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.
How to Make Hakka Noodles (Stepwise photos)
1. Rinse all the veggies well. Slice the onions thin. Thinly slice bell peppers, carrots, french beans, and cabbage. Chop garlic and chilli as well.
2. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Then add noodles and cook them al dente. Please follow the pack for the timings.
3. Drain them to a colander and rinse under running water. This keeps the noodles less sticky and helps to eliminate extra starch.
4. Drain off completely. Add 1 tsp oil and toss the noodles. This prevents them from turning sticky. Set aside.
5. Add two tablespoons of oil to the pan and place it over high heat. Add chopped garlic and fry for just 30 seconds. Then add in green chilli (optional) and spring onion whites. Saute for 30 seconds more.
6. Add onions and fry for 1 minute.
7. Then add carrots, capsicum, cabbage and beans. I didn’t use cabbage as I didn’t have. But it adds a very good flavor. Fry them for just two minutes, or until a pleasant aroma emerges. The veggies should remain crunchy so do not over cook.
8. Add the noodles, vinegar, hot sauce (if using), and soy sauce.
9. Toss well and fry for another 2 minutes. Add ground pepper and spring onion greens. Taste and adjust the sauces and salt at this stage.
Hakka noodles should be served hot with chicken manchurian, gobi manchurian, chilli chicken, or paneer.
Prepare veggies: Chop the veggies really thin. You might not understand it on your first attempt if you’re a novice. However, after stir-frying, having those thin slices of vegetable makes a big difference because they blend in with the noodles. Steer clear of using too-cold veggies as they occasionally release moisture.
Cook noodles: Avoid over cooking them by all means. Cook them in a lot of hot, boiling water until they are al dente—that is, just cooked and firm but not too soft—and then drain them. Quickly rinse them under cold running water. This helps in 2 ways – 1. Stops them from cooking further 2. Gets rid of the excess starch.
Noodle preparation: To keep the cooked noodles from clumping together, coat them with oil. This is very important.
Use a cast iron pan or a wok: For making hakka noodles, a large wok works best. Use your cast iron or carbon steel wok, if you have one. These cookware impart that smoky aroma to your hakka noodles.
Oil: The quantity of oil makes a huge difference here. Please do not cut corners on the amount of oil used in my recipe as it is not as demanding as the restaurant version. Reduce your portion size but do not cut back on the oil if you are following a low-fat diet.
Additionally, I observed that the noodles were dry because the carbon steel and cast iron woks absorbed a lot of the oil. So adjust the oil as per your need.
Stir fry on a high flame
When you stir fry, maintain a high heat or flame all the way through. This keeps the vegetables from getting mushy and gives the meal a distinct smoky flavor.
Stir-frying the vegetables To avoid overcooking, keep an eye on the pan and toss or mix frequently with a spatula.
This recipe is easily modified to make either chicken or egg hakka noodles. The beaten egg should be added to the heated oil first when making the egg version. After cooking the eggs until they are tender, transfer them to a bowl. Proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Add back the egg along with the noodles. If you want step-by-step photos, you can also look at these egg noodles.
In order to prepare the chicken hakka noodles, combine 3/4-inch-long chicken strips with beaten egg. After coating the chicken with the egg, place it in the hot oil. Stir fry on a high flame until fully cooked.
Add the remaining egg and cook until done. Remove this to a plate and proceed with the recipe. Add back the chicken along with the noodles. Also available for step-by-step photos is this recipe for chicken noodles.
These variations will require you to use additional salt and sauce.
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Refer to the step-by-step photos above the recipe card for optimal results.
