Vegetable Hakka Noodles

Indo-Chinese has earned its place to evolve into a new Chinese Cuisine from the streets of India. When it comes of Chinese food growing up, my brains would think about Hakka Noodles, Manchurian, Paneer Chili and Fried Rice. I will literally always think only these dishes, little did I know that we don't get Hakka noodles or Manchurian when we visit China.

Vegetable Hakka Noodles make for an amazingly easy and quick delicious dinner. My husband absolutely loves these hakka noodles for a busy weeknight dinner. I usually make these once every 2-3 weeks, as we love our fair share of Indo- Chinese cuisine.

I always used to feel Indo-Chinese cuisine is something meant to be eaten in restaurants and from the street side hawkers in India. It was a cuisine we enjoyed when we went out for dinner.

After I moved to the US, I use to crave for this cuisine so much, that I most easy go to would be to Hakka Noodles at home and relish them till the last bite. Over the years, I tried to improve my recipe and finally I have reached a place where I am satisfied with the recipe of Veg Hakka Noodles I make.

How to make Restaurant Style Hakka Noodles at Home?

The Noodles

To make the perfect Hakka Noodles at home, you want to first start with good quality of noodles. I use Chings Noodles, easily available in any grocery stores in India and in Indian Stores in the US.

Another important thing is to cook the noodles al dante for perfect Hakka Noodles.

The Sauces

Next is the good quality sauces, because instead of using the usual spices, we use Soy sauce, Green Chili Sauce and Red Chili Sauce to add the flavor in these Noodles. I use all the sauces from Chings Brand as well, but feel free to use any brand you trust for the perfect Vegetable Hakka Noodles at home.

Controversial MSG and Alternatives

Restaurants have this delicious savory umami taste. They get this taste by adding MSG. Now there are a lot of controversies regarding this and I personally don't like to add MSG, very rarely to get the same flavor as restaurants I do.

But, there are alternatives. MSG helps in enhancing the flavor of savory foods like these Hakka Noodles, but you can feel free to skip using MSG and try adding:

• Concentrated Tomato Paste
• Mushrooms
• Miso Paste
• The Mushroom Company's Umami Mushroom Seasoning from Trader Joes ( This is my favorite)

The Veggies

When it comes to veggies, I like to keep them the standard Green Bell Peppers, Onions , Carrots and Cabbage. Everything thinly sliced so it cooks evenly.

Cookware

I prefer to use a Wok or Kadai. You can buy a wok from any local Asian supermarket. The wok can get hot evenly fast so it helps to cook the hakka noodles perfectly.

How to Make this Recipe?

Step 1: Boil The Noodles Al-Dante

1. Add water in a big pot. Once the water starts to boil, add salt and oil.
2. Now add the noodles.
3. The noodles will soon soften, with the help of tongs separate them. Cook them for 2 mins. They will start to look like in image 2.
4. Strain them using a strainer. Next wash them with cold water and add oil. Give it a mix. Set them aside.

You want your noodles to be cooked Al-Dante. This means that they should be a little raw, not cooked thoroughly. The heat while cooking the Hakka Noodles finally will cook them well. If you mess this step, your noodles will be soggy and wobbly and Hakka Noodles won't come out the way you want them to be. So, I suggest to be very attentive while cooking the noodles.

Step 2: Prep the Veggies.

You want to cut everything julienned. This means all the veggies including onions, green bell peppers , cabbage and carrots should be thinly sliced. Feel free to add veggies of your choice, but cut them thin and even. I also like to add fresh, finely chopped garlic, ginger and green chillies.

Step 3: Make The Noodles

1. Place the Wok on the stove on high heat. Add oil with high smoking point. Like vegetable oil or grape-seed oil.
2. To this add freshly minced garlic, ginger and green chillies. Saute them till they start to brown.
3. Next add in the onions and little bit of salt, to help onions start to cook evenly.
4. Next goes in the spring onions.
5. Now either mix soy sauce, green chili sauce, red chili sauce and sugar in a bowl or add them one by one. Give it a mix.
6. Next goes in the all the thinly sliced veggies along with ground black white pepper and MSG. Give it a thorough mix. Let the spices cook through.
7. The final step is to add the cooked noodles. Mix the noodles using two spatulas, as it is easy to mix everything well this way. Adjust the salt. Give it a mix again and done.

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