Cheung Fun

A staple at dim sum resturants, Cheung Fun is a steamed rice noodle roll that comes together with only a few simple ingredients at home. Soft and tender, this homemade cheung fun with shrimp recipe will be your new favourite dish to make for brunch at home.

Cheung fun (腸粉) is a must-have whenever we go for dim sum. It comes with all kinds of fillings that we always end up with multiple servings as everyone has their favourite. Mine has always been shrimp as I’m not as adventurous as H who’s always up for a new dish. They’re soft, moist, and a little slippery but that’s part of the fun of eating cheung fun!

 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• This cheung fun recipe is surprisingly easy to make at home. I’ve been making this recipe for a few years now since moving (no dim sum here sadly), and I essentially let H believe that I’m slaving away in the kitchen, but really, it’s pretty straightforward! Simply mix together a few ingredients to make a batter, then steam a thin layer of it.
• It’s smooth, silky, and soft. I find that the shrimp filling complements the texture of the roll best. While it may seem tedious, rolling the cheung fun with the shrimp, it’s well worth the effort!
• It’s versatile! You can add char siu, scallions, beef, dried shrimps, eggs, you tiao, and more to the rice noodle rolls! Everyone can roll their own and have their own.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• glutinous rice flour — for this cheung fun recipe, I’ve made it with rice flour and glutinous rice flour. I’ve read that they should not be swapped as they’re not interchangeable but I haven’t had an issue using glutinous rice flour for cheung fun. Glutinous rice flour tends to yield a sticky and chewy texture, which makes it perfect for homemade cheung fun. Also, let’s be honest, I discovered this because I grabbed the wrong bag out of my pantry and the end results were better than expected haha. So now I make it with glutinous flour. It is a wee bit sticky but I like it :) If you don’t, use regular rice flour.
• tapioca flour — you may find this labeled as tapioca starch or flour. They’re the same. The tapioca flour helps the cheung fun be a bit more sturdy for rolling. You can add less if you want your cheung fun to be more soft and tender.
• salt — you need a pinch to add some flavour to the rolls.
• water — to make the batter.
• oil — to brush the sheet pan with so the rolls do not stick. Use neutral oil.
• cooked shrimp – I like to use steamed shrimp but you can make your shrimp however you prefer.

How to Make Cheung Fun at Home

• Bring a large skillet of water to a boil with a small trivet in the middle. Keep covered until ready to steam.
• In a large bowl, combine the rice flour, tapioca flour, salt, and water. Mix until well combined.
• Brush the sheet pan with oil.

• Add around ¾ cup (or less if you prefer the cheung fun to be thinner) to the sheet pan.

• Place the sheet pan on top of the trivet and cover with the lid. Steam for 2 minutes.
• Remove the sheet pan and place 4 to 5 pieces of shrimp length-wise, a bit off-center.
• Run your spatula around the edge of the sheet pan to help release the dough from the sheet pan.
• Using a flexible spatula, gently fold the dough over the shrimp. Then continue to roll the dough until a long log shape forms.
• Repeat with the rest of the batter, making sure to stir the batter before using it.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• Do not pour the batter into the sheet pan ahead of time, as the batter will separate as you wait to put it into your steamer.
• While you can use a steaming basket, I used what I had on hand, which is this cast iron skillet with a small trivet.
• I use these sheet pans to steam my cheung fun in. However, you can also use rimmed plates if you prefer. In a pinch, you can use a square baking pan, but I found it difficult to roll the cheung fun, and it was difficult getting the baking pan to fit into the skillet to steam it.
• Make sure to set a timer! I’ve accidentally oversteamed the batter before, and I don’t recommend it.
• I use a mini silicone flipping spatulas to roll my cheung fun as they’re flexible and can roll up more of the batter than a regular mini spatula. You can also use a silicone bench scraper.
• You skip the shrimp and leave the cheung fun plain or add your filling of choice to it.
• Do not skip mixing the batter before scooping it into the sheet pan. The batter separates quickly, so you have to keep stirring it before using it.
• If you prefer a less sticky and chewy cheung fun, you can swap the glutinous rice flour for regular rice flour.
• Make sure your skillet and trivets are perfectly even, as a slant can cause one side of the dough to be too thick and the other too thin.
• To easily remove the sheet pan from the skillet, I use silicone oven mitts.

Make Ahead Tips

• Meal prep: once cooled, store the cheung fun in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
• Reheat: Microwave or steam the leftover rice noodle rolls to reheat them.

More Recipes You’ll Love

• Beef and Onions
• Air Fryer Orange Chicken
• Black Pepper Beef
• Sticky Orange Glazed Chicken Thighs
• Chow Mein
• Shrimp Stir Fry with Noodles

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