Bhojan Daily

Hakka Noodles is the name of a special type of noodles as well as the dish made with it. These are dried noodles made with plain flour. The Hakka Noodles recipe is made by cooking these noodles until al dente and then mixing them with stir-fried vegetables that are seasoned with soy sauce, a few spices and salt. It is of the most popular stir-fried noodle dishes that rules the menus of all restaurants serving Asian, Oriental as well as Indo-Chinese cuisines in India. It is also popular at street-side Chinese joints across the Indian subcontinent.

About Hakka Noodles

Like I mentioned in the beginning, Hakka Noodles is a popular Indo-Chinese dish of stir-fried noodles. You will find it being made and served in many restaurants and street-side Chinese food joints in India.

The origin of Hakka Noodles can be traced back to the times when Chinese migrants reached Kolkata in West Bengal and settled there.

They created a new preparation by tossing Chinese noodles with Indian spices, vegetables and herbs that were available to them at hand.

As I have mentioned above, to make this stir-fried noodle dish, a special kind of noodles is used called Hakka Noodles.

These noodles are made with white flour (maida) and water with some salt or oil added. They are mostly made without eggs.

Hakka noodles are neither thin nor thick, but kind of in between, with medium-thickness. They are typically used to make Indian Chinese style stir-fried dishes as they are able to withstand high heat and do not turn soft.

Other kinds of noodles can be chewy or soft depending on their texture and thickness and may or may not stand the high heat while stir-frying and can turn pasty or mushy.

These noodles are easily available in India and you if you live outside India, you can find it in an asian or Indian superstore as well as online on amazon.

Both this noodle type and as well as the recipe are called Hakka Noodles. The recipe that I have shared on this post is simple, easy and non-fussy.

About The Recipe

So, you just require raw dried Hakka Noodles, some veggies and other typical Chinese sauces (like soy sauce) and seasonings to make this dish. To cook this dish, you can use any neutral flavored oil like sunflower oil or sesame oil, etc.

My version of this recipe is a vegetarian & vegan one loaded with vegetables and mushrooms, still is super delicious.

Fairly easy to make these noodles are not only popular with kids, but also with adults. It will surely have you craving for more!

Hakka Noodles pairs fantastically with some common Indo-Chinese dishes like Chilli Paneer, Chilli Mushroom or any of the manchurian gravies.

Use of Celery

I most of my Indian-Chinese fusion recipes, I add celery. Many Indian readers enquire about celery and where to get it.

Celery is a herb that is easily available in most superstores and supermarkets in Indian metros. Although an optional ingredient in this Hakka Noodles, if you have it or can source it, you must use it in this recipe.

You can also grow celery in a pot at home. Either buy the plant from a nursery or plant the seeds. You can even chop the celery keeping its base and plant it in the soil.

Ingredient Essentials

Here’s a list that’s going to be handy too you for perfecting the recipe of Hakka Noodles at home. Read on.

• Hakka Noodles: Any Indian brand of Hakka Noodles is good for the recipe. I have used Ching’s. These noodles are made with all-purpose flour (maida). So, if you prefer a healthier version, use whole wheat noodles or soba noodles (buckwheat noodles). If you cannot get hakka noodles, use Chow Mein noodles, ramen and even spaghetti.
• Vegguies: You can add veggies of your choice. Mushrooms (button or cremini) bring in a meaty texture and umami flavor. Skip, if you’re not fond of mushrooms. Other than this, you can choose from the following as well: cabbage (green or purple), carrots, French beans (green beans), zucchini, broccoli, capsicum (bell pepper) and spring onions (scallions) or regular onions.
• Toasted Sesame Oil: The noodles get a lovely hint of smokiness from the toasted sesame oil. But if you don’t have it, use any other neutral tasting oil like sunflower oil or avocado oil.
• Herbs & Spices: Garlic, dried red chillies (or green chilies), celery or fresh coriander leaves are the herbs and spices added. Celery is not available everywhere in India. So, if you don’t get it, omit it.
• Soy Sauce: Try to use naturally fermented soy sauce as it imparts a lovely umami flavor to the noodles. You can even use Bragg liquid aminos or tamari.
• Rice Vinegar: Instead of rice vinegar, you can add white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, rice wine or mirin. Both rice vinegar and rice wine give a distinct flavor and taste to the dish.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Hakka Noodles

Prep Veggies & Cook Noodles

1. First, finely chop all the veggies and set aside. You can even shred or grate them using a food processor.

I have used carrots, French beans, spring onions, button mushrooms, capsicum and cabbage.

2. Boil 4.5 cups water in a pot or pan with ½ teaspoon salt and a few drops of oil.

When the water starts boiling, add 200 grams Hakka noodles. Stir with a fork and begin to cook them.

Cook the noodles, according to the package instructions. The noodles have to be cooked until al dente or just about cooked.

3. Drain cooked noodles in a colander. Rinse noodles with fresh water very well. This stops the cooking process and removes the starch, preventing the noodles from being sticky.

4. Add 1.5 teaspoons toasted sesame oil. If you do not have this oil, use any other neutral tasting oil.

5. Toss noodles well, so that the noodle strands get evenly coated with the oil. This step also gets rid of stickiness from them.

Stir Fry Ingredients

6. Heat 2 tablespoons sunflower oil (or any neutral tasting oil) in a frying pan or wok.

On medium-low to medium heat, sauté 2 to 3 dried red chilies (broken and seeds removed) and 1.5 teaspoon finely chopped garlic for about a minute.

7. Increase the heat a bit and then add the 3 to 4 small finely chopped spring onions and 8 to 10 finely chopped French beans. Stir fry for about 3 minutes.

Tip: For non-stick frying pans, keep the heat to medium and for cast iron or carbon steel pans or wok, use medium-high to high heat.

8. Add 4 to 5 finely chopped button mushrooms, 1 small to medium finely chopped carrot and 1 teaspoon finely chopped celery and continue stir-frying.

You can also add ½ cup finely chopped cabbage and 1 small to medium capsicum at this step. For the hakka noodles video in the post, cabbage is added.

9. Stir fry for about 5 to 6 minutes or until the edges of the veggies start to slightly brown.

I like the veggies to be cooked more, than what is the norm usually for this recipe.

You can cut down on the stir frying time, if you prefer half-cooked or more crunchy veggies.

10. Add 1.5 teaspoon soy sauce and mix well.

Make Hakka Noodles

11. Add the cooked noodles. Toss to mix and stir-fry noodles for 1 to 2 minutes.

12. Season with salt and crushed black pepper as per taste. Add ¼ teaspoon rice vinegar, white vinegar or rice wine.

13. Toss well and stir fry again for a minute.

14. Turn off the heat, add 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped spring onion greens and mix well. Or you can garnish with spring onions while serving.

15. Serve Hakka Noodles hot as is or accompanied with an Indo-Chinese dishes like Gobi Manchurian, Paneer Manchurian or Chilli Mushroom.

Expert Tips

1. Cooking Noodles: Boil noodles until al dente, meaning having a slight bite to them. The noodles are again stir-fried on high heat which cooks them. Do not make the noodles soft or overcook them as this will result in pasty soggy noodles.
2. For Non-Sticky Noodles: Rinse the cooked noodles well in fresh water. This stops the cooking process and removes the starch. Toss and mix cooked noodles with some oil. This gets rid of the stickiness and does not turn them lumpy too.
3. Chopping Veggies: Make sure to finely chop, shred or cut the veggies to juliennes, as all the stir frying is done on medium to high heat and in less time.
4. Frying Pan or Wok: Use a wok/kadai or a frying pan with handles, so that you keep on moving the pan while tossing and stir-frying. Cast iron or carbon steel pans work great for stir frying on high heat but you can easily make these noodles in a regular Indian kadai or even a frying pan.
5. Stir Frying: Usually in restaurants and street stalls, the ingredients are stir fried on very high heat which gives the typical smoky flavor to the dish. It also helps in retaining crunch in the veggies and does not steam them. In a regular home kitchen, it is difficult to replicate such high heat. So, you can use medium to medium-high or high heat of your burner stove to make this dish. For non-stick pans, stir fry on medium heat.
6. Authentic Flavors: To get an authentic flavor in the dish, I recommend adding these 3 ingredients – toasted sesame oil, celery and rice vinegar or rice wine. These can be skipped, but adding them makes a lot of difference to the final dish. You can add all or either one of them.
7. Gluten-Free Options: To make gluten-free version, use gluten-free noodles and tamari or bragg liquid aminos.

More Noodles To Try!

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

Hakka noodles recipe from the archives was first published on Feb 2014.