Vegan Hakka Noodles is an Indian street-style recipe. These vegan Indo-Chinese noodles are loaded with veggies, delicious and extremely popular. In just 20 minutes, you can have this scrumptious pan-fry noodles on your dining table!
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What are Hakka Noodles
Hakka Noodles is a street-style dish that's fused with Indian and Chinese flavors. These noodles are one of the most loved Indo-Chinese cuisine dishes. This delicious noodles stir-fry is packed with flavors and loaded with veggies. No wonder it's often served in Indian restaurants and in all Chinese street food stalls of India.
I am yet to meet someone who dislikes noodles! Everyone loves them and I am no exception. In fact, I love everything that falls under Indo-Chinese cuisine. My entire college life was spent enjoying all kinds of street food of Bombay and Hakka noodles was (and still is) an eternal favorite. I can eat these Indo-Chinese street-style noodles every day!
Hakka Noodles are Chinese or Indian
While doing my research, I came across this fascinating story behind the discovery of Hakka noodles. I always thought this dish was invented in the streets of India. Well, I was partially right thinking that. The Hakka are a cultural group people from China's Central Plain. They moved and settled in India around the 20th century.
They then formed small China towns to help them become financially independent and create more job opportunities for their fellow people. These China towns buzzed with different kinds of street food vendors. Hakka noodles was conceived here. They are basically an amalgamation of Chinese and Indian cuisine.
It was created to attract the Indian crowd to come and taste their food. It was such a success that we enjoy it with so much fondness even today! I have been making this veg Hakka Noodles recipe since I was a teenager. I learned the recipe from my mom. Over the years, I have adapted it a bit and this is how we love it now!
Why make this
- It's an Indo-Chinese street-style noodles
- Is vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free
- Loaded with crunchy colorful veggies
- Simple, quick and easy to make
- No MSG added
- Prepared with less oil
Ingredients needed 🧾
Noodles - I use Ching's veg Hakka noodles packet that we get from the Indian grocery store for this Indian noodles recipe. You can also use ramen noodles, rice noodles, or spaghetti if you can't find these.
Veggies - Carrot, bell pepper, scallions, and cabbage are the basic veggies that make Hakka Noodles hearty and delicious.
Sauces - coconut aminos or soy sauce (low sodium), chili oil and rice or white vinegar are all you need in this recipe. You can also add sriracha sauce.
Other ingredients - Ginger, garlic and green chillies or serrano peppers, give the noodles that required extra zing to this noodles recipe.
Besides all these ingredients, the right cooking oil is also key to getting that authentic taste. Use oil that has a high smoke point for best results. Olive oil or vegetable oil can also be used.
Noodles taste best when made in a wok. I use a non stick wok which is perfect for this recipe. You can also use a cast iron wok that's well seasoned.
How to make it 🔪
- Cook the noodles as per the instructions on the packet. Add a few drops of oil while cooking the noodles. When done, strain the water. Hold the sieve under running cold water to stop the cooking process. Drizzle oil and coat the noodles with it. Keep it aside for now.
- Slice scallions and separate the green and white part. Cut carrots and bell peppers into thin long strips. Thinly shred the cabbage, slice the mushrooms, green chillies, and garlic.
- Heat sesame oil in a wok and once it's hot, fry the garlic, ginger paste, green chillies, and white part of the scallions for 2 minutes.
- Then add the cabbage and carrots.
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- Now add the mushrooms and bell pepper. Toss all the veggies together over a high flame. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add coconut aminos or soy sauce, chili oil, and vinegar to the wok. Mix and cook for another minute.
- Now add the cooked noodles and salt. Toss the noodles till it's well coated.
- Garnish with the green part of the scallions. Drizzle some sesame oil. Mix and take it off the flame.
Serving suggestions 🍽
I love Hakka noodles as is! But many like to pair it with Veg Manchurian! You can also pair it with Paneer Chilly but in gravy form. Some great non alcoholic drinks to pair with these noodles are Rose Lemonade, Cold Cucumber Soup Shots, Cucumber Lemonade, Cherry Lemon Iced Tea.
Serve these lip smacking veg Hakka noodles on weeknights, weekends, parties, brunches, date nights, potlucks, special occasions, or even pack it in lunchboxes.
Top recipe tips 💭
Keep all the ingredients ready as you need to work fast once you start cooking. Cook on high flame for the best flavor. Don't cook the veggies till they are fully done or turn soft. They need to have a slight crunch to them. Feel free to add or skip veggies based on what you have or like. You can add veggies like green beans, tofu, broccoli, snap peas, or bean sprouts.
I have also made these noodles without any veggies and it tastes great too! So if you are a picky eater or don't like veggies, skip adding them. You can cook the noodles ahead of time and then toss them with the sauces and veggies when it's time to serve them.
To make veg Schezwan Hakka Noodles, add Schezwan sauce to the recipe along with the other sauces. If you get Chowmein Hakka noodles masala, add that after you add the cooked noodles to the wok. It will give it a nice flavor. Don't add salt if adding this.
FAQs 📖
Just pop them into the fridge. It will stay good for 4-5 days if the veggies you used were fresh. Reheat it before serving. It also freezes well. Store it in an airtight bag or container for up to 3 months. Transfer to the fridge overnight to thaw. Then reheat in the microwave or in a wok.
When boiling the noodles, add a few drops of cooking oil to the water. Also, cook the noodles al dente. Running cold water over the cooked noodles is an essential step to ensure that the noodles don't get overcooked and become mushy. Another important thing is to drizzle oil and coat the cooked noodles with it. This prevents them from sticking to one another. Lastly, cooking the noodles on a high flame ensures that they don't stick to the pan. Also, the more you use your wok, the more it gets seasoned. That will help too.
Ching's veg Hakka noodles that's easily found in an Indian grocery store or Amazon. These noodles are vegan and are perfect for this Indo-Chinese recipe.
Some alternatives are whole wheat spaghetti, ramen, rice noodles, gluten-free noodles, or even zoodles (low carb option) made from zucchini!
You can follow the same recipe and swap noodles with rice to make Indian street-style Chinese Fried Rice that's very similar to Mushroom Fried Rice.
Popular noodle recipes
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Recipe 📖
Veg Hakka Noodles
Equipment
Ingredients
- 400 gms Noodles
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste or garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 serrano pepper or green chilly
- 1 cup sliced onion
- ¼ cup white part of the scallions
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 1 carrot
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or coconut amino
- 1 tablespoon chili sauce or Sambal Oelek
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
- 2 teaspoon Aromat powder optional
- ½ cup green part of the scallions
Instructions
To Prep for the Noodles
- In a pot, bring water to a rolling boil. Then add salt and a teaspoon of oil to it.
- Add the dry noodles and cook them as per the instructions on the packet.
- When done, strain the water. Hold the sieve under running cold water to stop the cooking process. Drizzle oil and coat the noodles with it. Keep it aside for now.
- Slice scallions and separate the green and white part. Cut carrots and bell peppers into thin long strips. Thinly shred the cabbage, and slice the onions.
To Make Hakka Noodles
- Heat a wok and once it's hot, add oil. Coat the wok with oil by turning the wok around. Fry the garlic paste, ginger paste, and sliced serrano pepper. Fry for a minute on medium flame.
- Then add the sliced onion and the white part of the scallions. Fry for 2 minutes on medium flame.
- Add cabbage, bell pepper, and carrots. Toss all the veggies together over a high flame for 4-5 minutes.
- Add salt, crushed black pepper, sugar, soy sauce, chili sauce, Aromat powder (if adding), and vinegar to the wok. Mix and cook for another minute.
- Now add the cooked noodles. Toss the noodles till it's well coated.
- Garnish with the green part of the scallions. Drizzle some chili oil. Mix and take it off the flame.
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