Beef Chow Fun

Beef chow fun is a popular Cantonese-style dish. It is made with stir fried beef, wide rice noodles, called ho fun. The rice noodles cook quickly and are wet-fried in this dish, and the chewy, broad rice noodles soak up the flavor of the sauce. If rice noodles are unavailable, pre-cooked pasta noodles, either fettuccini or wide egg noodles, can be used with very good results.

• 1 pound flank or round steak
• 1 onion, cut in wedges, layers separated
• 3 cups bean sprouts
• 1 small carrot, thinly sliced on the bias
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

• 1/2 pound fresh wide rice noodles
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 bunch scallions, cut in 1-inch pieces
• 1 handful Chinese pea pods
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

1. Thin slice beef across the grain. Season with salt and pepper. Place meat in a plastic bag and add wine and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. Push out all the air and close the bag. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
2. Clean and trim scallions. Cut into 1-inch lengths. Peel carrot. Cut on the bias to make thin carrot chips. Peel and quarter onion and separate the layers. Rinse and drain the beans sprouts and pea pods. Set vegetables aside.
   

3. Partially precook rice noodles. Add noodles to a large pot of lightly salted boiling water. Stir gently to separate. Cook 2 minutes, drain in colander. Set aside.
4. Heat wok over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil. Add marinated beef and stir fry until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove meat to a bowl.
   

5. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add the carrots and onion wedges and stir fry until onions are soft and start to change color. Add garlic, scallions, pea pods and bean sprouts and stir fry an additional 2 minutes. Add soy sauce and rice noodles. Gently (to not break the noodles) stir and toss the noodles with the carrot and onion mixture until noodles are fully cooked and liquid is absorbed, 2 or 3 minutes.
6. Return meat to pan. Stir until heated through. Transfer to a platter and serve.