Beef chow fun is simple and delicious: tender velveted beef and wide, fresh rice noodles, stir-fried over the fierce heat of a wok burner. That high heat is where much of the flavour comes from, giving the noodles the smoky, savoury edge known as wok hei, or the breath of the wok. The velveting keeps the beef silky and tender, and the wide fresh noodles are soft and chewy, so every mouthful has texture.
Ingredients
- Beef and marinade
- 300 g Bavette steak, sliced thinly across the grain
- 1 tbsp (15g) Light soy sauce
- 1 tsp (5g) Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp (4g) Granulated sugar
- 0.25 tsp (1.5g) Bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp (3g) Cornflour
- 1 tsp (4.5g) Neutral oil
- Noodles and vegetables
- 400 g Ho fun noodles, see notes
- 6 Spring onions, cut into 5cm lengths, white and green portions separated
- 100 g Bean sprouts
- Sauce
- 2 tbsp (30g) Light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp (18g) Dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp (12g) Oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp (15g) Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp (4g) Granulated sugar
- 0.5 tsp MSG
- 1 tbsp Water
- For cooking
- 30 g Neutral oil, split across cooking stages
Equipment
- Round bottom wok →
- Wok burner
- Wok spatula
- Prep bowls →
Slice the bavette thinly across the grain into strips. Combine with the light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, cornflour, and neutral oil and mix thoroughly until every strip is coated. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
Separate the fresh wide rice noodles — see the pro tip below. Mix the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, MSG, and water together in a bowl. Separate the spring onion whites from the greens. Get everything within reach of the wok before lighting the burner. See mise en place — this dish moves faster than almost any other once the heat is on.
Heat the wok until smoking. Add a good amount of neutral oil and swirl to coat. Add the marinated beef in a single layer and leave undisturbed for 20–30 seconds. Stir fry for a further 20 seconds until almost fully cooked, set aside.
Return the wok to maximum heat. Add another glug of neutral oil and the white spring onion sections and stir fry briefly for 15–20 seconds. Add the ho fun noodles and spread them across the wok surface. Leave undisturbed for 20–30 seconds to develop char, then toss gently. Repeat until the noodles have lightly charred edges.
Pour the sauce around the edge of the wok, not directly onto the noodles. Let it sizzle against the hot wok surface for a moment before tossing everything together to combine.
Return the beef to the wok. Add the bean sprouts and green spring onion sections and toss gently for 20–30 seconds until everything is combined and the bean sprouts are just warmed through and still crisp. Serve immediately.
Notes & Substitutions
Beef: Bavette is the ideal cut, it’s well-marbled, intensely flavoured, and tender when sliced thinly across the grain. Flank or skirt steak are the closest substitutes and behave almost identically. Sirloin or ribeye work well but you’re better off saving those for a dish where they’re cooked whole rather than sliced. Whatever you use, slice thinly and always across the grain. Slicing with the grain produces chewy, stringy strips that no amount of velveting will fix.
Noodles: Fresh wide rice noodles are essential, ho fun or sen Yai both work. If you can’t find wide noodles, use thinner ones rather than substituting for wide dry noodles as the texture of fresh rice noodles makes the dish. They are available in the fridge section of most Asian supermarkets. Dried wide rice noodles work as a substitute if you can’t find any fresh but need soaking and cooking before the wok and will not produce the same result. The fresh noodle’s texture and the way it chars against the wok are central to the dish.
Wok setup: This dish should ideally be cooked on an outdoor gas wok burner. The heat a domestic gas hob produces can work but won’t produce the same wok hei that defines chow fun. If cooking indoors, make sure you have good ventilation. See how to cook with a wok and the carbon steel wok guide for setup recommendations.
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Beef Chow Fun
COOKED
PROPERLY
Ingredients
- 300 g Bavette steak (sliced thinly across the grain)
- 1 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp Granulated sugar
- 0.25 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp Cornflour
- 1 tsp Neutral oil
- 400 g Ho fun noodles (see notes)
- 6 Spring onions (cut into 5cm lengths, white and green portions separated)
- 100 g Bean sprouts
- 2 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp Granulated sugar
- 0.5 tsp MSG
- 1 tbsp Water
- 30 g Neutral oil (split across cooking stages)
Equipment
- Round bottom wok
- Wok burner
- Wok spatula
- Prep bowls
Method
Marinate the beef
300 g Bavette steak · 1 tbsp Light soy sauce · 1 tsp Shaoxing wine · 1 tsp Granulated sugar · 0.25 tsp Bicarbonate of soda · 1 tsp Cornflour · 1 tsp Neutral oil
Slice the bavette thinly across the grain into strips. Combine with the light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, cornflour, and neutral oil and mix thoroughly until every strip is coated. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
Prepare the noodles and mise en place
2 tbsp Light soy sauce · 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce · 2 tsp Oyster sauce · 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine · 1 tsp Granulated sugar · 0.5 tsp MSG · 1 tbsp Water
Separate the fresh wide rice noodles — see the pro tip below. Mix the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, MSG, and water together in a bowl. Separate the spring onion whites from the greens. Get everything within reach of the wok before lighting the burner. See mise en place — this dish moves faster than almost any other once the heat is on.
Fresh rice noodles from an Asian supermarket fridge are often stuck together in a block. The easiest way to separate them without tearing is to microwave for around 60 seconds until they warm through and loosen. Then they should pull apart easily. Do not try to force them apart cold.
Sear the beef
30 g Neutral oil
Heat the wok until smoking. Add a good amount of neutral oil and swirl to coat. Add the marinated beef in a single layer and leave undisturbed for 20–30 seconds. Stir fry for a further 20 seconds until almost fully cooked, set aside.
Don’t overcrowd the wok with the beef. Cook in a single layer at maximum heat — crowding drops the temperature and the beef steams rather than sears. If needed, cook in batches.
Fry the noodles
400 g Ho fun noodles · 6 Spring onions · 30 g Neutral oil
Return the wok to maximum heat. Add another glug of neutral oil and the white spring onion sections and stir fry briefly for 15–20 seconds. Add the ho fun noodles and spread them across the wok surface. Leave undisturbed for 20–30 seconds to develop char, then toss gently. Repeat until the noodles have lightly charred edges.
Add the sauce
Pour the sauce around the edge of the wok, not directly onto the noodles. Let it sizzle against the hot wok surface for a moment before tossing everything together to combine.
Finish and serve
6 Spring onions · 100 g Bean sprouts
Return the beef to the wok. Add the bean sprouts and green spring onion sections and toss gently for 20–30 seconds until everything is combined and the bean sprouts are just warmed through and still crisp. Serve immediately.
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Equipment worth having
One bowl per ingredient. It sounds simple. It changes everything.
£25-£75
The wok costs £25. The heat underneath it is what you're really paying for.
£10-£25
One bowl per ingredient. It sounds simple. It changes everything.
£25-£75
The wok costs £25. The heat underneath it is what you're really paying for.
£10-£25
One bowl per ingredient. It sounds simple. It changes everything.
£25-£75
The wok costs £25. The heat underneath it is what you're really paying for.
£10-£25
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