Hakka noodles are a genre of Indo-Chinese dishes wherein the skill of Chinese cooking is combined with the essence of Indian spices. This dish has become a favourite, from street food to restaurants, due to its savoury and spicy flavour. Soft, perfectly cooked noodles are tossed with a vibrant mix of crisp vegetables, including bell peppers, carrots, and cabbage. These further get saut ed with aromatic garlic and ginger to give an excellent base to the entire recipe. The essence of umami, along with a balanced mix of spices and sauces, contributes to the essential flavours of Hakka noodles. Essentially, it is a recipe for high-heat stir-frying of noodles that develops a particular type of smoky flavour, thereby enriching the dish's flavour profile. Additional protein can come in the addition of tofu or paneer, enhancing the texture and flavour. It is served with chilli sauce and vinegar as accompaniments. Hakka noodles come out with a perfect blend of spicy and tangy notes, apt for casual meals or even a boisterous get-together, whatever the occasion. This is one of those dishes satisfying both flavour and texture and is sure to please many on occasion by adding that spark of culinary delight. Let's try out this Hakka Noodles recipe.

• 200 gms hakka noodles
• 1/2 cup onion
• 1 tbsp garlic
• 1/2 cup carrot
• 2 tbps cooking oil
• 1 tbps tomato sauce
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tbps red chilli sauce
• 1/2 cup cabbage
• 1 tbps ginger
• 2 tbps soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
• 2 tbps spring onion

• Take a large quantity of water in a vessel and bring it to a complete boil.
• Add a pinch of salt to the boiling water. This will give further taste to the boiled noodles.
• Now, add 200 gms of Hakka noodles in the water and cook them, usually for about 3-4 minutes, or until they are cooked yet firm to the bite. This will help them withstand the stir-frying and have a good texture, not being too mushy.
• Once cooked, place the noodles in a colander under cold running water to drain. This is a crucial step to actually stop the cooking process and prevent the noodles from sticking together. Set aside on a plate or in a bowl.
• In a large pan or wok, heat about 2 tbsp of oil at medium-high heat. The temperature is hot but not at the smoking point.
• Tilt the pan toward you, then add to it 1 tbsp of finely chopped garlic and 1 tbsp of finely chopped ginger.
• Saut the garlic and ginger for roughly a minute until fragrant, stirring often. This will infuse the oil with rich and deep aromatics that flow into the dish.
• Add the pan with 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions, 1/2 cup of julienned carrots, 1/2 cup of thinly sliced bell peppers, and 1/2 cup of shredded cabbage.
• Adding these vegetables creates a great contrast in textures and colours in your dish. Stir-fry the vegetables for 3-4 minutes or until they are tender-crisp, stirring frequently. These are supposed to be cooked until they become slightly tender but still retain a little crunch. This trick will help you keep your vegetables really crunchy and fresh, adding an element of texture and colour contrast in your noodles.
• Add the noodles cooked and drained earlier to the pan containing vegetables. Now immediately add 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp of tomato ketchup, 1 tbsp of red chili sauce, and 1/2 tsp of black pepper powder. The taste of soy sauce gives umami depth, ketchup gives the dish a little sweetness, red chili sauce adds a kick and black pepper gives an underlying spiciness.
• Toss everything together until the noodles and vegetables are well coated with the sauces. Continue to stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes, allowing the flavours to meld and the noodles to heat through.
• Once all is well mixed and heated, turn the heat off.
• Finally, garnish your Veg Hakka Noodles with 2 tbsp of chopped spring onion greens. Fresh spring onions give a real burst of colour and that fresh, mild flavour, going well with the whole dish. Serve hot as a Main Course or just as a sideliner.
• If you liked this recipe of hakka noodles, don't forget to share it with your friends and family.