While shahe fen and he fen are transliterations based on Mandarin, there are numerous other transliterations based on Cantonese, which include ho fun, hofoen, hor fun, sar hor fun, etc. In addition, shahe fen is often synonymously called kway teow or in Mandarin, guotiao, as in the name of a dish called char kway teow. However, shahe fen and kway teow are strictly and technically not the same and the Minnan people in general still consciously make a distinction between shahe fen and guotiao/kway teow in their speech. Hor fun was perfected 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 very different for Chinese and Asian palates, but most foreigners may 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 production process, and originated as the ancient preservation of rice as a starch-filled cake patty. In Hokkien 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 were spread to Southeast Asia and the world differently, thus they are presented differently in different dishes. Good Chinese restaurants do not mix up or confuse the two, but more casual versions of Chinese takeout often use the two interchangeably. Original ricecakes and its strips are stiff in texture, even after cooking, making them unpopular with modern consumers. Another similar noodle confused by Westerners is the nee tai mak which is like the hor fun and the bee hoon combined with Milanese pasta. It is also known in Sabah as da fen, means "wide vermicelli", due to its similarity of colour and texture to rice vermicelli. These noodles are called guay tiew sen yai in Thailand, kwetiau in Indonesia and pho in Vietnam as its counterpart version.
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 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 phat si-io and drunken noodles are also made with similar noodles.
Chao fen
Shahe fen is often stir-fried with meat and vegetables in a dish called chao fen. While chao fen is a transliteration of Mandarin, chow fun, from Cantonese, is the name to which this dish is most often referred in Chinese restaurants in North America.
