Beef Chow Fun is a quick and easy Cantonese stir fry recipe with marinated beef and noodles. Simple and really tasty! The marinade doubles up as a stir-fry sauce that coats the noodles to perfection.
Now that really is a plate of brown food!
I like to add a couple of extra veggies to mine – yellow peppers and baby spinach. Aside from that, I stick to a traditional approach, relying on a flavour-packed marinade (which doubles up as a stir-fry sauce) to ensure the beef and noodles are so tasty, you might just stick to this one stir fry for the rest of your life!
Here’s what you’ll need to make Beef Chow Fun:
- Light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, minced ginger, garlic, sriracha and white pepper for the marinade/sauce. These flavours give a lovely combination of sweet, salty and spicy.
- Denver steak, cut against the grain for the stir fry. Denver steak is a great stir fry steak, as it’s juicy, tender and pretty inexpensive. I’ve listed a few alternatives further down the post if want to use another cut.
- Rice noodles – cooked for just a couple of minutes, these noodles are slightly chewy and absorb flavours brilliantly.
- Onion, yellow bell pepper, beansprouts, spring onions and spinach, for a bit of colour, crunch and sweetness.
- All finished off with some sliced fresh chilli and sesame seeds for garnish
What’s the best steak for stir fry?
- Denver steak: I love to use Denver steak – which comes from the front leg of the cow. It’s cut from a single muscle and is lightly marbled throughout. This means it’s a juicy and flavourful steak that stays tender after quick cooking over a high heat. Slice the steaks against the grain, and it will be tender, without being chewy.
- Sirloin steak: Cut from the upper middle of the cow, the top sirloin is extremely tender and juicy, but quite expensive. The bottom sirloin is a little less tender and therefore a little less expensive. Both the top and bottom sirloin is good for stir fry. If using the low sirloin, slice the meat more thinly, otherwise it may be a little chewy.
- Skirt steak or flank steak: both cuts from the underside of the cow, the skirt steak is from the middle underside (plate) and the flank is a little further back on the underside. Both cuts are flavourful and suitable for high heat cooking. They’re not as tender as denver or sirloin steak, so ideally you want to marinade them and slice them thinly across the grain before cooking.
Can I make it gluten free?
Yes! Ensure your rice noodles are gluten free (rice noodles should technically be gluten free, but some brands add wheat flour, so it’s a good idea to check your brand).
Replace the soy sauce with tamari and use gluten free oyster sauce.
Check your sriracha brand too, to ensure it’s gluten free (it usually is).
Can I use chicken instead?
Yes, you can use chicken or pork for this Beef Chow Fun stir-fry. Replace the amounts like-for-like and follow the recipe in the same way.
Can I make it ahead?
I recommend eating this stir-fry right away. Cooking ahead and reheating the stir fry can cause the noodles to stick together and the meat to be more chewy.
What other veggies could I add?
Add any other stir fry veg you like – broccoli, babycorn, carrot, bamboo shoots are all great additions.
Love a good stir fry? Try these stir fry recipes:
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Chicken Lo Mein
- Spicy Ginger Beef Stir Fry
- Quick Chicken Stir Fry
- Crispy Chilli Beef with Broccoli
- Sticky Chicken Stir Fry
The Beef Chow Fun Video:
The Beef Chow Fun Recipe:
Beef Chow Fun
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsps dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1 tbsp Sriracha or other chilli sauce (optional)
- ¼ tsp white pepper
Stir Fry:
- 1.1 lb (500g) Denver or skirt/flank steak, cut into strips (cut against the grain)
- 7 oz (200g) uncooked flat rice noodles
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ a white or brown onion peeled and sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper deseeded and sliced
- 2 cups (200g) fresh bean sprouts or 1 can of canned beansprouts, drained
- 4 spring onions /scallions, sliced into long, thin strips
- 2 cups (60g) fresh baby spinach leaves
To serve:
- 1 red chilli thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds (I use a mixture of black and white sesame seeds)
Instructions
- Mix all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl.
- Place the sliced beef in a second bowl and add one third of the marinade. Stir together and, cover and leave to marinate for 15-30 minutes. Cover the remaining sauce and put to one side.
- Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to pack instructions (usually boil for 5 mins), then drain in a colander and rinse in cold water until completely cold. Toss together with the 1 tsp of sesame oil and leave in the colander until needed.
- Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok until smoking. Scoop out half of the beef from the bowl and fry on high for 2-3 minutes until just cooked. Remove from the wok and place in clean bowl, then repeat with the remaining beef.
- Add the remaining ½ tbsp oil to the wok and fry the onions for 2 minutes.
- Add in the yellow pepper and cook for 1 minute, then add in the reserved marinade/sauce and bring to the boil.
- Add in the noodles and beansprouts and cook for 3-4 minutes- tossing the noodles every so often (carefully so as not to break them) - until completely heated through.
- Add in the beef and cook for a further minute.
- At the last minute, stir in the spring onions (scallions) and spinach.
- Divide between four plates and serve topped with chilli slices and sesame seeds.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Can I make it gluten free?
Yes! Ensure your rice noodles are gluten free (rice noodles should technically be gluten free, but some brands add wheat flour, so it's a good idea to check your brand).Replace the soy sauce with tamari and use gluten free oyster sauce.
Check your sriracha brand too, to ensure it's gluten free (it usually is).
Can I use chicken instead?
Yes, you can use chicken or pork for this stir-fry. Replace the amounts like-for-like and follow the recipe in the same way.Can I make it ahead?
I recommend eating this stir-fry right away. Cooking ahead and reheating the stir fry can cause the noodles to stick together and the meat to be more chewy.What other veggies could I add?
Add any other stir fry veg you like - broccoli, babycorn, carrot, bamboo shoots are all great additions. Nutritional Information is per serving.Nutritional Information
This recipe was first published in August 2015. Updated in November 2019 with new photos, tips and video.
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