Velvety and smooth rice noodles, mixed with shrimp, fish balls, and vegetables.
This ho fun noodles recipe is a delicious dish that can easily be made in no time.
It's great for pot lucks, busy weeknights, and even lazy weekends.
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Ho fun noodles, or ho fan noodles, is a Chinese noodle dish that is made with wide flat rice noodles.
Rice noodles are stir fried along with other ingredients such as shrimp and fish balls, to make a dish that is sure to delight.
Ho fun noodles are easy to make and are great for those busy weeknights, last minute lucnh or dinner catch ups, or even to serve at a pot luck.
What kind of noodles should I use?
Ho Fun noodles, also known as wide rice noodles or flat rice noodles, are a type of Chinese noodle made from rice flour and water.
They are wider and flatter than traditional rice noodles, which gives them a unique texture and flavor.
Ho Fun noodles are often used in a variety of Chinese dishes, including stir-fries and noodle soups.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This seafood ho fun noodles recipe is budget friendly.
- Quick and easy to make, perfect for busy weeknights or lazy weekends.
- Serve as a main meal or side dish to other Asian dishes.
- Perfect to serve at dinner parties, pot lucks, or special occaisons like Christmas, Thanksgiving.
- This recipe is gluten free.
- Make them in advance and enjoy them for lunch. Great for meal prep.
Cost To Make
Estimated cost = $10.25 or $1.70 a serve
Ingredients
Please note that below is a guide for some of the ingredients we used in the recipe. The printable recipe further down the page has the complete list of ingredients, including quantities and step-by-step instructions.
For the Noodles
- Cooking oil: e.g. vegetable oil
- Fresh broad rice noodles OR Fine rice vermicelli: If you are using fresh rice noodles, separate each noodle before you fry them. If you don't you may find your noodles become gluey and stick together after they are cooked.
- Light soy sauce
- Dark soy sauce
- Water
For the Thickener
- Stock: Such as chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water
- Cornflour (corn starch)
- Light soy sauce
- Dark soy sauce
- Ground white pepper
For the Sauce
- Cooking oil: e.g. vegetable oil
- Minced garlic
- Shrimp (prawns): Deshelled and cleaned
- Fish balls or fish cake: Sliced. If you don't have fish balls or fish cake, you could substitute for shrimp or scallops.
- Choy sum: Cut into finger lengths. Or you could use bok choy.
Instructions
This recipe for ho fun noodles serves 4. The ingredient quantities can easily be adjusted to suit how many serves you need to make.
For the Noodles
Before you begin, you need to loosen your fresh ho fun noodles. Separate each strand. If you don't do this, you may find that your noodles turn out gluey.
Step One:
Heat 4 tablespoons cooking oil in a wok or deep frying pan over medium to high heat.
Add the noodles, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and water, and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, until the noodles are slightly crisp in some parts.
Turn off heat, remove from wok and set aside in a large serving plate.
For the Thickener
Step One: Combine all ingredients in a medium to large sized jug. Taste for seasoning. Add more light soy sauce or salt if desired. Set aside.
For the Sauce
Step One: Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a wok or deep frying pan and saute the garlic until fragrant.
This should only take about half a minute.
Then add the shrimp and fish balls. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until the shrimp start to change color.
Step Two: Add the choy sum and continue to cook until the vegetable softens.
Step Three: Mix through the prepared thickener. Bring the liquid to a boil. Once at a boil, turn off heat, and pour sauce over fried noodles. Serve.
Tips for Success
- You may need to loosen the flat noodles so that they don't clump together as you cook.
Substitutions / Variations
- You could mix in some ground meats, such as pork, chicken, or beef.
- Use other vegetables, such as bok choy or broccoli, or a combination.
- Add some scrambled egg to your noodles.
- Add some fried chopped mushrooms, such as button mushrooms or shitake.
Serving Suggestions
- Pickled green chillis
- A light soup, such as egg drop soup, chicken broth, or seafood soup
- Asian vegetables such as boy choy or kailan
- Spring rolls
- Gyoza or dumplings
Storage
These ho fun noodles are best eaten on the day they are made. However, you can stored them in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 2 to 3 days.
To reheat, you could use the microwave or reheat in a wok.
FAQ
Ho Fun and Chow Fun noodles are names for the same wide rice noodles, just with different spellings.
The choice of spelling can vary regionally, but the noodles are the same.
Mei Fun noodles are thinner rice noodles, while Ho Fun noodles are wide and flat.
Mei Fun is also known as rice vermicelli, and it has a more delicate texture compared to the wider, chewier ho fun noodles.
Yes, this recipe for ho fun noodles is gluten free.
Ho Fun noodles are made from rice flour and are wide and flat with a softer, smoother texture.
Udon noodles are Japanese wheat noodles, thicker, and have a chewier, denser consistency compared to the rice-based Ho Fun noodles.
What rice is used for what?
Ever wondered which might be the best rice to use for a dish you're about to make.
Or maybe you're just curious and want to know more about rice in general.
Why not check out our pages on what is basmati rice and what is jasmine rice.
Helpful Rice Cooking Tips
Want to know how to cook rice or just need a little refresher?
Check out how to easily cook basmati rice, sushi rice, and jasmine rice on the stovetop.
Or, why not check out our recipes on how to make basmati rice, jasmine rice, and sushi rice in the Instant Pot.
Made this recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments below! We'd love to hear how it turned out.
Recipe
Ho Fun Noodles
Ingredients
For the Noodles
- 4 tablespoons cooking oil e.g. vegetable oil
- 600 grams (1 lb 5 ⅓ ounces) fresh broad rice noodles OR 300 g (11 ounces) fine rice vermicelli
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons (68 ml/grams, 2.40 ounces) water
For the Thickener
- 500 ml/grams (17.63 ounces) stock (e.g. chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water) room temperature
- 3 tablespoons (27 grams, 0.95 ounces) cornflour (corn starch)
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil e.g. vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 150 grams (5.30 ounces) shrimp (prawns) deshelled and cleaned, and cut into small pieces
- 100 grams (3.53 ounces) fish balls or fish cake sliced (seen note 1)
- 300 grams (11 ounces) choy sum or bok choy cut into finger lengths
Instructions
For the Noodles
- Before you begin, you need to loosen your fresh ho fun noodles. Separate each strand. If you don't do this, you may find that your noodles turn out gluey.
- Heat 4 tablespoons cooking oil in a wok or deep frying pan over medium to high heat. Add the noodles, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and water, and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, until the noodles are slightly crisp in some parts. Turn off heat, remove from wok and set aside in a large serving plate.
For the Thickener
- Combine all ingredients in a medium to large sized jug. Taste for seasoning. Add more light soy sauce or salt if desired. Set aside.
For the Sauce
- Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a wok or deep frying pan and saute the garlic until fragrant. This should only take about half a minute. Then add the shrimp and fish balls. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until the shrimp start to change color.
- Add the choy sum and continue to cook until the vegetable softens.
- Mix through the prepared thickener. Bring the liquid to a boil. Once at a boil, turn off heat, and pour sauce over fried noodles. Serve.
Notes
- If you don't have fish balls or fish cakes you could use extra shrimp or scallops instead.
Herb says
This tasted delicious. Thanks for the recipe.