Beef Chow Fun (Stir-fried Rice Noodles)

This classic Cantonese beef chow fun is a symphony of tender beef, savory vegetables, and delicate fresh rice noodles, all stir-fried to perfection. Whether you’re an experienced chef or a passionate home cook, our step-by-step guide will ensure you create a restaurant-quality dish right in your own kitchen.

Get ready to savor the perfectly seasoned beef, sautéed to bring out its richness and tenderness. With the addition of our homemade fresh rice noodles, which absorb the savory flavors from the sauce, this dish promises a delightful fusion of textures and tastes.

So gather your ingredients, roll up your sleeves, let’s start with making your own rice noodles!

Choice of Rice Noodles

Both dry rice noodles and fresh rice noodles can be used in beef chow fun, and they are slightly different in their texture and preparation method.

Dry Rice Noodles:

• Texture: Dry rice noodles are firm and brittle when uncooked but become soft and tender after soaking in hot water or boiling. When stir-fried in beef chow fun, they absorb the flavors of the sauce and other ingredients, resulting in a satisfying chewy texture.
• Preparation: To use dry rice noodles, you need to soak them in hot water for several minutes until they are softened and ready for stir-frying. The soaking time varies depending on the thickness of the noodles. Once softened, drain the water and stir-fry the noodles with the beef and vegetables.

Fresh Rice Noodles:

• Texture: Fresh rice noodles have a soft and slightly chewy texture even before cooking. They are moist and tender from the package, which means they don’t require soaking. When used in beef chow fun, they tend to retain their softness and elasticity, adding a smooth and velvety feel to the dish.
• Preparation: Fresh rice noodles are ready to use right out of the package. Simply remove them from the packaging and stir-fry them directly with the beef and vegetables. There is no need for any soaking or pre-cooking.

How to make fresh rice noodles at home?

In case packaged fresh rice noodles are not available at your local grocery stores, no worries, as making them at home is a breeze using just 5 simple ingredients in under 30 minutes.

Combining 150g rice flour, 45g tapioca starch, 360g cold water, 13g vegetable oil, and 2g salt, you’ll form a smooth batter ready for steaming. Pour a thin layer of the mixture into a nonstick baking pan, steam it for just 2-3 minutes to get a thin noodle sheet. Greasing each layer ensures easy separation, and with a delicate brush of vegetable oil, your rice noodle sheets stack up beautifully. Slice them into your preferred width, ranging from ¼ to ½ inch, and gently toss to loosen before using.

For a more comprehensive guide with step-by-step picture illustrations, refer to my homemade rice noodles recipe post.

Tips for making beef chow fun

1. How to make tender beef slices

When slicing beef against the grain, it helps ensure tenderness in the final dish. The muscle fibers in meat are long and aligned in one direction, known as the grain. Cutting against the grain means slicing the beef perpendicular to these muscle fibers.

Pre-marinate the beef with a mixture of seasonings like soy sauce, oyster sauce, and black pepper. Adding egg white, cornstarch, and a touch of baking soda tenderizes the meat and enhances its texture. Allow the beef to absorb the flavors for at least 10 minutes for a delicious result.

Feel free to substitute the beef with chicken, pork, shrimp, or firm tofu.

2. High heat stir-fry beef, medium heat stir-fry rice noodles

Stir-fry the marinated beef over high heat to achieve a quick sear and retain its juiciness inside. Cooking the beef quickly prevents it from becoming tough and overcooked.

Stir-fry the rice noodles over medium heat, ensuring they are evenly heated to prevent them from getting burnt or sticking to the frying pan.

3. Beef Chow Fun Sauce

The sauce ingredients listed in this recipe form a basic and classic Cantonese beef chow fun sauce. However, don’t hesitate to customize the sauce to suit your taste. For instance, you can create a delightful blend of tangy tamarind, umami-rich fish sauce, or incorporate sweet palm sugar and lime juice for a Pad Thai-inspired flavor.

Be sure to prepare the sauce beforehand, allowing you to focus solely on frying the noodles without feeling overwhelmed.

4. Vegetables to be added into beef chow fun

Use crispy and fresh vegetables like onions, bean sprouts, carrots, bell peppers, band aby corns to add vibrant flavors and textures to the dish. Quickly stir-fry the vegetables separately from the beef and noodles to ensure they retain their crunchiness.

5. Toss the wok

Tossing the wok is a fundamental technique in Chinese cuisine that can enhance the taste, texture, and presentation of your stir-fried noodles.

Rice noodles are delicate and can easily break apart during stir-frying with a spatula. Tossing them in the wok is an effective way to evenly coat them with the sauce and prevent clumping or breakage. However, this technique requires strength, skill, and practice. If you haven’t mastered wok tossing yet, you can gently stir the rice noodles using a pair of chopsticks or silicone tongs to ensure they remain intact and evenly mixed with the other ingredients.

EQUIPMENT for making beef chow fun:

• Large nonstick frying pan
• Measuring cups and spoons

INGREDIENTS Lists:

• 500 g fresh rice noodles (For 2 servings; See my homemade rice noodles recipe here.)

Beef and its marinade

• 200 g beef (Flank steak or sirloin)
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp sugar
• ½ tsp dark soy sauce (Can be substituted with regular soy sauce)
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ⅛ tsp baking soda (It helps tenderize the beef. But it’s optional.)
• ½ egg white
• ½ tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp olive oil (Or vegetable oil)

Vegetables

• 250 g bean sprouts (About 3 cups)
• ½ onion (Wedged)
• 3 cloves garlic (Minced)
• 2 green onions (Cut into 2 inch slices)

Sauce

• 3 tbsp soy sauce (light or regular soy sauce)
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp water
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 tsp Chinkiang vinegar (Or rice vinegar)
• ½ tbsp cooking wine (Optional)
• ½ tsp chicken bouillon powder (Optional)

Others

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (For frying the beef)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (For frying the rice noodles)

Step-by-step INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Cut beef against the grain into about ⅛ inch thick x ½ inch wide x 2 inch long slices.

2. Transfer sliced beef to a bowl, add salt, sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, black pepper, and baking soda to the beef. Mix by hand until the color (from dark soy sauce) looks evenly on the beef.

3. Add ½ egg white to the beef. Mix well by hands for about 2 minutes until all the egg white has been absorbed into the beef.

4. Add cornstarch to the beef. Mix gently by hands until all the beef slices are evenly coated with a thin layer of cornstarch.

5. Add olive oil to the beef. Mix gently by hands until all the beef slices are evenly coated with a thin layer of olive oil. (This step can prevent the beef slices from sticking to each other in the frying pan.) Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.

6. Add all the sauce ingredients to a small bowl. Mix well until all the ingredients are dissolved. Set aside.

7. Add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil to a large frying pan, heat up the oil over medium high heat. (See Note 1 Below) Add marinated beef slices to stir fry for 2-3 minutes until it is browned. Remove the beef from the frying pan and set it aside.

8. In the same frying pan, add the minced garlic, wedged onion, and bean sprots. No additional oil is required at this stage; simply utilize the residual oil from frying the beef. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until slightly softened. Remove the vegetables from the frying pan and set it aside.

9. In the same frying pan, heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil (See Note 2 Below). Add the rice noodles (see my homemade rice noodles recipe here), gently spread out with chopsticks or a pair of silicone tongs.

10. Gently stir-fry the rice noodles over medium high heat for 1-2 minutes. Alternatively, you can use the technique of wok tossing to prevent the rice noodles from breaking apart during the cooking process.

11. Add the cooked vegetables back into the frying pan. Pour the prepared sauce over the noodles and vegetable. Toss the noodles and vegetables until they are evenly coated with the sauce.

12. Add the cooked beef together with sliced green onions back into the frying pan and toss everything together over medium heat for another 1-2 minutes until all the ingredients are heated through.

13. Add more salt or soy sauce to taste if desired. Remove from heat and transfer out to two serving plates. Serve hot.

NOTES

1. How to know if the oil is hot enough for stir frying: Place your palm 1 foot above the frying pan (NEVER touch the hot frying pan), once you are able to feel the hot air above the frying pan, the oil is hot enough for stir frying.
2. If you have prepared the rice noodles using my homemade rice noodles recipe, you will observe that I have already applied oil between each sheet of noodles. Hence, we only require 1 tablespoon of oil for frying the rice noodles. However, if you are using store-bought rice noodles, check if they are already coated with oil. If there is no visible oil on the surface, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the frying pan to prevent the noodles from sticking.

My other noodle recipes you will also like: