Beef Chow Fun (Beef Ho Fun) (Video)

Ingredients for Beef Chow Fun

Here is everything you’ll need to make an authentic Beef Chow Fun with chew ho fun wide rice noodles, tender marinated beef, and crisp bean sprouts and green onions:

Beef

• 12 ounces flank steak cut into 1/4″ strips
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil avocado, canola, or vegetable oil

Stir-Fry Sauce

• 2 tablespoon light soy sauce plus 1 tablespoon for noodles
• 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce plus 2 teaspoons for noodles
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
• 1/4 teaspoon MSG optional
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Noodles & Vegetables

• 16 ounces wide fresh rice noodles (Ho Fun); if the noodles are dried, make sure to rehydrate until pliable
• 4 green onions (or scallions) cut into 2″ pieces
• 1/2 yellow onion sliced
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 cup bean sprouts

How to Cook the Most Tender Beef! (Chinese Restaurant Secrets)

Here are my KEY tips on making the beef super tender in this Beef Chow Fun, just like they do in the Chinese restaurants:

• Buy a tender cut of beef. I suggest flank steak, skirt steak, or ribeye for this recipe.
• Slice the steak into thin strips against the grain (see photo below). This shortens the length of the muscle fibers in the beef to make it more tender.
• Marinate the beef with baking soda, cornstarch, and soy sauce. These will all act as tenderizers to make the beef extra soft and tender.
• Quickly stir fry in neutral oil to lock in the moisture of the beef.

1. Slice beef into thin strips and marinate

Slice flank steak into ¼ inch strips against the grain to create tender strips of beef at an angle against the grain shortens the muscle fibers to sure tender beef with every bite. Marinate for 10-15 minutes in baking soda, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, white pepper, cornstarch, and neutral oil. The baking soda and soy sauce will further tenderize the beef while you prepare the rest of your ingredients for Beef Chow Fun!

2. Prepare the noodles, vegetables and sauce

Prepare all the green onions, bean sprouts, garlic, and stir-fry sauce by mixing together light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, Shaoxing wine, MSG (optional) in a small bowl and set everything aside with the marinated beef. Separate the fresh wide rice noodles and place them in a bowl.

3. Sear the beef in a pan or wok

In a large nonstick pan or wok over high heat, add 2 tablespoons of neutral oil and sear the marinated beef for 2-3 minutes and remove to a plate along with the excess oil. We want to create a nice sear on the marinated beef, cooking them quickly so they are still tender. Remove them to a plate and wipe out any excess oil in the pan.

4. Cook the wide rice noodles (hor fun)

Over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the separated rice noodles and toss for 30 seconds, being careful to not break the noodles. Add a tablespoon of light soy sauce and 2 teaspoons of dark soy sauce around the edge of the pan to caramelize into the wide rice noodles. Toss and cook until the hor fun noodles are slightly charred and have absorbed the soy sauce, about 1 minute. Remove the noodles to a separate plate.

Pro Tips for making Beef Chow Fun at home!

• Prepare all ingredients before starting the cooking process (and have clean bowls handy): Ensure all the ingredients are prepared and available within an arms distance because this dish is cooked very quickly. Make sure you have clean bowls to transfer your beef and noodles to once they are done, so that you can add them back easily to the final dish.
• Preparing fresh rice noodles (hor fun): If using precut noodles fresh noodles, gently unravel the noodles and separate them into a bowl. If you are using dried noodles, rehydrate them until they are soft and pliable and set them aside until ready for use.
• Use a large pan and high heat: This dish requires a large wok or nonstick pan and very high heat. I highly suggest using a carbon steel wok or large nonstick sauté pan that can retain a lot of heat when cooking this dish.

What is the difference between Beef Chow Fun and Beef Ho Fun?

Beef Chow Fun and Beef Ho Fun are two different names for the same dish. The “Fun” in Chow Fun and Ho Fun refers to the flat wide rice noodles used in the delicious stir fried noodle dish! It consists of tender stir-fried beef, springy flat rice noodles, green onions, garlic, and bean sprouts, tossed with a savory stir-fry sauce and cooked quickly over high heat!

You can find these flat rice noodles in your local Asian supermarket, usually in the refrigerated fresh noodle section. They often come vacuum sealed and are coated in a light coating of vegetable oil so that you can separate the rice noodles easily.

Cooking With a Wok (Alternatives)

By now, you know that I LOVE cooking with my carbon steel wok! It is my #1 most recommended kitchen tool, as I believe it is perfect for high-heat cooking and results in restaurant quality Chinese food!

If it is your first time cooking with a wok, make sure to read my “How To Season a Wok” post. There is a video included that shows exactly how to season your brand new wok and how to maintain it so it lasts for years.

If you cannot or do not want to use a wok, you can use a large pan, cast iron, or even a dutch oven.

My KEY TIP would be to avoid crowding your pan – crowding can lead to your XX not cooking thoroughly and becoming mushy. If you think your dish will be crowded, use a larger pan, cast iron, or dutch oven, OR cook in batches.

If you liked this easy Beef Chow Fun recipe, try some of my other popular noodle recipes and Asian food that will be sure to impress below! Impress your friends with simple and delicious Chinese cooking!

• Soy Sauce Pan Fried Noodles
• Beef and Broccoli Noodles
• Chicken Chow Mein (Hong Kong Style)
• Wonton Noodle Soup

If you tried this Beef Chow Fun or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!