Beef Chow Fun

Beef Chow Fun is the dish that separates great Cantonese wok chefs from the rest. Wide, silky rice noodles (ho fun) are stir-fried over screaming-hot flames with marinated beef slices, bean sprouts, and scallions. The elusive 'wok hei' (breath of the wok) — that smoky, charred aroma from cooking at impossibly high temperatures — is essential. The noodles should be slightly charred but not oily, the beef tender, and every ingredient coated in a light soy-based sauce.

📖 History

Created in Guangzhou's street stalls in the 1930s as a quick, filling meal. It became a Cantonese classic and is now considered the gold standard for judging a wok chef's skill.