Beef Chow Fun or (干炒牛河), is a savory noodle dish that is exceedingly popular in all parts of the world. It uses tender and juicy beef slices stir fried with wide bouncy rice noodles, topped with some vegetables and seasonings, to produce a dish that is out of this world. Learn how to make it with this authentic recipe here today!
Beef Chow Fun / 干炒牛河 is something very dear to my families hearts.
Before I was born, my parents actually had a restaurant here in the area of Houston, Texas. It was there that they served a variety of homemade Chinese dishes for people to eat.
And the most popular dish according to what they told me was a dish called “Beef Chow Fun”.
This dish was a hit with the locals and each and every day people would be streamlining into the restaurant just to get their hands on this delicious dish.
Although once I was born, they decided to retire from the restaurant business. The foods that they made however have since become a staple in my everyday life.
Beef Chow Fun would eventually become one of my top favorite noodle dishes to eat because of how flavorful and tasty it was. Plus, this dish is also incredibly easy to make which means anybody is able to make it in a short amount of time.
And that is what I want to be sharing with you all today.
My Hope is that everyone who tries this dish will love it just as much as I have.
So if you’re ready, lets get started!
What Is Beef Chow Fun?
What is Beef Chow Fun / 干炒牛河?
Beef Chow Fun is a very popular Cantonese-Chinese noodle dish that is served in many parts of China as well as many Western countries.
The dish is typically made with tender beef slices (usually Flank meat), wide noodles, bean sprouts, green onions, ginger, and some soy sauce seasonings.
It’s a very popular dish that has taken the world by storm.
Depending on where you go, you can find this dish being sold at various Chinese take-out spots, Dim Sum restaurants, or even some of your local Asian grocery stores.
What Type Of Noodle To Use?
Typically when you are going to be making this Beef Chow Fun dish, you will be using rice noodles.
The reason for using rice noodles is that they have a firm and springy texture that also absorbs all the amazing flavors of the dish. Which means they pair perfectly well with almost any dish that you decide to make.
Now can you use other types of noodles? Like Soba Noodles, Udon Noodles, Ramen Noodles, Wheat noodles and more?
The answer is yes, you actually can.
However the end result wouldn’t be the same or as delicious as if you were to use rice noodles.
Which is why, I would always recommend you to use rice noodles if ever given the chance to make this dish.
And finding these rice noodles are actually a really easy thing to do.
Almost every single Asian or Chinese supermarket will carry this product for sale. Depending on which one you decide to visit, you might find dried versions of the rice noodles or even fresh versions of the noodles.
But if you are able to, try to get the fresh rice noodles if possible as they will always be the best for cooking. But if you can’t, then dried versions will work just fine.
Note: Get Wide versions of the rice noodles if possible.
Ingredients For Beef Chow Fun
The ingredients you’ll need to make Beef Chow Fun / 干炒牛河 is as followed:
Beef And Marinade
- Beef – 8 Oz Flank Meat – sliced into thing pieces
- Cornstarch – 1 Teaspoon
- Soy Sauce – 1 Teaspoon
- Sugar – 1/8 Teaspoon
Noodles
- Wide Rice Noodles – 12 Oz Fresh Wide Rice Noodles
Other Ingredients
- Vegetable Oil – 2 Tablespoon
- Green Onions – 3 Stalks Chopped into 2 inch strips
- Ginger – 2 Thin Slices of Ginger
- Shaoxing Rice Wine – 1 Tablespoon
- Sesame Oil – 1/2 Teaspoon
- Onion – 1/4 Onion Thinly sliced
- Dark Soy Sauce – 2 Tablespoon
- Light Soy Sauce – 1 Tablespoon
- Bean Sprouts – 4 Oz of Bean Sprouts
- Salt – Pinch of Salt
- Ground White Pepper – Pinch of Ground White Pepper
How To Make Beef Chow Fun
To make Beef Chow Fun / 干炒牛河, the process is pretty simple.
Basically you’ll have to do the following:
Prep The Meat And Vegetables
First grab a chopping board and chop your green onion stalks into 2 inch pieces and set aside.
Then you’ll want to cut out 1/4 of an onion and slice it into thin pieces. Then set it aside.
Next you’ll want to slice out 2 pieces of ginger and set it aside.
Finally, you’ll want to wash your bean sprouts and dry them off. Then set them aside.
Now you’ll want to prep your meat and marinade it..
So grab a cutting board, and slice your flank meat into thin slices.
Then grab a bowl and combine together the sliced flank meat, 1 teaspoon corn starch, 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 1/8 teaspoon sugar. Mix everything together and set aside for about 15 minutes.
Prep The Noodles
Now it’s time to prep your noodles.
If you are using fresh rice noodles, then you’ll want to unstick the noodles. So grab a pot filled with water and heat it to a boil on the stove. Once the water is boiling, put the fresh rice noodles inside and let it cook for about 30 seconds to a minute or until the noodles start unsticking to each other.
After the noodles are all ready, drain the water and transfer the noodles to an ice bath.
Now you are ready to use them.
Note: If you are using dried rice noodles, then follow the packages instructions for how to cook them properly.
Making The Beef Chow Fun Dish
Now it’s time to make the entire dish.
Grab your wok or a large skillet and pour some oil into it over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot enough, you’ll want to toss in your sliced beef and cook it until it is browned on both sides. Then take the beef slices out and set it aside.
Add a bit more oil into the wok and wait till it gets hot enough. Then add in your ginger, green onions, and onions to cook in the oil. You’ll want to cook things around for a minute or two until things get fragrant and the onions start to become soft.
Now its time to add in the rice noodles into the wok or skillet and stir fry everything together for around 30 seconds or so.
Then you’ll want to add in the shaoxing wine, sesame oil, light and dark soy sauce and the seared beef. Continue to stir fry everything together for about 1 minute or so.
Season with a pinch of salt and ground white pepper for taste.
Lastly, add in the bean sprouts to fry until they get tender. This should take about 1 or 2 minutes.
Turn off the heat and serve immediately.
Enjoy.
How To Store/Keep For Future Use
Storing Beef Chow Fun / 干炒牛河 is a relatively simple thing to do.
Basically with any leftovers you might have, you have two options. First is you can simply use some plastic wrap and cover up the beef Chow Fun dish. Then you can store it in the fridge. The other method is putting the Beef Chow Fun into an air-tight container and cover with a lid while storing it in the fridge. Both methods should keep the dish well for up to 3 days.
As for re-heating this dish, you can simply pour the Beef Chow Fun back into a wok or skillet over medium-high heat and cook it for a few minutes until it is nice and hot again. Then it’ll be ready to eat.
As for freezing however, I would not recommend you to freeze the dish as once the dish thaws and is heated up, the consistency and texture will not be the same. Try to avoid freezing if possible.
Beef Chow Fun Recipe (干炒牛河)
Ingredients
Beef And Marinade
- 8 Oz Flank Beef Meat Sliced into thin pieces
- 1 Teaspoon Cornstarch
- 1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce
- 1/8 Teaspoon Sugar
Noodles
- 12 Oz Fresh Wide Rice Noodles
Other Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- 3 Stalks Green Onions Chopped into 2 inch strips
- 2 Slices Ginger
- 1 Tablespoon Shaoxing Rice Wine
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
- 1/4 Onion Thinly Sliced
- 2 Tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
- 4 Oz Bean Sprouts
- Salt Just a pinch
- Ground White Pepper Just a pinch
Instructions
Prepping The Ingredients
- First you'll want to grab a chopping board and chop your green onion stalks into 2 inch pieces and set aside.
- Then you'll want to cut out 1/4 of an onion and slice it into thin pieces. Then set it aside.
- Next you'll want to slice out 2 pieces of ginger and set it aside.
- Now you'll want to wash your bean sprouts and dry them off. Then set it aside.
Prepping The Meat
- On your cutting board, slice your flank meat into thin slices.
- Then grab a bowl and combine together the flank meat slices, 1 teaspoon corn starch, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1/8 teaspoon sugar. Mix it together until everything is combined. Then set it aside and let it marinate for around 15 minutes.
Prep Your Noodles
- If you are using dry rice noodles, then you'll have to follow the packages instructions for how to cook them properly.
- If you are using fresh rice noodles, then you'll just have to grab a pot and fill it with water and bring it to a boil. Once the water is boiling, put in your fresh rice noodles and let it cook for about 30 seconds to a minute. Once the noodles are unstuck together and ready to eat, turn off the heat. Drain the water and transfer the noodles into an ice bath. Then set it aside.
Making The Beef Chow Fun
- Grab a wok or large skillet and pour some oil into it over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot enough, you'll want to toss in your marinated beef slices and cook them until they are browned. Then take them out and set aside.
- Add a bit more oil into the wok or skillet and let it heat up again. Once the oil is ready, you'll want to add in your ginger slices, green onion slices, and onion slices and cook for about 1 or 2 minutes or until the things get fragrant and the vegetables become soft.
- Then you'll want to add in your noodles and stir fry for about 30 seconds.
- After that, add in your shaoxing wine, sesame oil, light and dark soy sauce, and the seared beef. Stir things around and cook for a minute or so. Then season with some salt and ground white pepper.
- Then add in your bean sprouts and stir things around until the bean sprouts become tender. This should take about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Did you try making my Beef Chow Fun / 干炒牛河? If so, how were they? I would love to hear all about it down in the comment section below or you can connect with my on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
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