Beef Chow Fun

Bachan’s beef chow fun is a fun Japanese-inspired take on a Chinese take out favorite. Full of tender wide rice noodles, seared beef, and vegetables, Bachan’s beef chow fun is going to be your new favorite go-to noodle dish.

What is beef chow fun?

Beef chow fun is a classic Cantonese stir-fried noodle dish consisting of wide rice noodles, beef, bean sprouts, and onions. It’s incredibly popular in Hong Kong as well all over the world in Chinese restaurants and take-out.

How is our version different?

This beef chow fun has a little bit of a Japanese twist thanks to Bachan’s Original Japanese Barbecue Sauce. The Bachan’s Original Japanese Barbecue Sauce adds a balanced and bright savory-sweet flavor profile that’s rich and satisfying.

Ingredients

thinly sliced beef - any sort of steak that you can slice thinly will work for beef chow fun, but the most commonly used cut is flank steak. To prepare the steak, cut it into thin strips, against the grain.

corn starch - a little bit of cornstarch to marinate the beef makes it soft and tender. The cornstarch and Bachan’s Original Japanese Barbecue Sauce combine together and clings to the surface of the beef, preventing it from overcooking and getting tough.

Bachan’s Original Japanese Barbecue Sauce - this is what’s going to give the beef chow fun all the flavor. The mix of traditionally brewed soy sauce, aged mirin, and organic rice vinegar combines together into a sweet and savory, umami-forward sauce with lots of depth and intensity. A bit of fresh green onion, ginger, and garlic added as aromatic notes ties everything together. Bachan’s Original Japanese Barbecue Sauce gives everything a leg up in taste and this beef chow fun is no exception.

dark soy sauce - this is an optional ingredient, but if you want your beef chow fun to look like Chinese take out, you’ll need to grab some dark soy sauce. Dark soy sauce, like the name implies, is a soy sauce that is darker than regular soy sauce. It’s slightly less salty and more robust tasting. It’s mainly used to give everything a deep burnished brown color. You can find dark soy sauce in most Asian grocery stores or online. If you opt out, the beef chow fun will be as delicious, just without the darker hue.

wide rice noodles - chewy rice noodles are the bulk of this dish. The easiest rice noodles to work with are the dried packaged noodles you can find in the Asian foods aisle of most grocery stores. Cook them according to the package directions and when they’re done, cool them down immediately in ice cold water to stop them from cooking and sticking together. You can leave them in the ice water bath until you’re ready to add them to the wok. Make sure to drain well before frying. More on these noodles below.

Beef chow fun noodles

The noodles found in beef chow fun are wide rice noodles. You can buy them fresh or dried. If you’re ambitious, you can even make them at home.

Dried rice noodles

The easiest rice noodles to find are dried. You’ll find them in the Asian aisle in well-stocked grocery stores. Otherwise, you can purchase them online. Rice noodles come in many different widths, the ones we’re looking for are about 1/2” wide or more. 

If you can’t find wide rice noodles, the ones used for pad thai or pho can be substituted. If you can’t find rice noodles at all and still have a craving, you can substitute in pappardelle or even tagliatelle. Pappardelle is made with wheat as opposed to rice, but the width of the noodles will mimic the mouth-feel of beef chow fun noodles.

Fresh rice noodles

In some larger Asian grocery stores, you can find fresh rice noodles in the fridges right next to all the other fresh noodles. They usually come packaged in a tray or a vacuum sealed bag. When you touch them, they should feel soft and yielding. Like dried rice noodles, fresh rice noodles come in a wide variety of widths. 

Fresh rice noodles are already cooked, so all you have to do before frying is loosen them up to separate the noodles. You can do this by warming them up a bit in the microwave. When they’re slightly cool, use your hands to separate the noodles. Alternatively, you can quickly blanch the noodles in boiling water until loose, then immediately place in an ice bath and drain.

How to make Bachan’s beef chow fun

1. Marinate - marinate thinly sliced beef with cornstarch and Bachan’s Japanese Barbecue sauce and set aside.

2. Make the sauce - in a small bowl, mix together Bachan’s Japanese Barbecue sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and a bit of water.

3. Prep the noodles - cook or soak the rice noodles according to the package. Rinse, drain, and set aside on a lightly oiled plate.

4. Sear the beef - heat a wok over high heat, then add a generous amount of oil. Add the beef to the hot wok, and cook until seared, stirring as needed. When done, scoop out and set aside.

5. Add the aromatics and noodles - turn down the heat, add a bit more oil to the wok and stir fry minced garlic and ginger for 30 seconds before adding the prepared noodles. Add the sauce mix and toss to coat evenly.

6. Stir fry - Add the onion, bean sprouts, green onions and seared beef and toss until combined and saucy.

Enjoy hot!