Shahe fen

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Shahe fen

A thinner version of Shahe fen
Chinese: 沙河粉
hefen
Chinese: 河粉

Shahe fen or he fen is a type of wide Chinese noodle made from rice.

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[edit] Names

While shahe fen and he fen are transliterations based on Standard Mandarin, there are numerous other transliterations based on Cantonese Chinese, which include ho fen, hofen, ho-fen, ho fun, ho-fun, hor fun, hor fen, sar hor fun, etc. In addition, shahe fen is often called kway teow (粿條, literally "rice cake strips," transliteration based on Min Nan Chinese, POJ: kóe-tiâu) or guotiao (pinyin: guǒtiáo; the corresponding transliteration based on Standard Mandarin), as in the name of a dish called char kway teow.

[edit] Origin

Shahe fen is believed to have originated in the town of Shahe (沙河; Cantonese: Sa1ho4 pinyin: Shāhé), now part of the Tianhe District in the city of Guangzhou, in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, from whence their name derives. Shahe fen is typical of southern Chinese cuisine, although similar noodles are also prepared and enjoyed in nearby Southeast Asian nations such as Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, all of which have sizeable Chinese populations.

[edit] Types

Wide Shahe fen stir-fried with soy sauce
Wide Shahe fen stir-fried with soy sauce

Shahe fen noodles are white in color, broad, and somewhat slippery. Their texture is elastic and a bit chewy. They do not freeze or dry well and are thus generally (where available) purchased fresh, in strips or sheets that may be cut to the desired width. Where fresh noodles are not available, they may also be purchased packaged in dried form, in various widths.

Shahe fen noodles are very similar to Vietnamese bánh phở noodles, which are likely derived from their Chinese counterpart. Although the phở noodles used in soups may vary in width, wide phở noodles are also common in stir fried dishes. The popular Thai dishes pad see ew and pad Thai are also made with similar noodles.

[edit] Chao fen

See also: Beef chow fun

Shahe fen is often stir fried with meat and vegetables in a dish called chao fen (炒粉; pinyin: chǎo fěn). While chao fen is a transliteration based on Standard Mandarin, chow fun - a transliteration based on the Cantonese language - is the name to which this dish is most often referred in Chinese restaurants in North America. Some people who do not realize the fact that chao fen and chow fun are merely transliterations sometimes mistakenly interpret the terms with the meaning of the English words "chow" and "fun."

[edit] See also

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