Chinese recipe

Dry-fried beef chow fun

Name: Dry-fried beef chow fun
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chinese cuisine
Ingredients: 280 g flank steak, sliced across the grain 3 mm thick; 20 ml water for the beef marinade; 1 g baking soda; 5 g cornstarch; 10 ml oyster sauce; 10 ml Shaoxing wine; 5 ml light soy sauce; 340 g fresh wide rice noodles; 45 ml neutral oil; 80 g scallions, split and cut into 7.5 cm pieces; 15 g ginger, thinly sliced; 150 g fresh mung bean sprouts; 30 ml Shaoxing wine for the wok; 30 ml light soy sauce for the wok; 10 ml dark soy sauce; 5 ml sesame oil; 2 g granulated sugar; 0.5 g white pepper

Wide rice noodles seared with velveted flank steak, bean sprouts, ginger, scallion, and dark-soy seasoning over very high heat.

Guangdong, China

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 10 min
Total: 50 min
Servings: 4

Real finished-dish brief: a dark oval plate of glossy, intact wide noodles with browned beef ribbons, crisp pale bean sprouts, ginger slivers, and scallion sections visibly distributed; no gravy pooling underneath. — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by RightCowLeftCoastSource page · Original file · CC BY 4.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

280 g
flank steak, sliced across the grain 3 mm thick
20 ml
water for the beef marinade
1 g
baking soda
5 g
cornstarch
10 ml
oyster sauce
10 ml
Shaoxing wine
5 ml
light soy sauce
340 g
fresh wide rice noodles
45 ml
neutral oil
80 g
scallions, split and cut into 7.5 cm pieces
15 g
ginger, thinly sliced
150 g
fresh mung bean sprouts
30 ml
Shaoxing wine for the wok
30 ml
light soy sauce for the wok
10 ml
dark soy sauce
5 ml
sesame oil
2 g
granulated sugar
0.5 g
white pepper

Method

01
Mix beef with water, baking soda, cornstarch, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, and soy. Massage 2 minutes until tacky, cover, and marinate 30 minutes.
02
Let the sealed fresh noodles stand at room temperature for 20 minutes, then separate the strands gently by hand. Do not soak or rinse them; discard any pieces that remain hard or smell sour. Mix the wok soy sauces, wine, sesame oil, sugar, and pepper.
03
Heat a wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates instantly. Add 15 ml oil and sear beef in one layer for 60–90 seconds per side; remove when browned and just 80% cooked.
04
Wipe out burnt bits, return wok to high heat, add 30 ml oil, and stir-fry ginger and scallion for 30 seconds until aromatic.
05
Add noodles and toss with a lifting motion for 2 minutes. Pour wok sauce around the hot sides and stir-fry another 1–2 minutes; noodles should be hot, separate, and lightly charred.
06
Return beef, add bean sprouts, and toss 45–60 seconds. Stop when sprouts remain crisp and beef reaches 63°C; serve immediately for wok hei.

Practical notes

Tips

Cook in batches if the wok is small; a single layer is what creates browning.
Fresh noodles should be dry on the surface before they touch the wok.

Common mistakes

Cold or damp noodles steam instead of searing and turn gummy.
Constant stirring tears wide noodles; lift and turn with a spatula.

Substitutions

fresh wide rice noodles (340 g) → dried wide rice sticks (225 g): Soak according to package directions, then drain very dry.
oyster sauce (10 ml) → mushroom stir-fry sauce (10 ml): Use for a vegetarian marinade with tofu or seitan.

Storage

Serve immediately. Refrigerate leftovers in a shallow airtight container for up to 2 days; reheat once in a hot oiled wok for 2–3 minutes, adding 5 ml water only if the noodles are dry.

Cultural context

Gān chǎo niú hé is a Cantonese classic whose defining quality is wok hei—fragrant seared flavor from a very hot wok and quick tossing. ‘Dry-fried’ means no gravy, not dry noodles.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.