I love Chinese food and spicy Indo-Chinese fusion. My weekend special is a big bowl of Hakka noodles with some Manchurian. You may also add a stir fry or fried rice and gulp it down with a huge glass of lemon soda. Also add some sriracha on the top if you like it hot and spicy. Just simple flavors and some basic sauce makes it a great vegan treat. You may call it veg chowmein or just noodle but it is a blissful bowl of comfort. Best part is I can feed loads of veggies to my toddler. Minimize the chilli and sauces for kids. Invest in a good chopper to get things done fast. I am sure all kids will enjoy it.
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Street food corners
Best part about this is the visual appeal. Tossing food in a hot wok brings up the taste in anticipation. Reminds me of all those street food thellas back home in India. They make it day in and out. Indian street food has everything in it from bhelpuri to an Indo Chinese dish like fried rice and Manchurians . These days you even get Chinese bhel inspired by Asian flavors. You can find them in any city. Most of the youth thronging to this street food centers for a quick bite.
I remember a food truck in TSR complex in Vizag. There was not even a signboard. Yet the food was fresh tasty with a small menu of soup, fried rice, chopsuey and noodle. Can you imagine a nameless restaurant? Taste spoke volumes for them. Reminds me of childhood when we roamed on cycles all day in township and enjoyed these small treats. However, Asian restaurants use egg noodle & MSG or Ajinomoto. That doesn't agree with my diet palette. Hence, making it at home makes it a win-win situation.
Ingredients
- Oil
- Plain noodle packet
- Mixed veggies (cabbage, carrots, capsicum, onion)
- Soy sauce
- Optional sauces (green hilly, sweet chilly, hot & sour)
- Salt & pepper
How to make wok tossed noodles? Step by step:
1.Heat water in a pan, add noodles and cook as per the instructions on the packet. Do not overcook.
2. Sieve and transfer them to a plate.
3. Heat oil in a wok. Add ginger and garlic, chilly. Fry the onions on a medium high heat for 5 minutes. Later, add remaining veggies to it and cook for 5 mins.
4. Now, add the noodles followed by sauces. Mix well. 
5. Serve vegetable hakka noodles, hot with or without manchurian.
Read the veg Hakka noodles recipe
Veg hakka noodles recipe
Equipment
- wok
- saucepan
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon oil ( use sesame oil for a good flavor)
- 2 bundles/ 120 grams plain noodles
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 1 tablespoon garlic finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon red chilly finely chopped
- ½ cup each veggies onions, grated carrot,sliced capsicums
- 1.5 cup thinly sliced cabbage
- 1 tablespoon spring onion greens
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon red /green chilli sauce optional
- 2 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce optional
- 2 tablespoon hot and sour sauce optional
- Salt and pepper as per taste
Instructions
- Boil water and add noodles and salt to it. Cook for 3-5 mins.
- Drain the water and toss it with 1 tablespoon oil. Keep it aside.
- Heat oil in wok and add ginger garlic to it.
- Add onions ,chillies and let it cook on medium-high heat for 5 mins.
- Add remaining veggies to it and cook for 5-7 mins.Mix well.
- Add noodles and sauces to it. Toss them and cook for 5 mins.
- Serve hakka noodles hot and enjoy!
Notes
Check and cook the noodles according to the instructions on the pack so that you do not overcook them.
Substitutions
You can also use egg noodles or soba noodles(buckwheat) to make this recipe.
Variations
- Serve it with or without Manchurian.
- Sometimes I love adding left over rice to the mix too, like my dad. It might sound strange, but it is a great way to reduce waste.
- Like him, you can also add a fried egg or chicken to make chicken Hakka noodle if you are not vegan.
- You can also use soba noodle instead of plain to make this recipe.
Equipment
Invest in a hand-crafted wok for getting the best dish. Wok tossed noodles are great because cook time is reduced as it heats up real fast. If you do not have a wok, you can still make them in a pan.
Use a food processor for easy chopping.
Top tip
- Use a chopper or food processor to reduce preparation time.
- Do not over cook the veggies as wok retains a lot of heat. It will continue to cook on its own until served even when it is off the flame.
- Do not over boil. Look at the packet for cooking instructions.
Looking for interesting Asian inspired dishes?
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