乾炒牛河
gon1 caau2 ngau4 ho2
Beef chow fun is a Cantonese dish of stir-fried wide rice noodles with beef, known as 乾炒牛河 (gon1 caau2 ngau4 ho2).
In a restaurant setting, you can shorten the name to 牛河 to refer to the dish.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 乾炒牛河 is composed of 乾 (dry), 炒 (stir-fry), 牛 (beef) and 河 (rice noodles/river noodles).
Which one should you use?
The inclusion of 乾 (gon1) specifies the 'dry' version of the dish, distinguishing it from versions that might be served with more sauce or gravy.
How do you pronounce it?
gon1 caau2 ngau4 ho2
Did you know?
- The term 牛 (beef) in this dish specifically refers to the beef, but in many Cantonese contexts, the word 牛 can also be used as a slang term for someone who is 'awesome' or 'capable'.
- The 河 in 牛河 is short for 河粉, which translates to 'river noodles'. They were named this because the wide, flat shape of the noodle resembles a river.
- In Cantonese culture, 乾炒牛河 is often considered a 'litmus test' for a chef's skill. Because the noodles are fragile and prone to breaking, a perfect dish must have intact noodles and no excess oil.
Examples in context
- 你好，我想点一份牛肉炒粉。Hello, I would like to order a plate of beef chow fun.
- 我想食乾炒牛河。ngo5 soeng2 sik6 gon1 caau2 ngau4 ho2.I want to eat beef chow fun.
- 呢份乾炒牛河好惹味。ni1 fan6 gon1 caau2 ngau4 ho2 hou2 je5 mei6.This beef chow fun is very flavorful.
- 佢哋份乾炒牛河好大份。keoi5 dei6 fan6 gon1 caau2 ngau4 ho2 hou2 daai6 fan6.Their beef chow fun is a large portion.
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding what to order at a restaurant.
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan家明，你想食咩？ga1 ming4, nei6 soeng2 sik6 me1Ka Ming, what do you want to eat?
- 家明 Ka Ming我想試下呢度嘅乾炒牛河。ngo5 soeng2 si3 haa5 ni1 dou6 ge3 gon1 caau2 ngau4 ho4I want to try the beef chow fun here.
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan好啊，我都 ordered 一份。hou2 aa3, ngo5 dou1 order-ed jat1 fan6Okay, I will order one too.
- 家明 Ka Ming咁我哋叫兩份啦。gam2 ngo5 dei6 giu3 loeng2 fan6 laa1Then let's order two portions.
