Beef chow fun or gon chow ngau ho (乾炒牛河) is a classic and well known Cantonese noodle dish like soy sauce noodle, lo mein and Singapore rice noodles. Also, this beef chow fun recipe is healthier because of less oil.
Love noodles? Check out these pad Thai, instant noodles stir fry, crispy pan fried noodles and wonton noodle soup recipes.
What is beef chow fun (乾炒牛河)?
Beef chow fun is a classic and well known Cantonese dish in southern China. It is a stir fry beef with ho fun (wide rice noodles) and bean sprouts. In Cantonese, it called gon chow ngau ho (乾炒牛河). Also, beef chow fun is a dry fry style of beef with ho fun noodles which means fried without sauce.
What is ho fun?
Ho fun is wide rice noodles. Also, it is known as Shahe fen because it originated from Shahe, Guangzhou. Ho fun usually cook in soup or stir fry. Besides, ho fun can be dry-fry (stir fry without sauce) or wet-fry (stir fry with a sauce).
How to make the best beef chow ho fun or gon chow ngau ho?
First, marinate the meat. Then, add the marinated beef into the wok and stir fried. Next, add other ingredients, ho fun noodles and sauce. After that, add bean sprouts and stir fry with chow fun.
The most important factor to make good beef chow fun is "wok hei" (鑊氣) which is cooking over a high flame and stirring quickly. Not only stir ho fun quickly, but also need to handle them gently, so the noodles will not break into pieces. Besides, the amount of oil needs to be controlled very well. If not, the excess oil will dry up noodles texture and ruin the dish.
What are the ingredients in beef chow fun?
In this beef chow ho fun recipe, there are three main ingredients: ho fun rice noodles, beef and bean sprouts.
Cooking tips for how to cook beef chow fun:
- Personally, I love beef chow fun and I like to make it at home using less oil. The tip is to use a non-stick pan and chopsticks to stir fry.
- I like to use fresh ho fun. If you cannot find fresh ho fun, use dry ho fun it works too.
- Although I can find fresh ho fun at the store nearby, most of the time they are refrigerated. Often, I microwave the ho fun noodles and cover with a wet paper towel for a minute or two to soften them first. It is easier to separate and stir fry them.
FAQs:
Dry chow fun means stir fry rice noodles without extra sauce.
Ho fun is a wider rice noodle and often used for beef chow fun dish.
There are different ways to cook noodles. Lo mein is tossed noodles and most of the time uses Chinese egg noodles. On the other hand, chow fun means stir fried wide rice noodles in a pan or wok.
Instructions for how to make beef chow fun or gon chow ngau ho (乾炒牛河):
Preparation:
1. If ho fun rice noodles have been refrigerated before, cover ho fun with a wet paper towel and microwave them for one or two minutes. (1 pack of ho fun rice noodles 32oz or 2 pounds.)
2. Next, separate the ho fun, so it’s not stack together. It is easier to stir fry.
3. Wash and cut 2 sticks of green onion into strips.
4. After that, sliced ½ pound of beef into strips.
5. Put the beef into the bowl, add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce, ½ tablespoon of brown sugar, ½ tablespoon of sesame oil and ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder. Mix it well.
6. Let it marinate the beef for 15 minutes before cooking.
Cooking:
7. After, pour ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil into a non-stick pan, turn on fire medium high. Add 2 cups of washed bean sprouts, sprinkle ⅛ teaspoon of salt and stir fry for a minute or so. Then, set them aside.
8. Next, add 5 slices of ginger and the marinated beef into a non-stick pan.
9. Then, stir fry them until it turns brown. And, set them aside. (Don't over cook the beef.)
10. In a small container, add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce and ½ tablespoon of brown sugar. Mix it well.
11. Add ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil into a non-stick pan, turn on fire medium high.
12. Then, add ho fun noodles, and pour the sauce mixture from step 9 stir fry the noodles for a minute to two.
13. The following, add the cooked beef, bean sprouts, green onion to the noodles and stir fry them a little bit.
Enjoy this delicious and simple Chinese beef chow ho fun recipe! Also, check out these chicken udon stir fry, homemade chow mein, chicken yi mein and soy sauce noodles recipes.
You May Also Like These Noodle Recipes:
- BRAISED BEEF HO FUN NOODLE SOUP (牛腩河)
- JAPCHAE KOREAN GLASS NOODLES
- CHICKEN YI MEIN NOODLES
- CHICKEN STIR FRIED UDON NOODLES
Subscribe Oh My Food Recipes to get our new recipes delivered straight to your inbox! Follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all the latest updates.
Beef Chow Fun
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pack Ho fun rice noodles (32oz or 2 pounds)
- ½ pound Beef ( Beef tri tip or round steak)
- 5 slices Ginger
- 2 cups Bean sprouts
- 2 sticks Green onion
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt (For stir fry bean sprouts)
MARINATED MEAT:
- 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Oyster sauce
- ½ tablespoon Brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon Sesame oil
- ⅛ teaspoon Garlic powder
SAUCE FOR NOODLES:
- 2 tablespoons Soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Dark soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon Brown sugar
Instructions
- If ho fun rice noodles have been refrigerated before, cover ho fun with a wet paper towel and microwave them for one or two minutes. (1 pack of ho fun rice noodles 32oz or 2 pounds.)
- Next, separate the ho fun, so it’s not stack together. It is easier to stir fry.
- Wash and cut 2 sticks of green onion into strips.
- After that, sliced ½ pound of beef into strips.
- Put the beef into the bowl, add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce, ½ tablespoon of brown sugar, ½ tablespoon of sesame oil and ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder. Mix it well.
- Let it marinate the beef for 15 minutes before cooking.
- After, pour ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil into a non-stick pan, turn on fire medium high. Add 2 cups of washed bean sprouts, sprinkle ⅛ teaspoon of salt and stir fry for a minute or so. Then, set them aside.
- Next, add 5 slices of ginger and the marinated beef into a non-stick pan.
- Then, stir fry them until it turns brown. And, set them aside. (Don't over cook the beef.)
- In a small container, add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce and ½ tablespoon of brown sugar. Mix it well.
- Add ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil into a non-stick pan, turn on fire medium high.
- Then, add ho fun noodles, and pour the sauce mixture from step 9 stir fry the noodles for a minute to two.
- The following, add the cooked beef, bean sprouts, green onion to the noodles and stir fry them a little bit.
Notes
Cooking tips for how to make beef chow fun:
- Personally, I love beef chow fun and I like to make it at home using less oil. The tip is to use a non-stick pan and chopsticks to stir fry.
- I like to use fresh ho fun. If you cannot find fresh ho fun, use dry ho fun it works too.
- Although I can find fresh ho fun at the store nearby, most of the time they are refrigerated. Often, I microwave the ho fun noodles and cover with a wet paper towel for a minute or two to soften them first. It is easier to separate and stir fry them.
Leave a Reply