Chinese Beef Chow Fun

By
Liv Wan
Liv Wan
Liv Wan is a former professional chef who has published three cookbooks about Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine.
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Updated on 06/17/21
Beef chow fun recipe

​The Spruce / Cara Cormack

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Mari: 15 mins
Total: 35 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
363 Calories
19g Fat
10g Carbs
35g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 363
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 25%
Saturated Fat 5g 24%
Cholesterol 98mg 33%
Sodium 976mg 42%
Total Carbohydrate 10g 4%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 35g
Vitamin C 1mg 7%
Calcium 37mg 3%
Iron 2mg 13%
Potassium 497mg 11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This quick and easy beef chow fun is a take on a classic Cantonese dish that's hugely popular in restaurants. Traditional ingredients include beef, hor fun noodles, mung bean sprouts, onion, ginger, and spring onions. In this simplified recipe that's perfect for a busy weeknight dinner or simple stir-fry lunch, we use fresh baby corn instead. If you're in a pinch, you can swap in canned baby corn that's been a drain or whatever vegetables you have sitting in the fridge.

The star of the dish is the hor fun noodle—chewy, fresh wide rice noodles that soak up the flavor of the sauces. Another name for hor fun is shehe fen and it's believed to have been invented in the town of Shahe in Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton), a province Southern China. Other countries in Asia have noodles similar in shape and texture to hor fun — for example, kway teow in Malaysia and Singapore and ban tiao in Taiwan.

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Ingredients

For the Marinade:

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dark soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine, or dry sherry

  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch

  • 1 pound beef flank steak, sliced 1/4-inch thick across the grain

For the Noodles:

  • 8 ounces fresh baby corn

  • 2 garlic cloves

  • 1/2 pound fresh hor fun

  • 2 tablespoons oil

  • 1 tablespoon Chinese black bean sauce

  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce

  • Light soy sauce, to taste, optional

Steps to Make It

Note: While there are multiple steps to this recipe, the beef chow fun is broken down into workable categories to help you better plan for preparation and cooking.

Marinate the Beef

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for beef marinade
    ​​The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  2. In a large bowl, mix together the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch.

    Mix together light and dark soy sauce
    ​​The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  3. Add the beef strips and marinate for at least 15 minutes.

    Add beef strips
    ​​The Spruce / Cara Cormack

Prepare the Vegetables and Noodles

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for beef chow fun
    ​​The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  2. While the steak is marinating, prepare the baby corn (and any other vegetables you'll be using) by rinsing them in cold water, draining them, and slicing them in half.

    Chop corn
    ​​The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  3. Peel and mince the garlic.

    Peel and mince garlic
    ​​The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  4. If using refrigerated rice noodles, rinse them in warm water to loosen.

    Drain
    ​​The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  5. Cut the noodles into 1/2- to 3/4-inch strips.

    Cut strips
    ​​The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  6. Once the beef is done marinating, heat a wok or a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon of oil, and stir fry the beef until it browns.

    Heat a wok
    ​​The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  7. Stir in the black bean sauce and stir fry for another 30 seconds. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

    Stir in black bean sauce
    ​​The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  8. Clean the wok and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and stir fry until aromatic.

    Add garlic
    ​​The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  9. Add the hor fun and stir fry for 1 minute.

    Add hor fun
    ​​The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  10. Add the baby corn and quickly cook for another 30 seconds.

    Add baby corn
    ​​The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  11. Return the beef and any accumulated juices along with the oyster sauce into the wok and stir fry with the noodles for 1 or 2 minutes. Taste and If it’s not salty enough, you can add more light soy sauce or salt to adjust the seasonings.

    Add sauce
    ​​The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  12. Separate into individual plates or serve family-style like they do at your favorite Chinese restaurant.

    Serve on individual plates
    ​​The Spruce / Cara Cormack

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