Chinese home cooking

Beef Chow Fun

Name: Beef Chow Fun
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: beef, sliced; fresh wide rice noodles; mung bean sprouts; 3 stalks Chinese chives, cut into sections; a small half onion, thinly sliced; scallions, cut into sections; garlic, sliced; a little baking soda; 2 spoonfuls for marinade + 2 for stir-frying light soy sauce; as needed black pepper; as needed starch, type not specified; 1 spoonful dark soy sauce; 1 spoonful oyster sauce; a little salt; a little as needed cooking oil

干炒牛河 · Gān chǎo niú hé

The Chinese text gives tips for pan-frying wide rice noodles and tenderizing beef, but the complete beef chow fun method is missing.

Jump to Recipe ↓

Also known as Dry-Fried Beef Ho Fun · Gan Chao Niu He · Dry-fried beef rice noodles · Beef ho fun.

Published 2026-10-12

English adaptation and editing of authorized supplied recipes: Chinese Home Cooking.

Wide brown rice noodles with beef and green chives on a white plate. — Beef Chow Fun

Jump to Recipe ↓

About This Recipe

Beef chow fun combines fresh rice noodles with marinated beef, bean sprouts, onion and Chinese chives. This version briefly pan-fries the noodles before setting them aside, cooks the beef separately, then brings everything together with the vegetables and sauces.

Ingredients

Quantities are included where specified in the original recipe.

beef, sliced
fresh wide rice noodles
mung bean sprouts
3 stalksChinese chives, cut into sections
a small halfonion, thinly sliced
scallions, cut into sections
garlic, sliced
a littlebaking soda
2 spoonfuls for marinade + 2 for stir-fryinglight soy sauce
as neededblack pepper
as neededstarch, type not specified
1 spoonfuldark soy sauce
1 spoonfuloyster sauce
a littlesalt
a little as neededcooking oil

Spoonfuls retain the Chinese recipe measures 勺/匙. Small and large spoonfuls retain 小勺 and 大勺; their volume is unspecified and is not converted to teaspoons or tablespoons.

Ingredient Notes

Pan-fry the noodles with a little oil over medium heat without stirring them, then gently toss the pan and set the noodles aside.
The source suggests a little baking soda for tenderizing beef and says to remove the beef promptly after stir-frying.
The source recommends a nonstick pan for beginners.

Step-by-Step Instructions

01
Mix the sliced beef with a little baking soda, 2 spoonfuls of light soy sauce, black pepper and starch. Marinate for 10 minutes. Prepare the bean sprouts, Chinese chives, sliced onion, scallions and garlic.
02
Heat a little oil in a pan. Add the fresh rice noodles and briefly pan-fry both sides over medium heat without repeatedly stirring them. Toss the pan a couple of times and transfer the noodles to a plate.
03
Stir-fry the beef until it changes color, then transfer it to a plate.
04
Heat oil in a clean pan or wok. Add scallions and garlic and cook until fragrant, then add the bean sprouts and onion. Stir-fry until just cooked.
05
Return the noodles and beef to the pan. Add another 2 spoonfuls of light soy sauce, 1 spoonful of dark soy sauce, 1 spoonful of oyster sauce and a little salt. Toss evenly, then finish with the Chinese chives.

Illustrated Cooking Guide

Open an illustration to view it full size and zoom on your phone.

English-captioned photographs showing ingredient preparation and cooking for Beef Chow Fun. — Cooking illustration 1 · Open full size ↗

Original Chinese-captioned photographs showing the source preparation and cooking method for Beef Chow Fun. — Cooking illustration 4 · Open full size ↗

Cooking Method

Stir-Fry ↗

FAQ

How are the rice noodles handled before the final stir-fry?

Pan-fry the fresh rice noodles briefly on both sides over medium heat without repeatedly stirring them. Gently toss the pan and transfer the noodles to a plate before cooking the beef and vegetables.

What pan does the supplied recipe recommend for beginners?

The supplied notes recommend a nonstick pan for beginners. Use the stated medium heat for the noodle preparation stage.

Recipe card

Beef Chow Fun

The Chinese text gives tips for pan-frying wide rice noodles and tenderizing beef, but the complete beef chow fun method is missing.

Ingredients

beef, sliced
fresh wide rice noodles
mung bean sprouts
3 stalksChinese chives, cut into sections
a small halfonion, thinly sliced
scallions, cut into sections
garlic, sliced
a littlebaking soda
2 spoonfuls for marinade + 2 for stir-fryinglight soy sauce
as neededblack pepper
as neededstarch, type not specified
1 spoonfuldark soy sauce
1 spoonfuloyster sauce
a littlesalt
a little as neededcooking oil

Spoonfuls retain the Chinese recipe measures 勺/匙. Small and large spoonfuls retain 小勺 and 大勺; their volume is unspecified and is not converted to teaspoons or tablespoons.

Method

01
Mix the sliced beef with a little baking soda, 2 spoonfuls of light soy sauce, black pepper and starch. Marinate for 10 minutes. Prepare the bean sprouts, Chinese chives, sliced onion, scallions and garlic.
02
Heat a little oil in a pan. Add the fresh rice noodles and briefly pan-fry both sides over medium heat without repeatedly stirring them. Toss the pan a couple of times and transfer the noodles to a plate.
03
Stir-fry the beef until it changes color, then transfer it to a plate.
04
Heat oil in a clean pan or wok. Add scallions and garlic and cook until fragrant, then add the bean sprouts and onion. Stir-fry until just cooked.
05
Return the noodles and beef to the pan. Add another 2 spoonfuls of light soy sauce, 1 spoonful of dark soy sauce, 1 spoonful of oyster sauce and a little salt. Toss evenly, then finish with the Chinese chives.