Cook's Hideout: Hakka Noodles (Indo-Chinese Noodles with Vegetables)

April 09, 2016

Hakka Noodles (Indo-Chinese Noodles with Vegetables)

BM# 63: Journey through the Cuisines 
Week 1: Bengali Cuisine
Day 8: H for Hakka Noodles
Can't believe we are the end of Week 1 in our Journey through Cuisines and final Bengali dish I present to you is in fact a fusion Indo-Chinese dish that has it's origins in Calcutta/ Kolkatta, the capital city of West Bengal. H for Hakka Noodles was my first and final choice for the letter. Soma @ Ecurry has a lovely post for Hakka noodles where she talks about the Chinese businesses in Calcutta and the amazing Indo-Chinese cuisine that was developed there years ago.
Indo-Chinese Noodles with Vegetables
Calcutta (or more recently Kolkatta) is known to be the first place where Chinese migrated in the late 18th and 19th centuries. They brought along their Chinese seasoning and cooking techniques that were adapted to Indian tastes which developed into the popular Indo-Chinese cuisine that we all enjoy today.
Something that I learnt while googling this post is that the name 'Hakka' actually comes from Hakka people who migrated to India from Hakka-speaking provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, Hunan etc. I had no idea about that, so if you didn't know then there's something new for you too :-)
Indo-Chinese Noodles with Vegetables
Ok now coming back to our Hakka Noodles. I made the recipe from Soma's blog a few times in the past but never blogged about it. The main component of the noodles is the spicy sauce made with garlic, ginger, chili sauce and tomato paste (or ketchup). The other usual Chinese ingredients soy sauce and vinegar also make an appearance here. Soma says she uses dark soy sauce that she gets from Calcutta, but I used regular low-sodium soy sauce and it tasted fine to me.
Indo-Chinese Noodles with Vegetables
I added some sauteed tofu to the noodles to add protein to the dish, but feel free to add egg or paneer or anything else to make it more substantial.

Recipe from Soma's Ecurry:

Hakka Noodles
Ingredients:
    For the Noodles & Veggies:
  • 1 200gms package of Hakka Noodles or Egg Noodles
  • 1 Large Carrot, shredded or cut into thin matchsticks
  • 1 Bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1cup Cabbage, shredded
  • 1cup French beans, sliced
  • 1cup Tofu, drained, pressed and cubed
  • 1 Small Onion, thinly sliced
  • 4~5 Green Onions, sliced
  • 1tsp Red Chili flakes
  • 4tbsp Sesame Oil
  • 2tbsp Soy sauce
  • 1tbsp Vinegar
  • To taste Salt
  • For the Sauce:
  • 4 Garlic cloves
  • 1" Ginger piece, finely grated
  • 1tbsp Sriracha or other chili sauce
  • 2tbsp Tomato paste or Ketchup
  • 1tbsp Sesame seeds
Method:
  1. Make the sauce: Blend all the ingredients for the sauce in a blender to a smooth paste. Make sure that the sauce is not too runny.
  2. Cook the noodles as per package directions (put the noodles into boiling water and boil for 3~4 minutes, then drain and spread on a large plate or baking sheet with a drizzle of oil to avoid sticking together.
  3. In a large wok or skillet, heat 2tbsp sesame oil and add the cubed tofu. Cook on medium high heat until golden brown on all sides. Remove onto a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
  4. Wipe the wok or skillet and heat 2tbsp sesame oil, add chili flakes and onions. Cook on medium-high heat until the onions turn translucent. Add the ground paste and salt; cook for 2~3 minutes or until the raw taste of the garlic disappears.
  5. Lower the heat and add soy sauce and vinegar. Mix well.
  6. Increase the heat and add the bell pepper, carrot and beans; Cook till the veggies are crisp tender, they should still retain their color and crunch.
  7. Add the shredded cabbage and cook for 1~2 minutes. Finally add the noodles, combine till all the ingredients are well mixed together. Cook for 3~4 minutes for the flavors to mingle. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and serve hot!!
Indo-Chinese Noodles with Vegetables
Don't forget to come back to see which state I'm going to visit for Week 2 of Journey through the Cuisines. Here're the Bengali dishes that I cooked up this week:
A for Aam Doi
B for Begun-er Tok
C for Charchari
D for Doi Dharosh
E for Enchor Kofta
F for Fulkopi Posto
G for Ghugni
H for Hakka Noodles

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 63


Signature

19 comments:

  1. I love hakka noodles, infact this is a constant lunch box item for my boys...guess noodles means hakka..:)..nice reading about culcutta and this connection..

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  2. Never knew the story behind the famous hakka noodles. Thanks for the history and an amazing recipe.

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  3. Love Hakka noodles and yours is just inviting:)

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  4. Lovely yummy bowl Of noodles ... My kids absolutely adore this .. Will try ur version soon , Pavani

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  5. I was curious to see what made for H. I never would have guessed Hakka noodles. Drooling over the pictures though I just ate my lunch.

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  6. Nice choice for the alphabet H :-). I have heard about Chinese areas in Kolkata, but it's interesting to know the origins of this dish.

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  7. Your pictures are speaking volumes. The instant I saw the post, I ran to my husband to show him. He loves these noodles.☺
    I knew the connection between Calcutta and the Indo-Chinese fusion food but didn'the realize this choice for 'H'. Brilliant choice and gorgeous images.

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  8. Hakka noddles are the number one breakfast preference at home for weekends.I am drooling over our pics, I really should not as I am fasting ;)

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  9. Didn't know about this hakka connection to Bengal. That is a great info, Pavani. Hakka noodles looks so delicious and it is one of our fav Indo Chinese dishes..

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  10. Now I would love to gorge on these..its lunch time and I really dont feel like eating roti sabzi.Noodles look super tempting and I bet all will agree with me.

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  11. what a sharp pictures pavani and nice choice for the letter...

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  12. our staple knowledge about chinese cuisine growing up...the pic with skillet is stunning pavani

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  13. Amazing clicks and loved the way you cut the vegetables and also love the addition of tofu. So yum

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  14. I can survive for many days with this noodles, serve me with some manchurian can have it even everyday.

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  15. The pictures are just too good to take my eyes off them. Good to know the relationship between Bengali cuisine and Hakka noodles.

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  16. I loved the write up and the research you did for the recipe. Now that I know that Hakka Noodles have such a close connection with India, I can boast about them being Indian :p Great share and choice for H!

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  17. indo-chinese is such a great fusion cuisine and you have presented this dish so well

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  18. Sent the link to Vibha. Looks very inviting.

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  19. drooling over here. Those are very templting clicks. beautifully presented...

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