Beef Ho Fun in Black Bean Sauce

Beef and Black Bean on Rice Noodles 豉椒牛河 (Cantonese: see jiu gnau hoa) aka 濕炒牛河 (sup chow gnau hoa) aka 豉汁牛河 (see jup gnau hoa) is the most classic of Cantonese fried rice noodles.  It is the predecessor of the Fried Rice Noodles with Beef 乾炒牛河 (gon chow ngau hoa).

It's not clear when the rice noodle came about but it is likely a creation by the Hakka people during the early Qing Dynasty. They use high quality rice and mill it into powder; add spring water to make a paste and then steam them into sheets. They then cut the sheets into strips for noodles or rolled to make rice rolls 腸粉 (cheung fun).  I'm not surprised that the Hakka people invented the rice noodle because they were well known for their milling equipment.

There are a few stories on how the rice noodle got it's start into stardom.  One that I like goes like this….

Mr. and Mrs. Fan opened a little restaurant in Shahe Village 沙河圳 in Guangdong province. One day, an old man fainted in front of their restaurant. The man was famished so Mr. Fan asked his wife to bring a bowl of congee to the old man. The old man replied that he has no money to pay for the congee. Mrs. Fan said that although they're not rich, but old people can always have congee at their restaurant for free. After the congee, the old man was able to walk and he came back every day for a bowl of congee and the owners happily obliged.

Sometime later, Mr. Fan fell ill, lost his appetite, and was lethargic. When the old man came for his bowl of congee, Mrs. Fan told him that her husband was bedridden. The old man said, "maybe it's time for me to cook for him". He went to the kitchen, milled some rice, made a paste and steamed it. Then he cut the steamed sheets into strips to make noodles. He added some oil, onions and spices to the noodles and served it to Mr. Fan. It was so aromatic that he finished the whole bowl and eventually became stronger and he recovered.

Apparently, the old man was a palace chef. The palace kicked him out because of his brute personality. These delicious rice noodles got onto the menu, became a big hit and given the name Shahe noodles 沙河粉 (sa hoa fun); which was the original name for flat rice noodles.

My Beef and Black Bean on Rice Noodles 豉椒牛河 recipe is all about the sauce, because you want enough sauce so that it covers all the noodles. I'll show you how to make tender pieces of beef with just the right amount of vegetables and seasonings. This dish tastes just like the ones they serve at the restaurants, if not better.

For the full classic Hong Kong experience, try this recipe along with my Fried Stuffed 3 Treasures 煎讓三寶 or Crystal Shrimp Dumplings 水晶蝦餃.

Beef and Black Bean on Rice Noodles 豉椒牛河

Common variations include using chicken instead of beef and adding egg swirl to the sauce. It is also common to add pickled mustard greens too.

You can also add shitake or other mushrooms. Straw mushrooms come to mind too. Bok choy or gailan can be added for more veggies.

Make it spicy by adding hot bean paste instead of black bean and garlic sauce.

Use any type of noodles including spaghetti. But typically, a flat noodle will hold onto the sauce better. And this dish is all about the sauce!

Approximate cost (CAD) $17

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Marinating Time 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr 25 mins

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Cantonese, Chinese

Servings 4 Serving

Calories 1196 kcal

• 900 g Fresh flat rice noodles
• 454 g Flank steak sliced
• ½ Medium onion cut into wedges
• ½ Green pepper cut into triangles
• ½ Red pepper cut into triangles
• 4 cloves Garlic chopped
• 2 stalks Green onions cut 10 cm long
• 12 g Fermented black beans
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp Oil for frying rice noodles
• 2 tbsp Oil for frying beef
• 1 tbsp Oil for frying other ingredients
• 4 tsp Corn starch for slurry
• 2 tbsp Water for slurry

Ingredients for beef marinade:

• 1 tsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp Light soy sauce
• ½ tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp White pepper powder
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 2 tsp Corn starch
• ¼ tsp Baking soda (optional) * Baking soda will help the meat absorb more of the water to give it a soft texture. But at the same time, you will lose some of the natural beef texture and flavor.
• 3 tbsp Water
• 2 tsp Oil

• Slice flank steak to approx. 4mm thick pieces (Step 2 is optional. It is for making the beef more soft and tender, similar to the ones at Cantonese restaurants)

  

• Soak sliced beef in water for 5 minutes and then drain water and squeeze out excess water from the beef. Let it dry in a colander or use a paper towel to dry the beef as much as possible. Squeeze out as much fluids as possible.

  

• Once the beef is dry to the touch, add 1 tsp Shaoxing wine, 1 tsp light soy sauce, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp white pepper powder, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tsp cornstarch and ¼ tsp baking soda. Mix together with your hands, stir in one direction, and squeezing the meat so that it absorbs the marinade

  

• Now add the water to the beef one tbsp at a time. Again squeezing and stirring to help the meat absorb the water until 3 tbsp of water has been added

• Add 2 tsp oil to the meat to seal in the water and marinade. Stir to mix. Set aside for 1 hour Don't worry if some of the water separates from the meat after an hour. Simply drain the water

• Loosen and separate each noodle from each other If you are using packaged rice noodles, follow the instructions on the packaging to prepare the noodles for frying. Set aside

  

• Wash and cut green pepper, red pepper, onion and green onions

• Separate the white part of the green onions and put it with the cut onions. Set aside

  

• Chop garlic and wash black beans. Set aside

• Combine 2 tbsp black bean and garlic sauce, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp light soy sauce and 2 tsp sugar. Mix well and set aside

  

• Prepare 2 cups water and set aside

  

• When the beef is finished marinating, heat a wok to high heat and add 1 tbsp oil. Use medium high if high heat is not appropriate for your cookware. This step is to heat up the noodles. They will not be cooked again

• Add the rice noodles to the wok. Toss and stir until the noodles are hot. It will take approx. 1 to 1 ½ minutes on high heat Heating the noodles too long will cause them to break apart

  

• Remove the noodles from the wok and spread them out on a large serving plate. Set aside

• Add 2 tbsp oil to the wok.

• Mix the beef to loosen it up. If there is excess water, discard it

• Add the beef (at room temperature) into the wok. Spread it out and don't disturb it for 20 seconds or until you start seeing some browning If you start to see fluids pool on the bottom of the wok, your wok was probably not hot enough when you added the beef or the beef was not at room temperature. Try to remove the fluids from the wok

  

• Flip the beef over and let it fry for 10 seconds and then stir fry until beef is around 70% cooked which will take around 20 seconds. Remove the beef, place on a plate so that they're not stacked on each other and set aside

  

• Add 1 tbsp of oil to the wok. Add garlic and black beans. Stir fry until aromatic

  

• Add onions and the whites of the green onion. Stir fry for 30 seconds or until aromatic

  

• Add peppers and stir fry for another 30 seconds

  

• Make a well in the centre of the wok, add the sauce mixture. Stir fry the sauce for 10 seconds and then mix the sauce with the onions and peppers

  

• Add 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine to the edge of the wok to allow it to trickle down. Continue to stir fry

  

• Add 2 cups of water into the wok and cover with a lid

  

• Make a slurry with 4 tsp cornstarch and 2 tbsp of water. Mix well and set aside

• When the sauce boils, add the slurry. Mix until the sauce is thick

  

• Add the beef and the green parts of the green onion into the sauce. Mix well

  

• Cook until the sauce starts to simmer

  

• Pour all the contents onto the rice noodles

• Serve

  

Calories: 1196 kcal Carbohydrates: 201 g Protein: 35 g Fat: 24 g Saturated Fat: 4 g Cholesterol: 68 mg Sodium: 2101 mg Potassium: 561 mg Fiber: 5 g Sugar: 6 g Vitamin A: 581 IU Vitamin C: 34 mg Calcium: 84 mg Iron: 4 mg

Keyword Beef, Black Bean Sauce, Rice Noodles

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