Name: Victor Liong’s stir-fried beef hor fun
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 200 gm beef rump, tri-tip or fillet, thinly sliced across the grain; 50 gm lard (see note) or 50ml vegetable oil; 300 gm hor fun rice noodles (see note), loosely separated; 200 gm (2½ cups) bean sprouts; 1 cup (loosely packed) garlic chives, cut into 4cm lengths; Roasted sesame seeds and Lao Gan Ma chilli condiment, to serve; Beef marinade; 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine; 3 tbsp light soy sauce; 2 tsp cornflour; 2 tsp sesame oil; 1¼ tsp chicken powder (see note); 1 tsp caster sugar; Stir-fry sauce; 1 tbsp light soy sauce; 3 tsp oyster sauce; 2 tsp caster sugar; 1½ tsp dark soy sauce; ¾ tsp ground white pepper

Victor Liong’s stir-fried beef hor fun

Slippery noodles, smoky beef, and the crunch of vegetables. This dish has it all.

Serves 4

Prep

25M

Cook

10M

Total

35M

“This is one of my favourite Cantonese dishes,” says Victor Liong of Melbourne’s Lee Ho Fook. “It’s a nice play on slippery textures, utilising the wok hei (the smokiness of the wok that’s built up over time), silky beef and a garlicky vegetal crunch. The sauce works well in any noodle or meat stir-fry.”

Ingredients

200 gm beef rump, tri-tip or fillet, thinly sliced across the grain

50 gm lard (see note) or 50ml vegetable oil

300 gm hor fun rice noodles (see note), loosely separated

200 gm (2½ cups) bean sprouts

1 cup (loosely packed) garlic chives, cut into 4cm lengths

Roasted sesame seeds and Lao Gan Ma chilli condiment, to serve

Beef marinade

1 tbsp Shaoxing wine

3 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tsp cornflour

2 tsp sesame oil

1¼ tsp chicken powder (see note)

1 tsp caster sugar

Stir-fry sauce

1 tbsp light soy sauce

3 tsp oyster sauce

2 tsp caster sugar

1½ tsp dark soy sauce

¾ tsp ground white pepper

Method

1.For marinade, mix ingredients in a bowl with 2 tsp water to combine. Add beef, turn to coat and refrigerate to marinate (20 minutes).

2.For stir-fry sauce, combine ingredients in a bowl.

3.Heat a well-seasoned wok without oil over high heat until smoking. Add half the lard and heat until smoking. Add beef in an even layer then stir-fry until cooked medium (1-2 minutes; the idea is to sear and cook it evenly to medium). Remove from wok.

4.Clean wok with paper towels and return to the highest heat possible. When wok is smoking, add remaining lard and heat until smoking. Add noodles and toss lightly to separate, and cook, tossing, until charred and softened (2-6 minutes; time will vary depending on the heat from your wok burner). Add bean sprouts and toss so bean sprouts are at the bottom of the wok and noodles are on top; the steam from the bean sprouts will help soften the noodles further (1 minute). Add beef and garlic chives, stir-fry until combined and garlic chives are wilted (1 minute). Add stir-fry sauce and toss until noodles are evenly dark and glossy (1-2 minutes).

5.Transfer to a plate, scatter with sesame seeds and serve with chilli condiment.

Lard is available from select butchers and delicatessens. Hor fun or kway teow rice noodles (wide fresh rice noodles) are available from Asian grocers. Chicken powder is available from Asian supermarkets.
Notes

Victor Liong

Styling by Lisa Featherby