Guangdong Wide Rice Noodles (Ho Fun, He Fen for Chow Fun)

Mala Market exclusive

We sourced these wide rice noodles from Guangdong specifically so we—and you— can make chow fun anytime and anywhere we want. 

Cantonese chow fun—fresh wide rice noodles stir-fried over high heat with little more than soy sauce, bean sprouts and, usually, beef—is one of the world's great noodle dishes. But it is hard for most of us to replicate at home because it requires just-made noodles. Freshly steamed rice noodles must be eaten the day they're made, as refrigeration turns them into stale bricks that are nearly impossible to use. But just because most of us don't live near a source of freshly made rice noodles does not mean we should have to go without chow fun. 

We asked our Sichuan team to try out various brands of dried wide rice noodles sourced directly from Guangdong to find one that could stand in for fresh noodles. Of course fresh is better, but these dried noodles are miles better and easier to work with than fresh noodles that have been refrigerated and will scratch that chow fun itch anytime you have it. 

These semi-wide, flat noodles, called ho fun (or he fen in Mandarin), are made in Shaoguan, a city in northern Guangdong, bordering Hunan. Shiny and semi-transparent, they are made only of rice flour and water according to local traditions and methods then formed by hand into bundles weighing 65-75 grams, or 2-2.5 ounces. 

This is a large bag of noodles (because that's how they sell them), and it will make about four plates of chow fun or other stir-fried noodles or 12 bowls of soup noodles (another good use!). Soak noodles in warm water until pliable. A brief 30-second boil will further hydrate them in preparation for stir-frying.