Beef Chow Fun (Stir‑fried Wide Rice Noodles)
Charred, silky wide rice noodles tossed with tender marinated flank steak, bean sprouts and spring onions in a savoury soy‑oyster sauce.
Chow fun is all about texture: silky, slightly charred wide rice noodles with tender, quick‑fried slices of beef. This Cantonese‑style stir‑fry is a weeknight superstar — fast once the prep is done and utterly moreish.
Use fresh wide rice noodles if you can; they take the sauce and char in a way dried ones can’t. Marinating the steak and using a very hot wok are the two tricks that make this taste like takeaway rather than a soggy stir‑fry.
Ingredients
- 600 g fresh wide rice noodles — If using purchased fresh sheets, separate gently into strips; if using dried, soak according to packet and drain well.
- 400 g flank steak — Trim fat and slice very thinly across the grain.
- 15 ml cornflour — For the marinade
- 15 ml Shaoxing wine — Or dry sherry if unavailable
- 45 ml light soy sauce — Use 1 tbsp in the marinade, remainder for the sauce
- 15 ml dark soy sauce — For colour and depth
- 30 ml oyster sauce
- 5 ml sesame oil — To finish
- 45 ml vegetable oil — For high‑heat frying
- 5 ml sugar
- 3 cloves garlic — Crushed or finely chopped
- 15 ml ginger — Finely grated
- 1 brown onion — Small, thinly sliced
- 150 g bean sprouts — Rinsed and drained
- 4 spring onions — Trimmed and cut into 4 cm lengths
- 50 ml water — Cold — to loosen the sauce
- 0 ml white pepper
- 5 ml salt — Adjust to taste
- 10 g fresh coriander — Small handful, roughly chopped, optional garnish
Equipment
- wok or large frying pan
- wide spatula or tongs
Instructions
Slice the flank steak very thinly across the grain — aim for roughly 2–3 mm slices. Put the slices in a bowl and toss with the cornflour, Shaoxing wine, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
While the beef marinates, gently separate the fresh wide rice noodles so they are in loose ribbons. If they’re stuck together, peel apart with wet fingers or run briefly under cold water and drain well.
Make the sauce: in a small bowl mix the remaining light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and water until smooth.
Heat a wok or very large frying pan over a high hob until smoking hot. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil, spread it around, then add a single layer of the marinated steak and stir‑fry in batches until just browned at the edges — about 60–90 seconds per batch. Remove each batch to a plate (it will finish cooking later).
Add the remaining 2 tbsp vegetable oil to the hot wok. Stir in the brown onion and fry for 90 seconds until starting to soften, then add the garlic and ginger and fry for 30 seconds until aromatic.
Add the separated fresh wide rice noodles to the wok. Pour over the prepared sauce and toss gently but quickly so the noodles absorb the sauce and pick up a little char — 2–3 minutes. Use a fish slice or tongs to turn the noodles rather than stirring harshly.
Add the bean sprouts and spring onions, return the seared beef to the wok and toss everything together for 60 seconds so the beef finishes cooking and the sprouts stay crisp. Taste and add salt if needed.
Remove from the heat, drizzle the sesame oil over the noodles, scatter over the fresh coriander and serve immediately.
Tips
- Slice the steak across the grain and chill briefly before slicing if the meat is soft — thin slices = tender bites.
- If fresh noodles are stuck, briefly run them under cold water and then warm them in the wok; never force them apart or they’ll tear.
- Work quickly over a very high hob and in small batches when searing the beef to get that sought‑after char without stewing.
- Keep bean sprouts and spring onions to the end so they stay crisp and bright.
- Leftovers reheat well in a hot frying pan for a few minutes; add a splash of water if the noodles seem dry.
Substitutions
flank steak → skirt steak or rib‑eye, same quantity
Stays closefresh wide rice noodles → dried wide rice noodles soaked according to packet instructions, drain well
Noticeably differentoyster sauce → 1 tbsp hoisin sauce + 1 tbsp soy, same quantities
Noticeably differentlight soy sauce → tamari for a gluten‑free option (note: recipe otherwise contains wheat unless other sauces are gluten‑free)
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 510
- Calories
- 25 g
- Protein
- 50 g
- Carbs
- 23 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 1100 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make chow fun vegetarian?
Yes — swap the flank steak for thick slices of tofu pressed and pan‑fried, or use a mix of chestnut mushrooms and extra bean sprouts; replace oyster sauce with vegetarian oyster sauce or a hoisin/soy mix.
My noodles fall apart — what did I do wrong?
Most likely the heat was too low or you over‑handled them. Use high heat, separate them gently before frying and turn with a wide spatula rather than stirring aggressively.
Can I use dried rice noodles?
You can, but the texture is different. Soak dried wide rice noodles according to the packet until just pliable, drain thoroughly and treat them the same in the recipe; expect less silkiness and less char.
How do I get a takeaway‑style char on the noodles?
Get the wok very hot and don’t overcrowd. Toss the noodles in the hot surface in short bursts — the contact with heat gives that desirable char.
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