Dry stir-fried beef ho fun

Dry stir-fried beef ho fun

　　Dry stir-fried beef ho fun is a Cantonese dish made by stir-frying bean sprouts, rice noodles, beef, and other ingredients. Rice noodles, also known as shahe fen, originated in Shahe Town, Guangzhou, and are called kway teow in Singapore.

　　Dry stir-fried beef ho fun is a Cantonese dish made by stir-frying bean sprouts, rice noodles, beef, and other ingredients. In Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Cantonese restaurants overseas, as well as in Hong Kong’s cha chaan tengs, dry stir-fried beef ho fun has almost become an essential dish. Dry stir-fried beef ho fun

　　The main ingredient of dry stir-fried beef ho fun, rice noodles (also known as shahe fen), originated in Shahe Town, Guangzhou. It is usually cooked in soup or stir-fried. Stir-frying methods are divided into wet stir-frying with a starch-based sauce and dry stir-frying without sauce. To make dry stir-fried beef ho fun, tender beef is first stir-fried until half-cooked. Then oil is added to sauté the bean sprouts and onions, followed by quick stir-frying of the rice noodles, along with soy sauce and hot oil. Finally, the beef is added and stirred evenly. The dish emphasizes “wok hei” (breath of the wok), requiring high heat and fast stir-frying. It must be evenly stir-fried, but not too quickly, or the noodles may break. The amount of oil must also be precisely controlled, or the dish will become oily and unappetizing. Therefore, dry stir-fried beef ho fun is considered a major test of a Cantonese chef’s stir-frying skills—its quality instantly reveals the cook’s expertise. Rice noodles are made by washing rice, grinding it into powder, mixing it with water to form a paste, steaming it into sheets, cooling, and then cutting it into strips. The rice noodles available in supermarkets are mostly dried, and only a few wholesale markets in Beijing sell fresh ones. They are usually cooked in soup or stir-fried. Stir-frying is divided into wet stir-frying with a starch-based sauce and dry stir-frying without sauce. Dry stir-fried beef ho fun is a staple dish in many Cantonese restaurants in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and overseas, as well as in Hong Kong’s cha chaan tengs. It is also a common item in many Cantonese street food stalls.

　　Origin of the Dish

　　In 1938, during the Japanese invasion of China, Cantonese chef Xu Bin created dry stir-fried beef ho fun (abbreviated as “niu he” due to the inclusion of beef slices). Later, Xu’s cooked food stall became the first eatery in Guangzhou to serve dry stir-fried beef ho fun. After the Anti-Japanese War, Dongtian Restaurant was the first to introduce the dish to banquet menus.