Tender, succulent, and PLENTIFUL shrimp in this classic dish. You won't need takeout again after trying this non-greasy, all natural version.
Why you might consider making this at home
I'm the first one that would rather DoorDash some Chinese takeout to may doorstep. But there are several reasons you might want to consider making this at home:
- You can put in way more shrimp. As many and as large as the shrimp of your choosing. You can also buy shrimp that is wild or farmed in the country of your choosing.
- You can use your own healthful cooking oil, and you can control the amount of it.
- You can use pasture raised eggs.
- You can use brown rice noodles.
Basically, you can control the quality of ingredients that you put on your plate, which makes all the difference in the world.
Even though this recipe is a little more involved than I would prefer, homemade noodle dishes are just so soul comforting and taste so much better when you can control the quality of the ingredients.
Chow Mein vs. Chow Fun
Both are Chinese noodle dishes stir fried with vegetables and protein of choice.
Chow Mein is made with egg noodles, usually in the shape of thick strands.
Chow Fun is made with rice noodles, typically in the shape of wide, flat strands.
I prefer Chow Fun often times because the rice noodles make for a bit of a lighter dish in the tummy, and they are also way faster to cook than egg noodles.
Rice Noodle Options
When it comes to buying your own rice noodles to cook at home, you have several options, but you are looking for FLAT noodles. Rice noodles come in many, many forms, but chow fun is distinguished by wide, flat rice noodles.
- Fresh - this would obviously be the best choice, IF you can find them. And then there are several suboptions for the type of fresh rice noodles you can find. a) Fresh, flat, wide rice noodles made and sold to Asian markets packaged in plastic on little styrofoam trays. These should be used same day. they are all stuck together and you need to separate the strands before serving. b) Fresh, wide flat rice noodles may also come stuck together and package in boxes in the refrigerator aisle. In this case, you will need to cook the noodles according to the package direction.
- Dried White Rice Noodles - Again, look for the flat, wide rice noodles and cook according to the directions on the plastic package.
- Dried Brown Rice Noodles - These are a new addition to the market, and I used them in this recipe. This difference when cooking to the white rice noodles is that they tend to be a bit more brittle. Take care not to overcook or they end up breaking up more readily smaller batons instead of long noodles.
Dry Ingredients
- Rice Noodles - Dried would be the easiest to obtain. See the discussion above for which one to choose!
- Shrimp - Your shrimp choice. I like to buy the big 16/20 version, wild caught, frozen in a bag, and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator.
- Eggs - You don't have to add this, but eggs are typically in chow fun.
- Green onion - I like using this over regular onion to obtain that onion flavor with some green color too.
- Red bell pepper - Use whichever color you'd like, but the red adds color.
- Bean sprouts - Optional but bean sprouts are classically added to chow fun stir fries.
All the above are optional except the noodles and shrimp. Decide what additions you'd like. You really just need the sauce to bring it all together.
Where's the Flavor?
- Soy Sauce - Tamari works too!
- Fish Sauce - yes, baby yes!
- Garlic - because it's good!
- Ginger (optional) - ginger is typically added to fish dishes in Chinese cuisine.
- Sweet Chili Sauce (optional) - for that little somethin' somethin'
Time needed: 30 minutes
How to make Shrimp Chow fun
- Cook rice noodles
Cook the rice noodles according to the package directions. If your noodles didn't come with package directions, you just need to drop them in boiling water for a few minutes until they are soft. If you are using fresh rice noodles, you just need to "unstick" them and separate then into strands.
- Strain noodles
Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water to stop cooking. It is possible to overcook rice noodles to mush, so take care to cook them just until soft and pliable.
- Chop green onion
Chop off the root, and cut into 2" pieces. For the white part of the scallion near the root end, I cut those in half so they cook faster.
- Chop red bell pepper
Take out the seeds and chop the bell pepper into strips, also know as julienne!
- Chop ginger/garlic and scramble egg
Poke those yolks and mix up the eggs in a bowl, so they are ready to cook. The garlic and ginger (if using) needs to be minced with a microplane grater or with a knife.
- Heat pan with oil over medium heat
You will want to use a nonstick pan or seasoned wok, so the noodles don't stick! Heat the pan to medium heat (this take about a minute or two) and add a teaspoon of oil. You could use sesame oil but any neutral, vegetable oil will do.
- Scramble eggs
Add the eggs to the hot pan and keep stirring until just cooked through. I add a little salt to the eggs (because I like each item seasoned).
- Remove eggs
Once there is no more liquid swirling around the pan, remove the eggs from the pan.
- Add shrimp
Using the same pan (you can wipe out the pan with a paper towel if you prefer), add a teaspoon of oil to the pan and add the shrimp to the pan in an even layer. I sprinkle with salt to taste. Bonus tip: dry them off with a paper towel first so that water doesn't splatter when you add the shrimp to the hot pan.
- Cook shrimp
The shrimp need just a couple minutes on each side. Once they are fully pink and curled, they are done. If you poke it with your finger, it should bounce back. Remove them from the pan, and set aside for the next step.
- Cook garlic and ginger (if using)
With the pan still on medium heat, add another teaspoon of oil to the pan. Add the garlic and ginger to the pan. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds just until fragrant. You want to remove the bite out of those aromatic vegetables.
- Add vegetables to the pan
Add the green onion, bell pepper, and bean sprouts (if using) to the pan. I add a sprinkle of salt because I like to season everything. Cook for 2-4 minutes until the vegetables are al dente - as in cooked but still have a bite.
- Add noodles and sauce
If the noodles are stuck together, just give them another quick rinse under water to loosen them. Add them to the pan. Also add the sauce ingredients and cook for 2-3 minutes until the rice noodles are heated through.
- Add shrimp and eggs
Add the shrimp and eggs back to the pan, and stir fry for 1-2 minutes until heated through (since they've now gone cold). [Use a big pan if you can. As you can see, mine is pretty stuffed below. Take care with stirring, so you don't make too much of a mess!)
- Check for seasoning
Once it's all mixed up, taste and check for seasoning. Does it need more salt? Do you want to add pepper or hot sauce? Or just leave those condiments for each person to season to their taste.
- Serve Hot
Serve hot - with or without extra condiments like hot sauce.
Helpful Tips
- For the love of noodles and easy cleanup, use a nonstick pan or well seasoned wok. Otherwise, the noodles will stick, and you'll get a noodle graveyard in the pan.
- Make sure your pan is big enough. I used a 10 inch skillet that was probably too small, so I just took care to stir carefully.
- You can use any size shrimp you like. I would recommend using raw shrimp and cooking it yourself for maximum flavor, rather than precooked shrimp.
- If you don't want to use bell peppers, most other soft vegetables will work, such as zucchini or bok choy.
- This recipe doesn't use black or white pepper, but feel free to season with them at the end of cooking to taste.
More Easy Seafood Recipes
Vietnamese “Fried” Fish with Tomato Sauce (Cá Chiên Sðt Cà)
Lomi Salmon (with this super SIMPLE hack!)
Recipe
Shrimp Chow Fun
Ingredients
- 4 oz rice noodles dried or fresh
- ¾ lb shrimp defrosted and patted dry
- 3 tsp oil separated into 1 teaspoon portions
- 3 ea eggs beaten
- 1 ea red bell pepper julienned
- 4 oz bean sprouts (optional)
- 4 ea green onion cut into 2" pieces
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger (optional) minced
Sauce
- 1 Tb fish sauce
- 1 Tb soy sauce
- ½ Tb sweet chili sauce (optional)
- ½ tsp mushroom seasoning (optional) or shiitake mushroom powder
- salt to taste
Instructions
- If using fresh rice noodles, separate into strands, since they are probably all stuck together. If using dried rice noodles, cook according to the package directions. This will usually involve dropping them into boiling water and cooking for 2-3 minutes until soft but not completely mushy. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
- Heat a nonstick pan to medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil and the eggs. Keep stirring and cooking until the eggs are cooked and fairly dry with no major wet spots. Remove the eggs onto a plate and set aside.
- Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and heat up back on the stove to medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil. Add the shrimp in an even layer. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the bottoms are pink and flip over. Season with salt if desired. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the shrimp is curled, firm to the touch and cooked through. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Wipe out the pan and return pan to the stove. Heat to medium heat and add the last teaspoon of oil. Add the garlic and ginger. Stir and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the red bell pepper, bean sprouts, and green onion to the pan. Cook for 2-4 minutes until soft. Add salt if desired.
- Add the rice noodles, fish, sauce, and soy sauce to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring until heated through. Add any other seasonings, such as the mushroom seasoning and sweet chili sauce.
- Add the eggs and shrimp back to the pan. Cook while stirring for 1-2 minutes until heated through.
- Taste and check for any final seasoning. Add salt if needed. Serve hot and with hot sauce on the side if you like it spicy. 🙂
Notes
- For the love of noodles and easy cleanup, use a nonstick pan or well seasoned wok. Otherwise, the noodles will stick, and you'll get a noodle graveyard in the pan.
- Make sure your pan is big enough. I used a 10 inch skillet that was probably too small, so I just took care to stir carefully.
- You can use any size shrimp you like. I would recommend using raw shrimp and cooking it yourself for maximum flavor, rather than precooked shrimp.
Nutrition
🥠Fortune Cookie
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.
Lao Tzu
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