodles in the hot wok without using a spatula (i.e. pow wokking), prevents sticking and also keeps the rice noodles whole. But don’t despair, I have cooked this dish with a metal spatula and it has turned out just fine – what’s a few broken noodles here or there anyway? We’ve written the recipe as if you’re using a spatula, but go for the “pow wok” tossing method if you’re brave enough!

Check out our Chinese Cooking tools page to see more information and pictures of carbon steel woks and more Chinese cooking tools we use in our recipes and daily cooking!

The Pow Wok Technique – The Woks of Life from The Woks of Life on Vimeo.

While all this may sound daunting, it is actually not as difficult as it sounds to get a good Beef Chow Fun on the table at home, provided that you can get fresh rice noodles at your local Asian market. You may find that it is not the easiest item to find, but all you need to do is ask your local Asian grocer and they will point you to the right aisle to get the fresh variety. You can also substitute the dried rice noodles, similar to what you would use for pad Thai. I have also made these noodles from scratch at home and now Judy has published her recipe for Homemade Rice Noodles. Give that recipe a try and you can make your own any time!

In the meantime, give the recipe a try and tell us how it goes!

Check out our Chinese Aromatics page for a list of different aromatics we use in our cooking!

Here’s how to make it:

Start by combining 8 oz. sliced flank steak, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon corn starch, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and let it marinate for about an hour. The little bit of baking soda tenderizes the meat, similar to the texture you’ll get in restaurants. The longer you marinate the beef, the more tender it gets. This is totally optional.

A useful tip for slicing the beef is to freeze it until it gets firm but not solid which makes slicing the beef much easier! Also prepare the rest of the ingredients and have them ready before you cook.

Some fresh rice noodles come as large sheets, while others are already cut. If you have the sheets, slice the rice noodles so they’re about 1 inch wide.

Heat your wok over high heat until smoking, and add 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil to coat the wok. Add the beef and sear until browned. As long as your wok is hot enough, the meat shouldn’t stick. Set aside.

A carbon steel wok works best for this dish since you’ll be using high heat!

Add another 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil to the wok, and add the 3 thin slices of ginger, first to infuse the oil with its rich flavor for about 15 seconds. Then add the scallions,

Spread the fresh rice noodles evenly in the wok and stir-fry the whole mix on high until it is mixed evenly, about 15 seconds.

Add 2 teaspoons of  shaoxing wine around the rim of the wok.

Next, add 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons regular soy sauce, pinch of sugar, along with the beef. Stir fry, making sure your metal wok spatula scrapes the bottom of the wok and you lift the ho fun in an upward motion to mix well and coat them evenly with the soy sauce.

Add a bit of salt and white pepper to taste (taste the noodles before adding salt).

If the wide rice noodles were cold and refrigerated when you started, you may have to toss the noodles longer to heat them through properly. If the rice noodles were fresh and at room temperature, then less time will be required. Your heat should remain as high as possible at all times to give your beef chow fun some wok hei you get at Chinese restaurants!

Add the bean sprouts and stir-fry until the bean sprouts are just tender.

Serve your Beef Chow Fun Noodles piping hot and don’t forget the spicy chili oil on the side!

Print Recipe

4.78 from 27 votes

Beef Chow Fun Rice Noodles (Gon Chow Ngau ho)

Beef chow fun is a favorite Cantonese dish (popular at dim sum), made from stir-frying beef,wide rice noodles, scallions, ginger, bean sprouts and dark soy.

Prep Time1 hr

Cook Time5 mins

Total Time1 hr 5 mins

Course: Noodles and Pasta

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: beef chow fun

Servings: 2 servings

Calories: 615kcal

Author: Bill

Ingredients

For the beef & marinade:

• 8 oz. flank steak (225g, sliced into 1/8 thick pieces)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (optional)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

For the rest of the dish:

• 12 oz. fresh ho fun flat rice noodles
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 scallions (split in half vertically and cut into 3-inch pieces)
• 3 thin slices ginger
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons regular soy sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon sugar
• salt and white pepper (to taste)
• 4 to 6 ounces fresh mung bean sprouts

Instructions

• Combine the beef and marinade ingredients and let it marinate for about an hour. The little bit of baking soda tenderizes the meat.The longer you marinate the beef, the more tender it gets. This is totally optional.
• A useful tip for slicing the beef is to freeze it until it gets firm but not solid which makes slicing the beef much easier!
• Some rice noodles come as large sheets, while others are already cut. If you have the sheets, slice the rice noodles so they're about 1 inch thick.
• Heat your wok over high heat until smoking, and add 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to coat the wok. Add the beef and sear until browned. As long as your wok is hot enough, the meat shouldn't stick. Set aside. Add a 1 1/2 tablespoons more vegetable oil to the wok. Then add the ginger first to infuse the oil with its rich flavor for about 15 seconds. Add the scallions.
• Spread the noodles evenly in the wok and stir-fry the whole mix on high until it is mixed evenly, about 15 seconds. Add the Shaoxing wine around the rim of the wok.
• Next, add the sesame oil, soy sauces, pinch of sugar and the beef. Stir fry, making sure your metal wok spatula scrapes the bottom of the wok and you lift the ho fun in an upward motion to mix well and coat them evenly with the soy sauce.
• Add a bit of salt and white pepper to taste (taste the noodles before adding salt)
• If the noodles were cold and refrigerated when you started, you may have to toss the noodles longer to heat them through properly. If the noodles are fresh, then less time will be required. Your heat should remain as high as possible at all times. Add the bean sprouts and stir-fry until the bean sprouts are just tender. Serve!

Nutrition

Calories: 615kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 1978mg | Potassium: 576mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 3.4mg