Beef ho fun / gon chow ngau ho

Gon chow ngau ho is a Cantonese noodle dish made from fresh wide noodles , stir-fried together with beef , beansprouts and soy sauce . The important factor in cooking this dish is the " wok hei " , simply means stir-frying food in a very hot flame / heat using a seasoned wok , this imparts a distinctive taste to the food during stir-frying . I , for one , don't give a hoot about wok hei , as long as the noodles don't turn mushy because of over stirring , which I do most of the time and I can eat the noodles with a chopstick instead of spoon lol
   

The one I have here is nearly the same in both ingredients and taste to what I was buying years ago . Except for the sauce that I always use when cooking this dish and can't be classified as wet-fried beef ho fun . Depending on the cook or chef , ingredients varies , the authentic style uses wide noodles , beef , beansprouts , onion , soy sauce and oil . Oil is very important beside cooking this noodles in high heat as it serves as a liquid ( beside the soy sauce ) to separate the noodles while stir-frying since no water is used ( or maybe some also add a splash of water ) . The trick when cooking this at home is to use nonstick wok or pan , minimal stirring and toss the noodles using a chopstick . If you can lift the wok , move it back and forth and stir . Though it can't compare to the Chinese chef's gon chow ngau , by making it at home , you can customize the ingredients to whatever suits you , use less meat and add any kinds of vegetables which I sometimes do . You can use pork , chicken and shrimp if beef is not to your liking as long as you won't call it gon chow NGAU ho ! 

Serves 4

1 pound fresh wide rice noodles , separate each strands
180 grams thinly-sliced beef shin
120 grams Chinese chives , cut into 2-inch lengths
2 cups beansprouts
1/2 onion , sliced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 clove garlic , minced

For the sauce :

6 tablespoon water

1 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce

2 teaspoon oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon chicken powder

chiili-garlic sauce to serve

* Marinate beef with a dash of ground white pepper , generous pinch of salt , 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil and 1/2 teaspoon tapioca starch , set aside . In a small bowl , combine ingredients for the sauce .

* In a wok , heat 2 teaspoon oil over high heat , add in ginger and and garlic , stir-fry for 20 seconds then add in the beef , cook for 1 minute or until beef changes color . Transfer beef to a plate , add oil if necessary , add in the sliced onion , cook for 2 minutes then add in the chives , cook for another 2 minutes , transfer to a plate with the beef . In the same pan , pour in 1 tablespoon oil ( oil should be hot before adding the noodles ) add in the noodles and cook over high heat for 4 minutes , tossing the noodles from time to time to prevent burning the bottom , use a pair of chopstick in one hand and  a metal spatula on the other hand to toss the noodles . The noodles will clump together as it cooks , but it'll separate on its own once you added the sauce . Add in the cooked beef , chives and the beansprouts , stir to combine then pour in the sauce ; cook and toss noodles for another 2 minutes , season with salt , if necessary .  Serve immediately . 

This post is linked to the Little Thumbs Up , a cooking and baking bloghop event organized by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Favourite DIY . I'm the host this month and the theme is Pasta and Noodles . If you want to join , all you have to do is to cook or bake any recipe with this month's theme ingredient . Remember that only your January pasta / noodle posts will be accepted . Please visit this page .