Beef chow fun is Cantonese street food at its best — greasy, smoky, fast, and bold. Wide rice noodles, slippery and soft, are seared in a wok over blistering heat with beef, soy, and sprouts. The magic is wok hei — that elusive “breath of the wok” — a charred, smoky flavor you can’t fake with a pan on low heat. If you nail it, the dish sings. If you don’t, it sulks into a pile of unimpressive noodles.

This isn’t food for people who like things neat. It’s messy, oily, and alive. A dish born from speed and heat — the kind of thing Anthony Bourdain would slurp at 3 a.m. after too many beers in Kowloon.

On The Table

But before the dish even reaches the table, there’s the theatre of cooking it. The wok sears under fierce heat, oil spitting, beef hitting the pan with a sizzle that perfumes the kitchen instantly. Soy, garlic, and oyster sauce rise in a wave of steam, carrying the unmistakable scent of wok hei — smoky, charred, intoxicating. It’s the kind of fragrance that makes you hungry before the first bite, that draws people toward the kitchen as if pulled by a thread.

Now imagine this steaming platter at your table: silky, wide rice noodles tangled with tender slices of marinated beef, bean sprouts adding crunch, scallions curling like ribbons. The sauce glazes everything in a deep soy sheen.


Using chopsticks or fork you lift a bite, steam rising, the aroma of soy, sesame, and garlic wrapping around you like velvet. It’s a simple stir-fry, yet feels luxurious.

The Recipe

Ingredients (serves 4)

- 12 oz fresh wide rice noodles (hor fun/shahe fen)
- 8 oz flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce (light)
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups bean sprouts
- 3 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Pinch of white pepper

Marinade for beef

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)

For for sauce

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar

For the Sir fry

• 14 oz fresh wide rice noodles (hor fun/ho fun)
• ½ medium onion, sliced
• 2 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 2–3 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. peanut, avocado)
• Optional: garlic chives or a splash of water if noodles stick

🔥 Instructions

1. Marinate the beef: Mix beef with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, sesame oil, and white pepper. Set aside for 20 minutes.
2. Prepare the sauce: Mix light soy, dark soy, oyster sauce, and sugar in a small bowl.
3. Separate the noodles if using fresh ho fun — gently pull apart and loosen.
4. Heat a wok or large nonstick skillet until smoking hot. Add 1 tablespoon oil and sear beef quickly until just browned. Remove and set aside.
5. Add more oil, then stir-fry onion for 30 seconds. Add noodles and gently toss until slightly charred.
6. Add beef back in, pour in the sauce, and toss to coat evenly.
7. Add bean sprouts and scallions, stir-fry briefly (30 seconds max) to retain crunch.
8. Serve immediately with chili oil or soy sauce on the side.

Suggested Table Itinerary

- Starter: Cantonese wonton soup
- Main: Beef chow fun, served family-style
- Side: Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce
- Drink: Cold Tsingtao beer or jasmine tea

Beef Chow Fun (干炒牛河): Cantonese Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Beef

Sam

What Is Beef Chow Fun (干炒牛河)? Beef Chow Fun is a beloved Cantonese noodle stir-fry featuring wide rice noodles (ho fun), marinated beef, and bean sprouts tossed in a scorching hot wok for that irresistible wok hei (“breath of the wok”). It’s simple, smoky, and deeply satisfying — a true test of a wok cook’s skill.

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Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Ingredients

  

Ingredients (Serves 2–3)

For the Beef Marinade:

• 8 oz flank steak or sirloin thinly sliced against the grain
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
• ½ teaspoon cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• Pinch of white pepper

For the Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Stir-Fry:

• 14 oz fresh wide rice noodles hor fun/ho fun
• ½ medium onion sliced
• 2 scallions cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 2 –3 tablespoon neutral oil e.g. peanut, avocado
• Optional: garlic chives or a splash of water if noodles stick

Instructions

 

Instructions

• Marinate the beef: Mix beef with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, sesame oil, and white pepper. Set aside for 20 minutes.
• Prepare the sauce: Mix light soy, dark soy, oyster sauce, and sugar in a small bowl.
• Separate the noodles if using fresh ho fun — gently pull apart and loosen.
• Heat a wok or large nonstick skillet until smoking hot. Add 1 tablespoon oil and sear beef quickly until just browned. Remove and set aside.
• Add more oil, then stir-fry onion for 30 seconds. Add noodles and gently toss until slightly charred.
• Add beef back in, pour in the sauce, and toss to coat evenly.
• Add bean sprouts and scallions, stir-fry briefly (30 seconds max) to retain crunch.
• Serve immediately with chili oil or soy sauce on the side.

Notes

Serving Suggestions
Best served hot, straight from the wok

Garnish with chili crisp, sesame seeds, or extra scallions

Pair with Chinese broccoli (gai lan) or a cold sesame cucumber salad

💡 Recipe Tips
Use high heat and a large wok/skillet for proper stir-fry action

Don’t overcrowd — fry in batches if needed

Use day-old refrigerated rice noodles if fresh ones aren’t available

Want to level it up? Add a splash of XO sauce or a fried egg on top

🌍 Cultural Context
Beef Chow Fun is a signature dish in Hong Kong cha chaan tengs (tea cafés) and Cantonese restaurants worldwide. Its minimal ingredient list means the focus is on technique — especially capturing the elusive wok hei, that smoky, seared aroma you only get from a hot wok.

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Chef’s Notes

• - Use fresh wide rice noodles if possible — dry ones lack the same chew.
• - Don’t overcrowd the wok — high heat and space are key to wok hei.
• - Dark soy gives color, light soy gives seasoning — don’t skip one.
• - Serve immediately; chow fun waits for no one.

🍜 Serving Suggestions

• Best served hot, straight from the wok
• Garnish with chili crisp, sesame seeds, or extra scallions
• Pair with Chinese broccoli (gai lan) or a cold sesame cucumber salad

💡 Recipe Tips

• Use high heat and a large wok/skillet for proper stir-fry action
• Don’t overcrowd — fry in batches if needed
• Use day-old refrigerated rice noodles if fresh ones aren’t available
• Want to level it up? Add a splash of XO sauce or a fried egg on top

🌍 Cultural Context

Beef Chow Fun is a signature dish in Hong Kong cha chaan tengs (tea cafés) and Cantonese restaurants worldwide. Its minimal ingredient list means the focus is on technique — especially capturing the elusive wok hei, that smoky, seared aroma you only get from a hot wok.