Beef Chow Fun is a staple Cantonese dish that has tender stir-fried beef, wide chow fun noodles and vegetables. This delicious easy Chinese food recipe will come together in no time at all! Skip the take out and try cooking Chinese food at home!
November 1st will mark the end of our first year here in Wisconsin. Although it’s only been a year, it feels like a lot longer. Moving to the midwest right before our crazy long winter last year got me and kept me in the kitchen cooking… just to keep busy.
Shortly after the move, we quickly discovered that there are hardly any options for good Asian food here. I’m not complaining though… at least we have an Asian market and a Korean market, so I’m happy!!
Beef Chow Fun with Boneless Short Rib
And that trip to Asian Midway Foods on Park Street made this dish possible. Now, if I can find the ingredients for this here in Madison, Wisconsin at my tiny little Asian market, you can too. And, I was pleasantly surprised that my little Asian market had fresh chow fun noodles!! However, if you can’t find fresh, simply buy dry noodles.
What are chow fun noodles?
Chow fun noodles are wide, flat rice noodles. Unlike chow mein noodles, which are usually served crispy and on the side, chow fun noodles are typically wet and served along with the beef.
I’ve said this before but cooking Chinese food (or any Asian food) at home is so much better. You know exactly what’s going inside and you can tweak things to your preference.
Now, cooking beef chow fun at home isn’t going to be faster than ordering take-out, but it’s so worth it.
I have to say I am very pleased with how this Beef Chow Fun turned out. This Cantonese dish is very popular. Aside from the short ribs, there are chow fun noodles, known as hefen (wide rice noodles) and bean sprouts. It’s commonly found in yum cha restaurants in Guangdong and Hong Kong.
Also, you get to say CHOW FUN. How fun is that?! I’m all about using what you have at home so I threw in lots of Chinese cabbage and some bok choy, along with my bean sprouts. LOVED this. loved this. And once you have your veggies and beef cut up, it all comes together pretty quickly! I really hope you give this easy Chinese food recipe a try!
Enjoy!
Beef Chow Fun
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil divided
- 8 oz boneless beef short rib sliced into about 1 or 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh ginger minced
- 1 to 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 4 scallions or green onions split in half lengthwise and cut into 3 inch pieces
- 2 to 3 cups bok choy chopped
- 1 to 2 cups Chinese cabbage chopped
- 12 oz. fresh flat rice noodles * if purchasing fresh noodles, separate the noodles as much as possible before adding in
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine Chinese rice wine
- 4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 pinch granulated sugar
- salt and pepper to taste (if desired)
- 2 cups fresh mung bean sprouts
Instructions
- Using a large wok or skillet over high heat, pour in 1 tablespoon of sesame oil to coat the wok. Add the beef short rib and cook until browned. Remove the cooked meat from the wok and set aside.
- Turn the heat down to medium-high and add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil to the wok, add the ginger and the minced garlic and let cook for about 15 to 30 seconds, then add the scallions. Mix and let cook for a minute or two and then add in the bok choy and Chinese cabbage and mix well, stir frying everything for about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat up to high and add in the flat rice noodles. Pour the shaoxing wine around the rim of the wok and add the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil, soy sauce, pinch of sugar, and season with a bit of salt and pepper to taste if desired (Taste the noodles before adding salt. Alternatively, you can skip the salt and pepper and add a touch more soy sauce if needed), mixing and combining everything really well. Lastly, add the cooked beef and bean sprouts, mixing everything really well for a few minutes, ensuring the noodles, veggies and beef are nicely coated with the sauce. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Adapted from The Woks of Life
Those big flat rice noodles are my favorites!! I need to go to the Asian markets in NYC more often…there are so many goodies I’m sure I need to try!
Oooh, yummy, I bet this would be good with zucchini noodles too!
I can’t wait to make this and tell my hubby we’re having Beef Chow Fun for dinner ;))). Winter suits you well – this dish looks amazinggg!
One year? Feels like you’ve gone there for such a long time. Totally feel you when it comes to Asian market. Nom nom…love chow fun, whether it’s fried or boiled. This used to be one of our ’emergency’ breakfast when we were little. That sounds like too much for breakfast but school starts at 7 and recess at 9.30, so gotta eat heavy breakfast once in a while 🙂
This dish looks amazing. And I agree, homemade is so much better! Chow fun!
I absolutely can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thank you so much for the visit, Kristen!! 🙂 I hope you do try it! 🙂
Alice, this is hands down one of my favourite noodle dishes! I rarely make it at home because it doesn’t have the same “wok hay” (that delicious sumpin’ sumpin’ that the smokin’ hot woks in restaurants impart into the noodles) but you’re right about home-cooked being healthier because you know what’s going in it (namely not a cup of oil and tons of MSG). Your version looks delicious! It’s almost lunchtime so I’m drooling looking at your photos. I can’t believe you’ve been in Madison a year now. It was just like yesterday that we were at IFBC together and I met up with you and the girls briefly in Vancouver before you moved. It’s crazy!
Oh Alice, this CHOW FUN looks amazing! The flavors are spot on 🙂 Yay, that’s awesome that the Asian market close to you has fresh rice noodles, we moved to a smaller town 2 years ago and the Asian market closest to our house doesn’t always carry the fresh noodles so we usually have to drive another 30 minutes to the next one. I love the different veggies you added in here and am totally drooling over this plate of noodles – yum! 🙂
I love beef chow fun — and the name is fun! 🙂 I really need to cook more Asian inspired meals at home because they’re always a hit and they are pretty simple to put together. Thank you for the inspiration…pinning!
Alice, I need a huge bowl of this immediately! Talk about comfort food in all the best ways. I can’t wait to hit up Chicago’s Hmart, though I’m super glad there are good Korean grocers in Ann Arbor. Happy one year Wisconsin anniversary!
I can’t wait to make this Alice, will be a huge hit in our home for sure!
Let me know if you do, Matt!! 🙂 Thank you!
oh wow, looks delicious! I love Asian food especially beef chow!
Michael 🙂
http://instagram.com/michaelswoodcraft/
I simply adore these flat noodles.. love everything about the dish… Can’t wait to try this recipe!! 🙂
This is one of my favorite dishes and of course homemade is definitely less oily than the restaurant option. And I have to argue that ordering takeout (either delivery or pick-up) takes about the same amount of time (if not longer if you’re not in NYC) as cooking the dish! I constantly have to remind myself of that fact…last night I had to wait 45 minutes for delivery!! (guilty!)
Making Chinese has always intimidated me because of the hard to find ingredients, but since I moved out of the midwest and closer to a big city, I don’t have an excuse anymore. It looks delicious!
Hi Alice! I can’t wait to try this recipe next week! If I use the dry version of the noodle do I cook it first in water?
I’m so with you! We just moved to the Midwest, and i’m still not over that terrible winter we had. And they keep saying this year is going to be worse! Ugh! At least we have cooking 🙂
Now I am officially on the hunt for wide rice noodles (ideally fresh ones!) – this chow fun looks so amazing! Have you ever made your own rice noodles? I haven’t, but I wonder if it’s as easy as fresh egg pasta. Thanks for the inspiration!!
Yes!!! This is my jam right here. I looooooooove all Asian food, but this in particular is one of my absolute favorites!
I hear you with lack of any decent Asian foods in WI. But these noodles look wonderful. I’m sure its better than any restaurant anyways. There is very large Asian grocery store in Milwaukee off 27th that has over 4 aisles of dried noodles. There’s also a Vietnamese place with the best Pho.
I would like someone to come to my apartment and cook this for me, please! This looks so delicious!!!
I LOOOVVVVEEE everything about this recipe, Alice! Totally adding it to my to-do list! Pinned!
Chow Fun is so fun! I love when I can easily find ingredients for my favorite meals. I know I would love this one. In fact, I wish I had it for dinner tonight!
My kids would love to say Chow Fun and I think they’d love to eat it too!! We have a great grocery store with lots of Asian foods. So delicious!
Love this recipe title! It looks amazing!
I love Beef Chow Fun! Your’s looks amazing and now you have me craving some. It’s been way to long since I made it – I clearly need to fix that!
Alice, I adore chow fun dishes, and yours looks scrumptious! My uncle who lives in the islands taught me how to make a similar dish using chow fun and pork char siu purchased in Honolulu’s Chinese district. Pinning this gem.
Girl this seriously looks unreal. Like I can’t even stand how good this looks. I need a plate asap.