The bean sprouts are then stir-fried with the rest of the chow fun until they are tender and the dish is ready to serve.

[citation needed] This wok hei provides an almost charred flavor which is hard to obtain without high heat.

The origin of chow fun is unknown, but there is a legend concerning the origin of dry-fried chow fun:[4][5] During World War II, a man named Mr. Hui migrated from Canton to Hunan to become a chef.

The story continues: "One night, Mr Hui's food stall ran out of powder (potato starch), which was needed for sauces.

It was there that he thought about doing it dry stir fried style, and thus the stall (and his family) were spared from the bullet.