Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Nunu's Kitchen - Dry fried beef rice noodles

Dry fried beef rice noodles (乾炒牛河), also known as Beef Chow Fun, is one of my all time favourite noodle dishes. It makes a great breakfast or lunch with some congee xD

While the ingredients are simple, this dish is almost impossible to replicate at home as a lot of the favour comes from "鑊氣" (wok breath or "wok hay"). Think of it as an unique flavour that is imparted on stir fried food by the wok itself. Since this "wok flavour" only comes out when a metal wok is heated up over a large gas or wood fire, this dish will definitely taste less authentic when you make it at home. However, the outside version tends to be really heavy on oil and MSG, so I do like to make my own.
You will need:
  • Approx 150g-200g thinly sliced tip sirloin;
  • 1 packet dried thick rice noodles - soaked in luke warm water for 5 or 10 minutes;
  • 1/2 white onion - chopped thinly;
  • 100g bean sprouts - washed and with the root tip removed;
  • 3 or 4 stalks of green onion - chopped into half finger lengths;
  • 2 or 3 slices of fresh ginger - thinly chopped;
  • Light soy;
  • Dark soy;
  • Splash of Maggie seasoning;
  • Vegetable oil;
  • Corn starch;
  • Salt;
  • Sugar;

La Methode:
  • Make marinade for the beef by mixing together: 1 tbsp light soy; 1 tbsp dark soy; a dash of Maggie seasoning sauce; 1/2 tsp vegetable oil;  1 tsp sugar; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tsp corn starch. Add a little water if needed. Marinate the beef in the marinade for at least 15mins.
  • Put heat on high, and lay beef slices down flat. Flip once. Cook the beef until it is 60% done. Try not to stir the beef otherwise it'll curl up.
  • Once beef is 60% done, remove from wok.
  • Saute onions and bean sprouts together in a bit of vegetable oil. Saute until onion browns and becomes fragrant.
  • I skipped photos here because I had to move fast >__> but when your onions start browning, add your drained rice noodles. Stir the noodles around the wok quickly using chopsticks, your spatula will be useless here.
  • Add 1 tbsp light soy, and 1 tsp sugar to the noodles. Stir.
  • Add the beef and any remaining juices to the noodles. Stir.
  • Switch off heat. Taste. If noodles taste too bland, add some dark soy.
  • Add the green onions. Stir.
  • Eat. 


8 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, now I know how to make this. THANK YOU!

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  2. thanks for the tutorial! i suck at making anything using beef so this will definitely be handy :)

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  3. The homemade version is always much healthier than the one from outside. My husband loves this dish. Thank you for sharing your receipe. I am going to try making it this weekend.

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  4. i want some! im drooling..

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  5. Omgosh that looks so good!

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  6. Don't mind if you start seeing some boxes arrive at your door step because I'm moving in for your cooking! The chow fun looks delicious and healthy and not greasy like restaurants. I'm drooling and craving some just looking at the pictures!!

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  7. I always order this when I go to Chinatown. It's soooo good. I also make this at home, but in a different way. I just saute the noodles and add soy sauce and then meat. The noodles are especially good when crispy.

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