Chinese Bhel | Crispy Noodles Salad

Chinese Bhel | Crispy Noodles Salad

Chinese Bhel is a delicious Indo-Chinese vegan snack made with crispy fried noodles. Make this easy Indian/Asian noodles salad in minutes and wow your guests!

Course noodles, Snack

Cuisine Asian, Indo Chinese

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Servings people

Calories 295.31kcal

Author Priya Lakshminarayan

Equipment

Ingredients

To prep the noodles

300 gms Veg Hakka Noodles
1 teaspoon Yondu
Water as needed
1-2 tablespoon oil
3-4 tablespoon cornflour
Oil for frying

To prep the veggies

1 tablespoon sesame oil
10 cloves garlic
1 bunch scallions seperate the white and green parts
2 carrots
1 cup cabbage
1 Bell pepper
½ cup chilli garlic sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar
1-2 tablespoon tomato ketchup optional
2 teaspoon Yondu
salt
pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ cup cilantro

Instructions

To prep the noodles

Add a teaspoon of Yondu to the water when boiling noodles.
Then add and cook the noodles al dente as per instructions on the packet.
Strain the water and spread the cooked noodles on a plate or over a baking sheet. Pour some oil and toss it.
Once they cool down, then add cornflour and give coat them. Oil and cornflour prevent them from sticking to one another and helps absorb the excess water.

2 ways to fry the noodles

To deep fry, heat oil in a frying pan.
Then fry the noodles in batches, in hot oil till they turn light golden and crisp. Spread them out as much as you can. Flip them a couple of times to ensure even cooking.
Break them once they cool down.
To fry in an Air Fryer, fry the cooked noodles in small batches at a time.
Cover the air fryer basket with foil with gaps around the edges. Prick a few holes in the foil for air circulation.
Place the noodles onto the foil-lined basket and place them into the air fryer at 300 degrees F for 10 minutes.
Toss the noodles every 5 minutes to ensure even frying.
Once done, take out the crispy noodles and break them lightly.
You can prepare these crispy crunchy fried noodles in advance and store them in an airtight container.

To prep the veggies

Then comes the part where you cook the veggies. Shred/chop all the veggies and keep them ready.
In a wok, add sesame oil. Fry garlic, onions, and the white part of the green onions.
Then add shredded carrots, cabbage, and bell peppers to the wok. Cook on high flame and ensure that the veggies don't cook fully. They need to have a crunch.
Add chili-garlic sauce, rice vinegar, pepper, and sugar. You can also add tomato ketchup here. Then add Yondu. Mix them well on high flame till the sauce combines with the veggies.
Take it off the flame and allow it to cool.

How to assemble

In a mixing bowl, add the broken fried noodles.
Then add this prepared vegetable sauce mixture. Mix them all together.
Garnish with the green part of the spring onions and cilantro.
Chinese Bhel should be served immediately as it will become soggy later. It should be crispy and crunchy at the time of serving.

Notes

You can use any kind of noodles, ramen, Maggi, or spaghetti for this recipe. If you get ready fried noodles, you can also use that.

Adjust the spices as per your tolerance level. Feel free to add or skip any veggies of your choice. If you have bean sprouts, you can add them as well. Just remember to not overcook the veggies. They need to have their crunch.

Add Schezwan sauce and tamarind paste along with the other sauces to give it more flavor. Since Yondu has all the required flavors to season the dish, I have skipped adding salt. If you need, add salt after tasting.

Cooking it in sesame oil gives this dish an authentic flavor. But if you don't have it, use any cooking oil. Feel free to mix and match with the sauces you have.

Be careful when frying the noodles. They need to be dry else they will splutter if you directly add them to hot oil.

Leftovers don't have the crunch in them, so I suggest only make as much as you need.

Nutrition