The Beef Chow Fun as Served at at Sun Wah BBQ in Chicago, Illinois, as seen on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 29.
Recipe courtesy of Sun Wah BBQ

Beef Chow Fun

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  • Level: Advanced
  • Total: 2 hr 5 min
  • Active: 1 hr 30 min
  • Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

Marinade:

Rice Noodles:

Chow Fung:

Directions

Special equipment:
a grain mill; a hand blender
  1. For marinade: Add steak and 1/4 cup water to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle in the meat tenderizer and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle in the baking soda and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle in sugar, chicken bouillon, white pepper and MSG if using and mix thoroughly. Pour in soy sauce and mix thoroughly, then sprinkle in potato starch and mix thoroughly. Pour in sesame oil and vegetable oil and mix thoroughly. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
  2. For rice noodles: Heat some water in a large pot and fit it with a steamer rack. Using a grain mill, grind the soaked rice with the soaking water, catching the ground mixture in an extra-large bowl. Add 1/2 cup water in increments if mill stone is not saturated enough with water to get a fine grind. Add oil, salt, tapioca starch, half the potato starch and half the cake flour to the ground rice water. Using a hand blender, blend all ingredients together, being careful not to splatter. Add about 1/2 cup water if the mixture is too thick. Once the mixture is blended and smooth, add the remaining potato starch and cake flour. (If the mixture is too thick, add water slowly in increments of 1/2 cup at a time.) When the mixture sticks to your blender beaters and drips a single trail of liquid back into the bowl, the mixture is ready for cooking.
  3. Cover a flat surface with plastic wrap and brush the plastic with oil. Put a 9- to 10-inch round cake pan into the steamer rack and cover. (Have the heat on high to ensure the water is on a constant boil.) When the pan is hot, remove the lid and brush the pan with oil. Ladle in a thin layer of the rice mixture to cover the bottom of the pan. Replace cover and steam, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from the pot and flip the noodle sheet out onto the oiled plastic wrap. Fold noodle sheet into halves or thirds and set aside to cool. Continue with remaining rice noodle mixture. Cut noodles 1/2-inch thick.
  4. For chow fung: Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat; add 1 tablespoon oil. When oil is hot, add rice noodles. Sear each side of noodles to golden brown. Adjust heat as necessary to avoid burning or under-browning the noodles. When noodles are golden brown, turn of heat and remove noodles from skillet. Set aside.
  5. Mix together oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, sugar, white pepper, MSG, if using and 1 teaspoon cooking wine in a small bowl. Set aside.
  6. Heat a wok (or large skillet) over high heat; add remaining 2 tablespoons peanut oil. When oil is hot, add steak. Separate steak pieces for even cooking. Add remaining teaspoon cooking wine, spreading it over the steak. Turn steak once to cook both sides to medium, about 1 minute for each side.
  7. Add Spanish onions, stirring, about 2 minutes.
  8. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add seared rice noodles and stir to mix all ingredients together. Add the sauce mixture, spreading to cover as much of the noodles and steak as possible. Toss everything so sauce will coat all ingredients.
  9. Add mung bean sprouts and green onions. Toss to mix all ingredients together. Turn off heat, plate and serve.