Beef Chow Fun
Hong Kong's classic dry-fried rice noodles: wide fresh ho fun seared in a smoking wok with two soy sauces, tender beef, bean sprouts and spring onion.
Method
Slice the beef against the grain into 3 mm thick, 5 cm long strips (15 minutes in the freezer makes this easier). In a bowl, massage the beef with the marinade soy sauce, cornflour and water for 1 minute, until the liquid is absorbed, then stir in the oil to coat and leave for . The starch and water keep the beef tender in the fierce heat.
Add in this stepBeef flank steak or sirloin 150 gLight soy sauce (for the marinade) 2 tspCornflour (for the marinade) 1 tspWater (for the marinade) 2 tspNeutral oil (for the marinade) 1 tsp
If the noodles are cold and stuck together, dip them in hot water for 30 seconds and drain, or microwave for 1 minute, then gently peel the strands apart by hand; cold noodles snap in the wok. Cut the spring onions into 4 cm lengths, keeping the white and green parts separate, and rinse the bean sprouts and drain them very well. Mix the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl.
Add in this stepLight soy sauce 2 tspDark soy sauce 2 tspSugar ¾ tsp
Heat a 30 cm wok over high heat until it just starts to smoke, add part of the oil and swirl to coat (it spits, so keep your face back). Spread the beef in a single layer, leave it untouched for 30 seconds, then flip and cook for in total, until browned outside but still a little pink inside. Transfer to a plate; it finishes cooking at the end.
Add in this stepPeanut or neutral oil 1¼ tbsp
high heatAdd the rest of the oil to the wok over high heat, stir-fry the white spring onion for 10 seconds until fragrant, then add the noodles and spread them out. Number of batches: 1 (for a larger amount, divide everything equally and repeat steps 4 to 6; an overcrowded wok steams the noodles and makes them soggy). Leave the noodles almost undisturbed for so they catch and char slightly, then lift and turn them with chopsticks or a spatula. Stirring hard with a ladle breaks them.
Add in this stepPeanut or neutral oil 1¾ tbspSpring onions 1½Fresh wide rice noodles (ho fun) 300 g
high heatPour the sauce around the hot edge of the wok rather than onto the noodles so it sizzles, then keep lifting and tossing over high heat for , until every strand is evenly brown with no white patches left.
high heatReturn the beef, add the bean sprouts and the green spring onion and toss quickly over high heat for . When the sprouts have just wilted but are still crunchy, turn off the heat and serve straight away. Glossy noodles and almost no oil left on the plate mean you nailed it.
Add in this stepMung bean sprouts 100 gSpring onions 1½
high heat
Cook's tip
Wok hei comes from a very hot wok, dry ingredients and small batches. Drain the sprouts and noodles well and always split more than 2 servings. Dark soy is mainly for colour and is less salty than light soy. No fresh ho fun? Use dried 1 cm-wide rice noodles, soaked 1 minute less than the packet says.
Cooking it at camp
At camp, use a powerful burner and a wide cast-iron pan or wok, set up a windbreak so the flame stays concentrated, and cook one serving at a time. Slice and marinate the beef at home and keep it in a sealed box in a cooler below 5 °C. Fresh rice noodles stiffen in the cold, so loosen them with boiling water before cooking.