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Beef ho fun is all about the texture. The wide, flat rice noodles, known as “ho fun” (河粉), soak up all the savoury flavours of the dish, creating a delightful chewiness. You’ve also got the seasoned, tender slices of beef adding richness and depth to the dish. Simply delicious and comforting!

As you’ll need to use the highest heat on the hob throughout, the most important key is to have a good wok. See my review of the School of Wok carbon steel wok. Wait til the wok is smoking hot and then add the ingredients, this will make sure the moisture in the ingredients will evaporate very quickly. You’ll be able to taste the “wok hey” in the finished ho fun. That really is the most important key to getting that takeaway flavour at home.

Where to buy ho fun?

It’s not difficult to find ho fun in the UK as I’ve seen it in many supermarkets. M&S and Waitrose even have their own brand. However those are more like Thai pad thai noodles as they are not very wide. Tesco sells a Vietnamese one but it’s also only 5mm wide. That’s why I like to get mine from the Chinese shop. My preferred brand is Banh Pho as it has a better texture when it’s cooked. Wherever you are getting it from, the key is to buy a wide one, 10mm.

Ingredients

200 g ho fun (rice stick noodles)
150 g beef, thinly sliced
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
A bunch of spring onion, chopped
1 small onion, sliced
A handful of bean sprouts

For the marinade

½ tablespoon light soy sauce
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine
1 teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon cornflour
A splash of water

For the sauce

3 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
2 tablespoon water

Method

1. Marinate beef with the marinade ingredients for 10 minutes.
2. Cook ho fun according to package instructions. Drain and coat evenly with the vegetable oil. This will prevent the ho fun from all sticking together.
3. Stir fry beef on high heat for 1-2 minutes until browed but not cooked through. Set aside.
4. In the same wok, add sliced onions and fry until softened.
5. Add ho fun. Make sure there’s enough oil in the wok, it’s on high heat and the wok is hot. This is how you get the takeaway “wok hey” and make sure the ho fun won’t stick.
6. Add beansprouts and spring onion, and slowly adding the sauce as you fry.
7. Return beef to wok, quickly toss well with all the ingredients. Adjust the taste with soy sauce. If the ho fun looks dark enough and you just want to adjust the taste, it’s totally fine to use light soy sauce.
8. Serve hot.

Did you try this recipe and how did it turn out? Share with me in the comments below 🙂

Janice xx

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