From Indo-Chinese cuisine, we have already described Chicken Manchurian, a dish in which Chinese elements predominate. The situation is different with ‘Hakka Noodles’.
The term ‘Hakka’ has become a label in India for Chinese-inspired street food, regardless of where the dish originates from or how it has evolved. However, if you order ‘Hakka noodles’ in Meizhou – the present-day home of the Hakka people in southern China – you’ll get something quite different from what you’d find in Kolkata or Mumbai. There, they’re called Yanmian: freshly cooked noodles that aren’t stir-fried in a wok, but simply tossed with lard, fish sauce, fried garlic and spring onions. On the street corners of India, by contrast, a kind of chow mein with an Indian twist is prepared.
Our version draws on Bengali cuisine; after all, Kolkata is the cradle of Indo-Chinese cuisine. Instead of individual spices, we use panch phoron, the Bengali five-seed blend consisting of cumin, fennel, black cumin (kalonji), fenugreek and mustard seeds.
Dry-roast the spices in a pan for 30 seconds, then crush them only roughly in a mortar. You should still be able to taste the individual ingredients, so don’t grind them into a powder. Next, prepare the other aromatics: peel and roughly chop ginger and garlic. To make a typical Asian seasoning sauce, mix light and dark soy sauce, vinegar and Sriracha – we use homemade – or another chilli sauce of your choice.
You’ll need Chinese-style wheat noodles; usually, egg-free varieties are used. These could be typical mie or chow mein noodles. Cook them according to the instructions on the packet and rinse them immediately with cold water to prevent them from becoming too soft. Tossed with a little sesame oil, they won’t stick together.
All the other ingredients are vegetables, cut into fine julienne strips. The choice is up to you; we recommend white or red cabbage (or both), carrots, peppers and red onions. Mung bean sprouts also go very well with this dish. We add green chillies, and spring onions provide a fresh touch.
It’s a lovely, colourful mix and, as you can see, this is turning into a vegetarian or vegan dish. If you like, you could add some tofu or paneer – but we’re happy with just the vegetables.
That’s almost all the work done, as the dish itself cooks in a flash. You can cook it in a wok or in a large non-stick frying pan.
We heat some neutral oil until it is hot but not yet smoking. Then we add the panch phoron. After 10 seconds, it gives off a strong aroma, and we first add the onion, followed by the garlic and ginger a minute later.
A minute later, add the carrot and pepper, and stir-fry for two to three minutes. The vegetables should take on a bit of colour but remain crisp.
Next comes the cabbage, as we’re cooking with tender pointed cabbage. If you’re using firmer white cabbage or red cabbage, add it to the wok at the same time as the carrots. Green chilli now goes in as well.
Once the vegetables are cooked after a few minutes, add sprouts and noodles.
Pour the seasoning sauce round the edge of the wok and toss everything together thoroughly. Finally, add spring onions and a dash of sesame oil.
We like to sprinkle sesame seeds over the dish when serving. It’s easy to prepare in advance and cooks in a flash, making it ideal for quick weekday meals.
Enjoy.
And may the taste be with you.
Ingredients (for 2 people):
200 g Hakka, Mie or Chow Mein noodles (for the vegan version, without egg)
1 tbsp sesame oil for the noodles
2 tbsp neutral vegetable oil for frying
2 tsp panch phoron (equal parts cumin, fennel, black cumin, fenugreek and brown mustard seeds, briefly toasted and roughly crushed)
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves
1 tbsp chopped ginger
120 g white and/or red cabbage (or pointed cabbage)
80 g carrot
1 bell pepper
1 handful of mung bean sprouts
2–3 spring onions
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tsp dark soya sauce
1 tbsp vinegar
Optional: Sriracha or another chilli sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
To taste:
Salt and black pepper
Optional: paneer (vegetarian) or firm tofu (vegan)
