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Beef chow fun
Gon chow ngau ho (乾炒牛河): Hong Kong dry-fried flat rice noodles with beef
Gon chow ngau ho is the test of a Cantonese wok cook, and Hong Kong diners judge a dai pai dong (open-air food stall) or late-night café by it. Wide fresh rice noodles are tossed over a fierce flame with tender, marinated beef, bean sprouts and spring onion in soy sauce until smoky and glossy but never greasy or broken. The beef marinade sometimes includes Shaoxing wine, which contains alcohol; this version uses none. Chef's tip: separate the noodles by hand before cooking and do not stir with a spatula; lift and toss them so they stay whole.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
For the beef
For the noodles
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 9 oz beef flank or rump steak with 1 tsp light soy sauce, ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1 tsp cornflour and 1 tsp vegetable oil. Leave for 15 minutes in the fridge; the bicarbonate makes it silky and tender.
15 minStep 2: If the 1 ⅛ lb fresh wide rice noodles (ho fun) are chilled and stiff, microwave them for 30–60 seconds, then gently pull the strands apart. Mix 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 ½ tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp oyster sauce in a cup.
3 minStep 3: Heat a wok over a very high heat until smoking, add 1 tbsp 1 tbsp vegetable oil and spread the beef in one layer. Sear for 1 minute, flip and cook 30 seconds until just browned. Lift out. Beef slices can be served pink inside.
2 minStep 4: Add the rest of the 2 tbsp vegetable oil, then ½ onion for 30 seconds. Add the noodles, spread them out and leave for 1 minute to char slightly. Pour over the sauce and toss with chopsticks or tongs by lifting, for 1–2 minutes, until evenly brown.
3 minStep 5: Add 5 ½ oz bean sprouts, 4 spring onions and the beef and toss for 1 minute more until the sprouts just wilt. A common mistake is overloading the wok; cook in two batches if your burner is small, or it will steam instead of fry.
1 minStep 6: Drizzle with 1 tsp sesame oil and serve at once.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 720 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 88 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does beef chow fun take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of light soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
- What can I use instead of bicarbonate of soda?
- Baking powder, three times the amount (the bake may taste slightly different).
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