15-Min Shrimp Chow Fun Recipe

Shrimp Chow Fun is a classic Cantonese stir-fried noodle dish with wide rice noodles, smoky wok hei, and juicy shrimp in every bite. If your chow fun keeps breaking when you stir-fry it, this 15-minute recipe shows you how to keep the noodles bouncy and intact while sealing in tender, juicy shrimp — better than takeout, guaranteed.

Shrimp Chow Fun Recipe

Serves: 4
Prep time: 8 minutes
Cook time: 7 minutes

For the shrimp:
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Pinch of salt
Pinch of white pepper
½ teaspoon cornstarch
2 cloves garlic, minced

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 ½ tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
¾ cup chicken stock, or seafood stock

For the stir-fry:
1 package (14 oz) dried rice noodles, thick
3 tablespoons cooking oil, separated
½ medium onion, sliced
3 stalks scallions, sliced
½ cup bean sprouts

Shrimp Chow Fun Instructions

1. Season the shrimp

• On a plate, add the shrimp, salt, white pepper, and cornstarch.
• Mix well until evenly coated.

2. Prepare the ingredients

• Slice the onion and scallions, and mince the garlic.

3. Make the stir-fry sauce

• In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and chicken stock.

4. Boil the rice noodles

• In a pot over high heat, bring water to a boil.
• Add the dried rice noodles and cook for about 3 minutes, just until softened.
• Immediately transfer the noodles to cold water to stop the cooking.
• Drain well and set aside.

5. Stir-fry the shrimp

• In a wok over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil.
• Add the shrimp and garlic and stir-fry for about 1 minute, until lightly pink.
• Remove from the wok and set aside.

6. Stir-fry the onion

• In the wok over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil.
• Add the onion and stir-fry for about 1 minute, until slightly softened.
• Remove and set aside.

7. Stir-fry the shrimp chow fun

• In the wok over high heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of cooking oil.
• Add the rice noodles and stir-fry until heated through.
• Return the onion and pour in the sauce.
• Toss for about 1 minute until the noodles absorb the sauce.
• Add the shrimp back in, along with bean sprouts and scallions.
• Give everything a quick toss and remove from the heat.

Tips & notes

• Use rice noodles with starch: Noodles with a bit of starch hold together better and are less likely to break during stir-frying.
• Slightly undercook the noodles: Boiling just until softened allows them to finish cooking in the wok without falling apart.
• Rinse with cold water immediately: This stops the cooking process and prevents the noodles from sticking.
• Cook over high heat: Keeping the heat high throughout helps develop wok hei and prevents soggy noodles.
• Add shrimp back at the end: Shrimp cook quickly, and returning them last keeps them tender and juicy.