These chow fun noodles are chewy, savory, and full of umami goodness! It’s a simple noodle stir fry I love making because it’s so versatile and can be topped with tofu, chicken, beef, or shrimp. It’s a weeknight staple that only takes about 20 minutes to make.
Chow fun is one of those dishes I love making when I want something substantial and tasty that doesn’t require too much work. I’m obsessed with the chewiness of the wide noodles and love the sauce so much I could put it on everything! If you ask me to choose between a bowl of fried rice or a bowl of pan fried noodles, 99.9% of the time I will choose the latter. That’s how much I love noodles.
The recipe I have for you today is a Cantonese style chow fun that’s more on the dry side. Don’t expect the noodles to be floating in a gooey sauce – that’s another recipe! – but the flavors are very much what you would expect to get when ordering a plate of stir fried noodles.
Table of contents
Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe.
- Rice noodles: Look for hor fun noodles (wide flat rice noodles) at your local Asian supermarket. Or you can buy them online.
- Oil: Choose a neutral oil with a high smoke point such as grapeseed or vegetable oil. You will need two tablespoons to stir fry the vegetables.
- Red bell pepper: I like using red bell pepper because of their vibrant color and sweet taste. However feel free to use green, orange, or yellow bell peppers as it won’t make any difference.
- Sugar snap peas: I love sugar snap peas for their clean crunch but you can also use snow peas for this recipe.
- Scallions: I add the scallions right before taking the noodles out of the wok to prevent them from getting soft. As far as the size of the cut, I prefer them finely chopped but go ahead and cut them however you like.
- Mung bean sprouts: I also add the mung bean sprouts right before taking the dish out of the wok to keep their texture as fresh and crispy as possible.
- Chow fun sauce: A mix of chicken broth, shaoxing wine, garlic, ginger, dark soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch.
Variations
- Make it spicy: Drizzle some chili oil or squirt a little sriracha sauce before eating.
- Make it sweeter: Add 1 tablespoon of honey, brown sugar, or hoisin sauce.
- Make it less salty: Use low sodium soy sauce or liquid aminos (coconut aminos).
How to Make This Cantonese Style Chow Fun
- Start by making the sauce. Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and whisk until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Place the rice noodles in a large bowl filled with water and follow the instructions on the package on how long to soak them for (usually around 15 to 20 minutes).
- Stir fry the bell peppers and sugar snap peas in a wok or a deep skillet. When the veggies are tender but still a little crunchy, transfer them to a plate. Do not turn off the heat!
- Drain the noodles well and gently pat them dry. Add them to the wok, whisk the sauce, and pour it over the noodles. Toss the noodles to evenly coat them with the sauce.
- Return the cooked vegetables to the wok and gently toss them with the noodles.
- Add the scallions and mung bean sprouts and turn the heat off.
- Transfer the chow fun to a serving plate and enjoy!
Quick Meat Marinade
If you are planning to serve this chow fun with beef or chicken, I suggest giving this marinade a try. It will tenderize the meat and give it depth of flavor. This recipe also works for shrimp and tofu (use medium firm or extra firm).
Combine: 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon cornstarch.
Add the meat and marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 90 minutes.
Expert Tips
- Use high heat: Make sure that the wok is very hot before cooking the vegetables and the noodles. The success of making stir fries lies in flash frying at a high heat. This way you get the hallmark slight char and smoky taste called wok hei.
- Leave some room in the wok or skillet: Don’t overcrowd it as this will lower the temperature and result in steaming the ingredients, which will them make the noodles soggy.
Storage
Rice noodles are notoriously difficult to store because they tend to get soggy very quickly. Ideally, it’s best to enjoy them fresh out of the wok, when their texture are at their springiest and chewiest.
- Fridge: In an airtight storage container, these stir fried noodles will hold up for about 3 days.
- Freezer: Not an option for these noodles, sorry guys! Freezing them will only deteriorate the texture of the noodles and make them super soggy.
What To Serve With This Dish
Chow fun is pretty filling so I recommend focusing on smaller dishes to serve these noodles with. Some of my favorites are:
- Easy vegetable egg rolls
- Classic egg drop soup
- Edamame with soy and sesame sauce
- Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce
- Smacked cucumber with chili oil
- Bok choy with garlic and oyster sauce
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes you can use fresh noodles! My recipe is made with dried noodles to make it more reader friendly since it can be difficult to find fresh chow fun noodles. If you are using fresh noodles, boil them for 30-60 seconds, and rinse them under cold water to stop them from cooking further. Drain them well before using. If there are instructions on the package, follow those.
Yes you can and it’s actually very easy! Simply swap the dark soy sauce for gluten-free soy sauce or tamari, and use dry sherry instead of shaoxing wine as it contains gluten. Cornstarch is naturally 100% gluten-free so you don’t have to worry about using it.
Popular chow fun vegetables include bok choy (I like baby bok choy), onions, napa cabbage, carrots, and mushrooms.
Chow fun dishes use wide and flat rice noodles, whereas chow mei fun dishes use maifun noodles, which are thin, vermicelli-like rice noodles.
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
Print
Cantonese Style Chow Fun
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Noodles
- Method: Stir frying
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This is a chewy and savory Cantonese style chow fun recipe you can dress up or down with your favorite protein and vegetables. Ready in 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 6 ounces wide flat rice noodles
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or peanut oil
- 1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
- 1/2 cup sugar snap peas
- 3 scallions, roughly chopped
- 2 cups mung bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
Chow Fun Sauce
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 thumb size ginger, peeled and minced
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Make the sauce. Whisk all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl, and keep whisking until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
- Soak the wide noodles. Make sure to follow the instructions on the package so the texture of the noodles is right. It usually takes around 15 to 20 minutes. You want the noodles to be springy – not too mushy or too hard.
- Stir fry the vegetables. Place a large wok or deep skillet over high heat. When the wok is hot, add the oil and swirl it around to coat the surface. Add the bell peppers and sugar snap peas and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until the vegetables are tender but still yielding a crunch. Transfer them to a plate and leave the wok with heat on.
- Drain the noodles. Drain them well and very gently pat them dry with a paper towel. They will get soggy in the wok if they are too wet.
- Season the noodles. Add the noodles to the wok and pour the sauce over them. Toss gently until the noodles are evenly coated with the sauce.
- Add the veggies. Add the cooked vegetables to the noodles and gently toss again.
- Add remaining ingredients. Add the scallions and mung bean sprouts and turn the heat off.
- Serve. Transfer the noodles to a serving plate and serve immediately.
Notes
For leftovers: Store the chow fun noodles in an airtight storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 517
- Sugar: 8.5g
- Sodium: 914.9mg
- Fat: 14.6g
- Saturated Fat: 11.3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 85g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 10.7g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
I love making this type of dish at home, it’s so delicious fresh, and you made it so easy!