These homemade Easy Stir-fried flat rice noodles are loaded with sweet and savoury flavours. It’s also one of the easiest Asian food recipes that you can make right at home.
Stir Fried flat rice noodles commonly know as Chow Fun is a noodle dish that’s distinct for the type of noodles used. These noodles are usually around ¾” to 1” thick and are called ‘ho fun’. Chow Fun is a Cantonese dish that originated from Guangzhou China. It’s become one of the most common dishes in Chinese restaurants and takeout across the world. The noodles are chewy and absorb flavours really well. They tend to easily break apart when cooking. So eating these noodles are more like eating little short, chewy strips which you will definitely enjoy!
The first time I had these noodles were in a Chinese restaurant in London and they used freshly made rice noodles, which really made all the difference. They were so delicious with its chewy noodles and flavourful tofu slices. I didn’t even realise that I finished off the whole dish by myself! Even though it is easy to find these at takeout joints, you can easily make this at home for yourself as well, just make sure you have a good well-seasoned wok on hand.
The hardest part about making this stir fried noodles at home is finding the fresh Ho fun noodles! You can easily make these noodles at home but can be a bit tricky and one had to get it just right so they are not shredded into tiny pieces or become mushy. Fresh ho fun is a tricky ingredient to work with at first, but once you get used to using it, it can be an amazing noodle to use to get dinner on the table in minutes.
HOW TO HANDLE STORE-BOUGHT FRESH RICE NOODLES
If you are close to a grocery store that sells fresh rice noodles, then you are in luck. In my experience the fresher the noodles, the quicker you can loosen the noodles. If they have been sitting in the store for a while, they can become brittle and more difficult to separate.
Most of the time, I get a day old noodles which are normally a little brittle. So, to loosen the noodles, place them in a microwave-safe plate, and cover it with a damp paper towel. It will turn soft and will be easier to handle. I personally like to detach the noodles into strands for better sauce absorption.
Using fresh rice noodles makes a whole lot of difference because they’re really chewy and satisfying, but if you can’t find fresh noodles you can also opt to use dry rice noodles for this recipe and find ones that are around 10-15mm thick. Remember to just soak them in boiling hot water until pliable!
Ingredients you need to make Easy Stir-fried flat rice noodles:
Noodles : Starting from the noodles, you can use either fresh or dry rice noodles for this recipe. Traditionally fresh Ho fun noodles are used for this dish – made from rice flour, water, salt, and cooking oil. Dry flat noodles are available in most supermarket. For fresh ones, you can find them as “Hor fun noodles” at the Asian grocery store.
There are fresh rice noodles and dried ones. If you cannot find fresh ones, pre-soak the dried ones according to the instructions. Fresh wide rice noodle usually is available in package and sometimes they may stick with each other. Do separate them before frying.
Protein : Beef is most commonly used protein for ho fun noodles. But being a vegetarian I use fried tofu or firm tofu strips.
Vegetables : The fun part comes with selecting the vegetables! Bean sprouts, garlic chives and spring onions are essentials, but you can add any stir fry vegetables of your choice. In addition to bean sprouts and spring onions, I have chosen a few which go along with the stir fry. You can use cabbage, baby corn, thinly sliced carrot, or broccoli. But don’t limit yourself there, try different styles with the vegetables of your choice.
The Sauce : For the frying sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar ,hoisin sauce, chilli oil, potato starch and water are mixed together to make it taste sweet and savoury same time. It looks like a loads of sauce ingredients but trust me, this homemade sauce mix is better than any store bought stir fry sauce you have ever tried!
Frying Wok/Pan : Traditionally Chinese stir fry dishes are prepared on high heat wok but we can use any of your favourite wok, skillet or frying pan, just make sure to cook it on high-heat.
Helpful Tips and Tricks to make Easy Stir-Fried Flat Rice Noodles:
- If you use fresh noodles, you can rinse them with hot water for 1-2 minutes or place them in a microwave-safe plate, and cover it with a damp paper towel. It will turn soft and will be easier to handle. I personally like to detach the noodles into strands for better sauce absorption.
- If you use the dry noodles, follow the instructions on the package and make sure you don’t over boil them since they still need to be fried in the wok later.
- Prepare everything ahead – It is crucial to have everything prepared and on hand before heating up the wok to start cooking. This is because you need to work fast so that the noodles are cooked enough but not too cooked that it becomes all broken and mushy.
If you like this Asian Noodle recipe you can also check out our other Asian recipes–
- Spicy Sichuan Mapo Tofu with Green Beans
- Baked Tofu with Garlic Ginger Dressing
- Vegetable Curry Spring Rolls
- Broccoli and Tofu Wonton Soup
If you make this recipe, please feel free to tag me on my Facebook or Instagram and use the hashtag #poetryofspices. Thanks!
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Ingredients For the Sauce
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