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How to Make Beef Hor Fun with Plenty of Wok Aroma 干炒牛河

Fried beef hor fun 干炒牛河 is a popular dish in Asian cafés and casual restaurants. It involves simple yet distinctive ingredients and is quick and easy to prepare. While it may appear straightforward, proper cooking is essential for achieving the desired wok aroma and ensuring the beef slices are smooth and tender.

There are limitations when I try to make it at home, especially if I don’t have a cast iron wok and a high-powered stove. Fortunately, I have both, which are essential for achieving results that closely resemble what I enjoy at Chinese restaurants.

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Beef Hor Fun recipe
  • Hor Fun. The noodles used for this dish are known as 河粉 (hor fun). These rice noodles originate from southern China and are ideal for stir-frying at high temperatures, a crucial step to creating that signature wok aroma. They develop a slight char that adds a rich flavor that is difficult to replicate as they cook. The fresh rice noodles I buy from the market are sold in a sealed plastic bag, expiring about one week. There are two main types of hor fun: the first is typically used for soup noodles, while the second type, which I’m using today, is broader and often preferred for stir-frying. Although both types can be used interchangeably, the wider variety is more popular for stir-frying, so that’s the one I’ll go with.
  • Beef. In Western cuisines, beef is generally served in large cuts, whereas in Chinese cooking, it is normally sliced thin for stir-frying. The beef is cut into thin slices and marinated with traditional Cantonese seasonings. The best choices are sirloin or flank steak, but if those cuts are too pricey, you can use a more affordable cut and tenderize it with baking soda. I have a separate article detailing how to tenderize beef with baking soda. Please check that article for the details.
  • Other fresh ingredients. Other commonly used vegetables in this recipe include green onions (spring onions), chive flowers, and yellow chives (韭黄). While I could find green onions and chives, yellow chives are unavailable in my area. As a result, I decided to substitute them with more bean sprouts and some sliced onions. If you have yellow chives, I highly recommend including them, as they are one of the most essential ingredients for the traditional Hong Kong-style beef Hor Fun. Also, I added a few slices of fresh ginger to enhance the flavor.
  • Seasonings. For the beef, I marinate it in light soy sauce, salt, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. After that, I coat the beef slices with egg white, cornflour, and vegetable oil before stir-frying. While stir-frying, I also incorporate dark soy sauce and Chinese wine for added flavor. Although I didn’t include it this time, oyster sauce is another excellent ingredient to consider.
beef hor fun ingredients

Here are the detailed steps on how to prepare Hong Kong-style beef noodles.

1. First, cut the beef into thin slices. It is best to use good quality beef and cut across the grain. To make it easier to slice thinly, place the beef in the freezer for a short while until it is firm but not frozen solid.

slice the beef thinly

2. Marinate the beef with light soy sauce, salt, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. Next, coat the beef slices with egg white, cornstarch, and vegetable oil. Set aside to marinate for at least 15 minutes before frying.

marinate the beef

3. Pan-fry the beef on one side until it changes color and becomes slightly brown. Flip the beef slices over and continue pan-frying the other side. Remove the beef from the pan and set it aside. Take care not to overcook the meat; aim for it to be around 80% cooked since it will be stir-fried with the Hor Fun later. You can use either a nonstick pan or a cast-iron wok for this step.

fry the beef separately

4. Next, remove the flat rice noodles from the packaging and use your hands to loosen them so they don’t stick together. This step is vital to ensure that each strand of noodle will have the chance to contact the hot surface of the wok to create the wok aroma.

loosen the hor fun

5. Add sufficient oil to a wok and heat to medium heat. Place the loosened noodles in the hot wok and spread them out thinly. Stir-fry the noodles over medium heat without moving them around for at least 1 minute.

fry the hor fun until slighlty brown

6. When one side has become slightly brown, turn them over and use chopsticks or a spatula to loosen them. If you find they stick to the skillet or wok, add some bean sprouts and mix them to help solve the problem. Also, add some dark soy sauce to enhance the color, mix well, and then remove the noodles from the wok. Please use a cast iron wok rather than a nonstick pan for the best results, as you need medium to high heat to achieve the best results.

sesaone the beef hor fun

7. Heat some vegetable oil in a clean wok to stir-fry the ginger slices, green onion sections, and onion slices. Halfway through, add the Chinese chives.

stir fry the vegetabels for making beef hor fun

8. Once the vegetables no longer look raw, return the flat rice noodles to the wok and mix everything. You can season it with more light soy sauce, some oyster sauce, and Shaoxing wine if you prefer. I usually like to add light soy sauce if the dish isn’t salty enough, as it enhances the flavor better than just adding salt.

adjust the flavor of the noodles

9. The next step is to add the beef back into the Hor Fun and increase the heat to high to generate the wok aroma. Halfway through this process, add the chive flowers and continue frying. The chive flowers don’t need to cook for long, so they should be added toward the end.

stir fy the beef hor fun over high heat

10. Stir-fry on high heat until slightly smoky to generate sufficient wok aroma, then remove it immediately to prevent the beef from overcooking. Serve while it is still hot.

stir fry beef noodles image (14) 800

Beef Hor Fun Stir Fry 干炒牛河

Yield: 2 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

A popular dry beef Hor Fun (rice noodles) stir-fry with fresh vegetables. It is very popular in Hong Kong and Asian countries.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. First, cut the beef into thin slices across the grain.
  2. Marinate the beef with light soy sauce, salt, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. Next, coat the beef slices with egg white, cornstarch, and vegetable oil. Set aside to marinate for at least 15 minutes before frying.
  3. Pan-fry the beef until it changes color and becomes slightly brown. Remove the beef from the pan and set it aside. 
  4. Use your hands to loosen them so they don't stick together. 
  5. Add sufficient oil to a wok and heat it over medium heat. Place the loosened noodles in the hot wok and spread them out thinly. Stir-fry the noodles over medium heat without moving them around for at least 1 minute. When one side has become slightly brown, turn them over and use chopsticks or a spatula to loosen them. If you find they stick to the skillet or wok, add some bean sprouts and mix them, which will help solve the problem. 
  6. Add some dark soy sauce to enhance the color.
  7. Heat some vegetable oil in a clean wok to stir-fry the ginger slices, green onion sections, and onion slices. Halfway through, add the Chinese chives. Once the vegetables no longer look raw, return the flat rice noodles to the wok and mix everything. 
  8. Season the rice noodles further by adding light soy sauce and Shaoxing wine. 
  9. Add the beef back into the Hor Fun and increase the heat to high to generate the wok aroma. Halfway through this process, add the chive flowers. 
  10. Stir-fry on high heat until there’s sufficient wok aroma and it becomes smoky. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 636Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 2409mgCarbohydrates: 72gFiber: 5gSugar: 5gProtein: 22g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 1/16/2025

  1. Hor Fun should not be refrigerated. If you do, the noodles will harden and become brittle. As a result, they may break into small pieces when stir-fried. Therefore, it is best to keep them at room temperature whenever possible.
  2. Since the cooking process involves high heat, it is advisable to use cooking oil with a high smoking point. Olive oil may not be suitable because it has a relatively low smoking point and does not have a neutral flavor.
  3. The beef must be fried separately from the noodles because the cooking time for the beef is relatively short, and overcooking it can make it tough.
  4. You can use other types of noodles to make this dish if Hor Fun is unavailable. I assure you that the flavor will still be quite good, although it will not taste the same as hor fun.
  5. You can use the dry hor fun if you do not have the fresh one. Please follow the packaging instructions to rehydrate and cook it before use.

Since you enjoy this fried Hor Fun, I would like to suggest a few more noodle dishes for you:

Sandra

Saturday 18th of January 2025

You are my favourite go-to recipe provider of all time

KP

Saturday 18th of January 2025

Hi, this is KP Kwan. I am happy to see you in this comment area, as you have read through my recipe. I am glad to reply to any questions and comments as soon as possible.

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