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This Beef Chow Fun is surprisingly easy to make at home in under 30 minutes. It’s loaded with extra-wide ho fun rice noodles, tender beef slices and flavorful vegetables. Then it’s all tossed in a delicious homemade chow fun sauce that tastes like it came from your favorite Chinese restaurant!

Beef chow fun noodles in a wok after being prepared showing tender strips of beef and fresh green onions for garnish

What is chow fun?

Chow fun is a staple Cantonese noodle stir-fry dish and a popular menu item in many Chinese restaurants. Also called chow ho fun, it’s made with fat rice noodles (ho fun noodles), some type of protein (mostly beef, but sometimes chicken or shrimp is used), a few light veggies such as bean sprouts.

The ingredients are sautéed together and tossed in a flavorful sweet and savory chow fun sauce. This beef chow fun recipe uses common ingredients that you can easily source at your local grocery store to produce true authentic flavors. It’s easy to make in a regular skillet if you don’t have a wok.

Freshly made chow fun on a serving plate

Beef chow fun ingredients

Chow fun noodles: These extra-wide rice noodles are typically used for an authentic taste and look. It’s fine if yours are narrower so long as they’re not the thin rice vermicelli noodles used for Singapore Chow Mei Fun or the wheat noodles used for Chow Mein. When buying chow fun noodles, note that they can be labeled as Ho Fun, He Fen or Hor Fun. You’ll need to soften them before cooking by soaking/boiling until al dente according to the package instructions. They’ll cook further during stir-frying with other ingredients.

Strips of beef marinating in a soy sauce mixture in a bowl

Protein: Beef is traditionally used in chow fun recipes with flank steak as the preferred cut. You’ll need to marinate it briefly for the tender texture. You can also substitute chicken or shrimp.

Veggies: I went classic and used fresh bean sprouts only, but feel free to add other vegetables such as broccoli, bok choy or carrots.

Chow fun sauce: Authentic chow fun noodle sauce is made of light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking wine and sugar. The dark soy sauce is thicker and used mainly to add a dark brown color to the dish. If you don’t have one of them, just replace with regular soy sauce. For the cooking wine, you can use Shaoxing wine if you have one, but dry sherry works well too. To make the noodle sauce, simply whisk all of the sauce ingredients together until combined.

Beef strips after being sautéed in a hot skillet

How to make beef chow fun

Once you start stir-frying, this recipe actually goes really fast. Therefore, it’s important to prepare the noodles, protein, veggies and sauce ahead of time. Here’s how to make this recipe:

  • Marinate the beef: Cut the flank steak against grain into thin slices. Marinate in cornstarch, cooking wine and soy sauce mixture for 20- 30 minutes.
  • Soften the noodles: Boil or soak the noodles according to instructions from the package. Make sure to prepare them to al-dente texture. Then drain, rinse with cold water, and toss with oil to prevent them from sticking.
  • Make the sauce: Mix together light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking wine and sugar.
  • Cook the beef: Heat the oil in a wok or skillet. Sauté the beef on high heat until it’s cooked through.
  • Stir-fry vegetables: Add bean sprouts and green onions and sauté for about 1 minute.
  • Put it all together: Add in noodles and sauce and toss everything together. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

Freshly made beef chow fun in a wok

Tips for making chow fun

  • Always cut the beef thinly against the grain for maximum tenderness. You may find it easier to slice if the beef is frozen for 30 minutes beforehand.
  • Dark soy sauce will help darken the noodles for an authentic look, but you can easily substitute regular soy sauce.
  • To make healthier chow fun: Try using brown rice noodles instead of white rice noodles; you can also substitute honey for sugar, use low-sodium soy sauce and add more vegetables such as broccoli and carrots.

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Chopsticks picking up fat noodles with beef and green onions from a serving plate

This amazing Beef Chow Fun is surprisingly easy to make at home in under 30 minutes. It’s loaded with extra wide ho fun rice noodles, tender beef slices and flavorful vegetables, all tossed in a delicious homemade chow fun sauce that tastes like it came from your favorite Chinese restaurant.
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5 from 2 votes

Beef Chow Fun

An easy Chinese main dish you can make at home in under 30 minutes. It’s loaded with extra wide ho fun rice noodles, tender beef slices and flavorful vegetables, all tossed in a delicious homemade chow fun sauce.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients 

Beef Marinade

  • 1 pound flank steak, or skirt steak (454g)
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons cooking wine, Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Rice Noodles

  • 10 oz fat rice noodles, (280g dried noodles*)
  • water, for boiling or soaking
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, for tossing to prevent sticking

Sauce

  • 1/4 cup light soy sauce, low-sodium recommended
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, (This gives a darker brown color, but you can substitute regular soy sauce.)
  • 2 tablespoons cooking wine, Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
  • 2 teaspoons sugar

Stir-fry Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic, I used 3 cloves of garlic
  • 2 teaspoons minced ginger
  • 1 cup bean sprouts
  • 7-8 green onions, cut into 1.5-inch long pieces
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil, optional

Instructions 

  • Marinate the beef: Cut the flank steak against the grain into 1/8-inch thin slices and transfer to a medium bowl. Mix together cornstarch, cooking wine and soy sauce and add to the bowl. Toss until the beef is coated evenly with a thin layer of the marinade. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes at room temperature.
  • Soften the noodles: Meanwhile, boil or soak the noodles to al dente according to package instructions. Then drain the noodles and rinse with cold water to halt the cooking process. Toss with 1 tablespoon of oil to prevent them from sticking.
  • Make the sauce: Whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl until completely combined. Set aside.
  • Cook the beef: Heat the oil in a wok or skillet. Sauté the beef on high heat until it’s cooked through.
  • Stir-fry vegetables: Add bean sprouts and green onions and sauté for about 1 minute.
  • Put it all together: Add in noodles and sauce and toss everything together. Cook for 1-2 minutes and serve.
Nutrition Facts
Beef Chow Fun
Serving Size
 
6 oz
Amount per Serving
Calories
577
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
18
g
28
%
Saturated Fat
 
11
g
55
%
Cholesterol
 
68
mg
23
%
Sodium
 
1775
mg
74
%
Potassium
 
569
mg
16
%
Carbohydrates
 
69
g
23
%
Fiber
 
2
g
8
%
Sugar
 
4
g
4
%
Net Carbs
 
67
g
134
%
Protein
 
31
g
62
%
Vitamin A
 
209
IU
4
%
Vitamin C
 
8
mg
10
%
Calcium
 
62
mg
6
%
Iron
 
4
mg
22
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Please read our nutrition disclaimer.

Author: TipBuzz
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: beef chow fun, chow fun
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below!

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This Beef Chow Fun is surprisingly easy to make at home in under 30 minutes. It’s loaded with extra-wide ho fun rice noodles, tender beef slices and flavorful vegetables. Then it's all tossed in a delicious homemade chow fun sauce that tastes like it came from your favorite Chinese restaurant!