About Hakka Noodles
Made from unleavened refined wheat flour, Hakka noodles are an Indian-Chinese style of noodles. After boiling them until they are tender, they are stir-fried in oil and vegetables in a Chinese wok. “Haka noodles” here refers to both the finished dish and the variety of noodles that are used.
There are a lot of brands selling hakka noodles. You may buy something from a trusted brand you prefer. I have used Chings vegetarian hakka noodles. Since refined flour is used to make these, we attempt to limit these
You can use any other whole grain noodles, such as soba, ramen, or udon, if you’re attempting to avoid refined foods.
Soba noodles are super thin and made with buckwheat. I use them often to make my vegetable noodles. Although thick and fatty, udon noodles are made from whole wheat. Somen are super thin noodles made with wheat flour. I have used them here chilli garlic noodles.
You can still use these if you want to eat healthily, and that’s what I always do even though they’re not in the real hakka noodles recipe.
You can make the best Chinese Hakka noodles with this easy recipe, which takes less than 20 minutes to prepare and is full of flavor and crisp, fresh vegetables. The flavor of these homemade noodles is on par with that of the Hakka noodles from your preferred Chinese restaurant. Additionally, these are freshly cooked, free of added salt, and low in oil.
I’ve also included a ton of advice on how to always make them flawless!
Vegetables: The most popular vegetables for this recipe are cabbage, french beans, bell peppers, carrots, scallions/spring onions, and regular onions. You can use whatever you have. I always think that the aroma and crunch of the cabbage complement the hakka noodles. But since I didn’t have any this time, I haven’t used it.
Use high-smoke-point oil, such as sunflower, safflower, or peanut oil. After stir-frying, high-end restaurants add a little toasted sesame oil to finish off the dish and bring out the flavors. Toasted sesame oil is meant for dressing; do not use it for stir-frying hakka noodles as it may leave a bitter aftertaste.
Soya sauce: Choose naturally brewed or organic soya sauce. Steer clear of other soy varieties as their flavor is shallow due to harsh chemical processing. You can use tamari as a substitute to soya sauce.
Vinegar: Hakka noodles are made with rice vinegar or white vinegar. But you can also use apple cider. Avoid using synthetic vinegar.
Spices: Three types of spices are used: crushed pepper, ginger, and garlic. These spices give the noodles flavor without adding any heat. I do not use ginger in my recipe. Since white crushed pepper is less spicy and aromatic, it is typically used. I use the black ground pepper.
Soy sauce is the only sauce used in most Indo-Chinese restaurants. Either the chili oil or the green chilies provide the heat. If you enjoy really hot and spicy noodles, you can optionally use any hot sauce.
You can use chilli oil as an optional ingredient if you have any. Some restaurants use it to enhance the flavors. Many varieties of chili oil made with red chilies, Schezwan peppers, garlic, and other ingredients are sold in the market. You can choose what you like. I have not used any here.
Ingredients for Hakka Noodles
- Hakka noodles: You can find Hakka noodles in the refrigerated section of an Asian grocery store with the other fresh noodles. If you can’t find them, you can easily substitute dried spaghettini (which you’ll need to boil beforehand) or Shanghai oil noodles. I go into further details about noodle substitutions below.
How to Make Hakka Noodles
Soak the Hakka noodles in boiling water for five minutes in a big bowl. If you’re using spaghettini, cook them according to the directions on the package, but add one minute to the cooking time.
Drain the noodles and set them aside for later.
