If you have ever eaten at or ordered from an Indian-Chinese Hakka restaurant, you know that one of the main events is their noodles! With a short and sweet ingredient list, these Indian Hakka restaurant-style noodles are packed with savory flavors and can be made with endless add-ins. All you need is 30 minutes or less, and an appetite!
These noodles are delicious all on their own, but make the perfect side-dish to your favorite recipes including black pepper chicken, schezwan chilli garlic chicken, or for a vegetarian meal, chilli paneer! If you are a noodle stir fry fan, give this homemade spicy chicken pad thai a try!
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👩🏽🍳 Why This Recipe Works
Versatile ingredients: These noodles are a great way to use up whatever vegetables you enjoy, or have in your fridge. You can keep these noodles vegetarian as written, or add in a variety of proteins to bulk them up too!
Simple cooking process: You do not need to master any complicated cooking techniques to make these noodles. All you need to do is boil the noodles, and stir fry the vegetables - it could not get easier!
Restaurant-style recipe: Indian street-style Hakka noodles are typically made with a lot more spice and saucy elements. Hakka restaurants serve up a much more simple version of these noodles which is what this recipe replicates. To bump up the restaurant-style spice, top these noodles with this Garlic Chili Oil Recipe.
🥘 Ingredient notes
- Fresh noodles: This recipe calls for fresh, thick yellow noodles. These are sometimes labelled as Shanghai, or Hakka noodles. These are generally unleavened and made with flour and eggs. The key is to use thicker noodles for this recipe.
- Soy sauce: You will need regular, light soy sauce for this recipe. This is the soy sauce that you will typically buy at the supermarket.
- Vegetables: I used scallions, bell peppers, and carrots for my vegetable add-ins. You will want to cut all the vegetables into a uniform shape and size.
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
📖 Substitutions
- Fresh noodles: You can use lo mein noodles, or dried yellow noodles as well. If you are in a pinch, you can use spaghetti as well.
- Rice wine vinegar: Regular white vinegar will work in place of rice wine vinegar.
- Soy sauce: You can substitute soy sauce for coconut or liquid aminos, or tamari.
🔪 Variations
- Different vegetable add-ins: Add in shredded cabbage, onions, broccoli, or any of your favorite vegetables!
- Street-style: Mix in homemade chilli garlic schezwan sauce for more of a street-style recipe.
- Protein: Stir fry in chicken, shrimp, or egg into these noodles for some extra meatiness.
⏲️ Step-by-step Instructions
Prep Work Before Cooking
- Collecting all your ingredients: This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
- Chop the vegetables: Cut the bell peppers and carrots into long strips. Cut the scallions into long pieces, that are similar in size to the peppers and carrots.
- Boil water: Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium-high heat.
Boil the noodles based on the package directions. The noodles will usually be cooked through in 7-10 minutes, as they are fresh and not dried. Once the noodles are soft but still chewy, drain the noodles and set aside.
Heat a large skillet or wok over high medium heat. Add vegetable oil to the skillet, and toss in the scallions. Let the scallions sizzle and infuse the oil for 2-3 minutes. [photo 1]
Turn the heat up to high, and add the bell peppers, onion and carrots to the skillet/wok. Quickly sauté until the carrots and bell peppers are slightly tender. [photo 2]
Add the noodles, soy sauce, white pepper, and vinegar to the skillet, and toss quickly. Ensure that you are bringing the vegetables from the bottom of the skillet into the noodles. Remove from the heat, and serve! [photo 3]
💭 Expert Tips
- Avoid overcooking the noodles: One of the keys to perfect Hakka noodles is the chewy and firm texture of the noodles. I recommend going by the package instructions, or even 1 minute shy of the total cook time.
- High heat is a must: Do not shy away from using high heat! Anything lower than high heat will cause the vegetables to steam and let out water.
- Prep everything before you start cooking: This is always my advice, simply because it makes cooking easier in general. When cooking stir fry dishes, though, this is very important! The cooking process moves very quickly and there is no time for chopping and measuring in between.
🍽 Make Ahead & Storage
Fresh noodles cook very quickly, so there generally is not a need to pre-cook and store them. You can definitely pre-cook them, though, if that works for you. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Leftover noodles can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove. If the noodles become dry, add a touch of chicken broth to moisten them.
⭐ Recipe FAQs
You absolutely can! Add some sriracha, chilli sauce, or chopped Thai chillies to kick up the heat.
The sauce is entirely customizable - you can add oyster sauce, chilli sauce, dark soy sauce, or any of your favorite stir fry sauces.
You will generally find scallions, carrots, cabbage and bean sprouts in restaurant-style noodles. The choice is entirely yours!
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Indian Hakka Restaurant-Style Noodles
Equipment
- Wok - optional
Ingredients
- 1 lb Shanghai noodles - egg noodles
- 1 cup Scallions - cut in large pieces
- 1 cup Carrots - matchstick
- 1 cup Bell peppers - assorted
- 1 Onion - sliced
- ¼ cup Vegetable oil
- ¼ cup Light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon Rice wine vinegar
- 2 tsp White pepper - ground
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium-high heat. Salt the water liberally once the water is boiling.
- Boil the noodles based on the package directions. The noodles will usually be cooked through in 7-10 minutes, as they are fresh and not dried. Once the noodles are soft but still chewy, drain the noodles and set aside.1 lb Shanghai noodles
- Heat a large skillet or wok over high medium heat. Add vegetable oil to the skillet, and toss in the scallions. Let the scallions sizzle and infuse the oil for 2-3 minutes.¼ cup Vegetable oil, 1 cup Scallions
- Turn the heat up to high, and add the bell peppers, onion and carrots to the skillet/wok. Quickly sauté until the carrots and bell peppers are slightly tender.1 cup Carrots, 1 cup Bell peppers, 1 Onion
- Add the noodles, soy sauce, white pepper and vinegar to the skillet, and toss quickly. Ensure that you are bringing the vegetables from the bottom of the skillet into the noodles. Remove from the heat, and serve.¼ cup Light soy sauce, 2 tablespoon Rice wine vinegar, 2 teaspoon White pepper
✱Recipe Notes
- Avoid overcooking the noodles: One of the keys to perfect Hakka noodles is the chewy and firm texture of the noodles. I recommend going by the package instructions, or even 1 minute shy of the total cook time.
- High heat is a must: Do not shy away from using high heat! Anything lower than high heat will cause the vegetables to steam and let out water.
- Prep everything before you start cooking: This is always my advice, simply because it makes cooking easier in general. When cooking stir fry dishes, though, this is very important! The cooking process moves very quickly and there is no time for chopping and measuring in between.
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