{{About|the noodle dish also known as "chao fen" or "chow fun"|the family of fried rice dishes known as "chao fan"|Chinese fried rice}} {{short description|Chinese noodle}} {{more citations needed|date=August 2018}} {{Italic title|reason=:Category:Chinese words and phrases}} {{Infobox food | name = ''Shahe fen'' | image = Ho fan in noodles shop.jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = Boxes of ''shahe fen'' | alternate_name = Ho fun, hofoen, hor fun, sar hor fun, kway teow, guotiao, da fen, guay tiew sen yai, kwetiau | country = China | region = Shahe District, Guangzhou | creator = | course = | type = Chinese noodles | served = | main_ingredient = Rice | variations = ''Kuyteav'', ''hủ tiếu'', ''kyay oh'' | calories = | other = }} {{Chinese|c=沙河粉|h= sa ho fun|p=shā hé fěn|j=saa1 ho4 fan2|altname=hefen|poj=sa-hô-hún|c2=河粉|h2=ho fun|p2=hé fěn|j2=ho2 fan2|poj2=hô-hún}}
'''''Shahe fen''''' ({{zh|t=沙河粉|p=shāhé fěn}}, also simply '''''hor fun / he fen''''' {{zh|t=河粉|phé fěn|}}) or '''''guotiao''''' ({{zh|t=粿條|p=guǒtiáo}}, also '''kway teow''') is a type of wide Chinese noodle made from rice.<ref>{{cite book | last1=Green | first1=A. | last2=Legato | first2=S. | last3=Casella | first3=C. | title=Making Artisan Pasta: How to Make a World of Handmade Noodles, Stuffed Pasta, Dumplings, and More | publisher=Quarry Books | year=2012 | isbn=978-1-61058-195-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=63JSqnnOkFYC&pg=RA2-PA22 | access-date=August 26, 2018 | page=22}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last= Lim | first= T.K. | title= Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants: Volume 5, Fruits | publisher= Springer Science & Business Media | year= 2013 | isbn= 9789400756533 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=_ZZEAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA304 | access-date=August 4, 2022 | page= 304 }}</ref> It is often stir-fried with meat and/or vegetables in a dish called '''''chao fen''''' (炒粉; pinyin: chǎo fěn); it is also a main ingredient in ''char kway teow''.
== Names == {{more citations needed section|date=May 2025}}
===Shahe fen=== While ''shahe fen'' and ''he fen'' are transliterations based on Mandarin, there are numerous other transliterations based on Cantonese, which include '''ho fun''', '''hofoen''' (a Dutch transliteration in Suriname), '''hor fun''', '''sar hor fun''', etc.
=== Guotiao === The word {{lang|zh|粿條}} '''''guǒtiáo''''' literally means "ricecake strips". It is also read in Minnan Chinese as ''kóe-tiâu''; it is borrowed into the homophones '''kwetiau''' in Indonesia, ''kuetiau'' in Malaysian,<ref name="DBP">{{cite web|url= https://www.malaymail.com/news/life/2021/03/02/its-kuetiau-dbp-standardises-bahasa-melayu-spelling-of-beloved-flat-rice-no/1954054|title= It's 'kuetiau', DBP standardises Bahasa Melayu spelling of beloved flat rice noodles|date= 2 March 2021}}</ref> and ''kway teow'' in Singapore.{{cn |date=May 2025}} It is also called '''kuaitiao''' or guay tiew (ก๋วยเตี๋ยว) in Thailand, and pan-tiau (粄條) by the Hakka.{{cn |date=May 2025}}
=== Differences === Minnan people generally consider ''shahe fen'' and ''kway teow'' to be two distinct foods, and continue to make a distinction between ''shahe fen'' and ''guotiao/kway teow'' in their speech. ''Hor fun'' was developed by the Cantonese and is thin and tapered like strips of tape, with some porous areas that absorb the gravy, taste, and flavour of the broth or sauce that it is cooked in because it contains less starchy content, which has been stripped away during the production process. In contrast, ''guotiao/kuay teow'' is dense, and less absorbent and contains a higher level of starch and is more impermeable to absorbing flavours, and thus has to be soaked for a longer period of time in the dish preparation usually for a day or more, or is soaked in water first for a long time before it is fried as ''char kway teow''. The taste, texture, flavour, ingredients, length, thickness, width, style, density are considered very different to many people in China and Asia more broadly, but often people from other regions are not be able to tell the difference immediately.
''Guotiao/kway teow'' has a different origin from ''shahe fen'', from Northeast instead of Central China, and is a modification of the ''guo/kway'' (rice cake) production process, and originated as the ancient preservation of rice as a starch-filled cake patty (of which Korean rice strips are yet another descendant, as it was brought as a recipe from China to Choseon dynasty when the Emperor of China during the Ming dynasty took the Korean princess as one of his concubines, and this recipe was gifted to the people of Choseon as a betrothal gift to the Korean people).{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}} In Hokkien (Fujian) of China, this version of ''guotiao/kway teow'' was then influenced by the Cantonese ''shahe fen'' from the neighboring province of Guangdong. Cantonese culture from the 17th century onwards was thought of as the dominant culture of civilization and culture, of wealth, excess, and sophistication, so the ancient ''guotiao/kway teow'' underwent modification to become similar to the standard Cantonese ''shahe fen/hor fun''. However, these two versions (''guotiao/kway teow'' vs. ''shahe fen/hor fun'') were spread to Southeast Asia and the world differently, thus they are presented differently in different dishes. Though some restaurants will make a strong distinction, other, more casual Chinese restaurants may use the two interchangeably. Original ricecakes and its strips (i.e. authentic ''guotiao/kway teow'') are stiff in texture, even after cooking, often making them less popular with modern consumers.
Another similar noodle is the ''mee tai mak'' ({{lang|zh|米苔目}}) which is like the ''hor fun'' and the ''bee hoon'' combined with Milanese pasta.
It is also known in Sabah as ''da fen'' ({{lang|zh|大粉}}), means "wide vermicelli", due to its similarity of colour and texture to rice vermicelli.
===In other languages=== Other names that are known include '''sen yai''' ({{linktext|เส้นใหญ่}}, {{lit|large rice noodles}}) in Thailand, '''hsan-bya''' ({{linktext|ဆန်ပြား}}, {{lit|flat rice}}) or '''nan-bya''' ({{linktext|နန်းပြား}}, {{lit|flat filigree}}) in Myanmar, and '''hủ tiếu''' or '''pho''' in Vietnam.
==Origin== [[Image:HorFun.JPG|thumb|Sliced fish hor fun sold in Bukit Batok, Singapore]] ''Shahe fen'' is believed to have originated in the town of Shahe ({{zh|c=沙河|j=Saa1 Ho4|p=Shāhé}}), now part of the Tianhe District in the city of Guangzhou, in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, whence their name derives. ''Shahe fen'' is a common component of southern Chinese cuisine, although similar noodles are also prepared and enjoyed in nearby Southeast Asian nations such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, all of which have sizeable Chinese populations.{{Cn|date=March 2021}}
==Types== [[Image:Kwetiau Kuah Ayam - rice noodles and chicken.jpg|thumb|Wide ''shahe fen'' stir-fried with soy sauce, as served in Switzerland]] ''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. thumb|Dried shahe fen before cooking
''Shahe fen'' noodles are very similar to Vietnamese ''bánh phở'' noodles, which are likely derived from their Chinese counterpart.{{Citation needed|date=June 2013}} 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 ''phat si-io'' and drunken noodles are also made with similar noodles.{{Cn|date=March 2021}}
==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; jyutping: caau2 fan2). While ''chao fen'' is a transliteration of Mandarin, '''''chow fun''''' is the name most often given to the dish in Chinese restaurants in North America from Cantonese.
<gallery widths="200px" heights="170px"> Image:Beefchowfoon.jpg|Beef chow fun </gallery>
==See also== {{portal|Food}} {{columns-list|colwidth=30em| *Chee cheong fun *Fettuccine *Fried noodles *Kuyteav *Kwetiau goreng *Phở *Rice noodle roll *Rice noodles }}
== Gallery == <gallery> File:Steam Sa Ho Fan with Grouper.jpg|Steam Shahe Fen with Fish File:Food 乾炒牛肉河粉, 大直小館, 台北 (15987593631).jpg|Fried Shahe Fen with beef </gallery>
{{commonscat|Sha ho fan}}
==References== {{reflist | 30em}}
==External links== * {{Commons category-inline|Shahe fen}}
{{Hong Kong cuisine}} {{Cantonese cuisine}} {{Chinese noodles}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shahe Fen}} Category:Cantonese cuisine Category:Chinese noodles Category:Hong Kong cuisine Category:Singaporean noodles