Beef Chow Fun (20 Minutes!)

Beef Chow Fun plated on a white plate next to chopsticks and green onions.

4.99 from 111 votes

Beef Chow Fun (20 Minutes!)

Beef Chow Fun (or Beef Ho Fun) is a simple Chinese noodle dish made from stir-frying tender beef with fresh rice noodles (Ho Fun)! The beef gets a great sear from the wok that contrasts with the chewy texture of the fresh rice noodles, and the entire dish covered in a delicious sauce and topped with crunchy bean sprouts. The best part is that it's simple enough to make at home and comes together in 20 minutes!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Ingredients

Beef

12 oz flank steak cut into 1/4" strips
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp neutral oil avocado, canola, or vegetable oil

Stir-Fry Sauce

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

Noodles & Vegetables

16 oz rice noodles fresh or dehydrated; if dehydrated, use 12 ounces and rehydrate until pliable
4 scallions cut into 2" pieces
1/2 yellow onion sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 cup bean sprouts
4 tbsp neutral oil avocado, canola, or vegetable oil, divided for steps 3-6

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Slice beef into ¼ inch strips and marinate for 10 minutes in baking soda, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, white pepper, cornstarch, and neutral oil.
To make the stir fry sauce, mix together light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, Shaoxing wine, MSG (optional) and set aside. Prepare all vegetables and separate the fresh rice noodles. Set them all aside on a tray.
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.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan over high heat. Add the separated rice noodles and toss for 30 seconds. Add a tablespoon of light soy sauce and 2 teaspoons of dark soy sauce around the edge of the pan. Toss and cook until the noodles are slightly charred and have absorbed the soy sauce, about 1 minute. Remove to a separate plate.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high heat and saute onions and garlic for 30 seconds. Next, add scallions and bean sprouts. Cook for another 30 seconds until scallions have a nice charred color.
To the vegetables, add back your beef, separated rice noodles, and sauce. Cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes until the sauce has absorbed completely into the noodles, beef and vegetables. Drizzle with sesame oil, toss and enjoy!

Notes

Rice Noodles

You can use wide or thin rice noodles; fresh rice noodles come vacuum sealed and are usually sold in the refrigerated section of the Asian grocery.
If using precut noodles fresh noodles, gently unravel the noodles and separate them into a bowl.
If you are using dried noodles, rehydrate them in room temperature water for up to 1 hour. Do not use hot or boiling water; do not over-hydrate them (longer than 1 hour) - otherwise the noodles will be soggy once cooked

Beef

Use a tender cut of beef. I suggest flank steak, skirt steak, or ribeye.
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.
Don't skip marinating the beef with baking soda, cornstarch, and soy sauce. These will all act as tenderizers to make the beef extra soft and tender.

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.

For the best results, Beef Chow Fun should be cooked in a large wok or pan over high heat. Overcrowding will result in your noodles become soggy, as the moisture will lead to them steaming vs. cooking. If your wok or pan is not large enough for all of the ingredients, I recommend cooking in batches.

Nutrition