Hakka Noodles Recipe

This restaurant style Hakka Noodles is everyone’s favorite. It is a popular Indo-Chinese dish of stir fried noodles, with vegetables and sauces. Vegetable Hakka Noodles are one of the most ordered in the Indian restaurants. But did you know, making them at home is very simple?

In this post, I show you how to make the perfect Indian-Chinese Hakka Noodles that are flavorsome, delicious and have a great crunch in every bite. Make it vegetarian or with a protein of choice – meat, eggs or tofu (details included in the post).

Indo-Chinese Hakka noodles originated from the Chinese population living in Kolkata, India. Over the years it has become a favorite among many Indians. Right from the upscale restaurants to the street carts these are one of the most enjoyed. Unfortunately, the noodles served in most of these places are loaded with oil and msg that dehydrates us a lot. So why not make these at home.

About Hakka Noodles

Hakka noodles are Indian-Chinese style noodles made with unleavened refined wheat flour. These are boiled al dente and then stir fried in a Chinese wok with oil, vegetables & soya sauce. Here Hakka noodles refers to both the final dish and the type of noodles used.

There are a lot of brands selling Hakka noodles. You may buy something from a trusted brand you prefer. I have used Ching’s vegetarian Hakka noodles but you can also use egg noodles from any brand.

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Since these are made from refined flour, I try to limit these. If you are trying to avoid refined foods you may use any other whole grain noodles like soba noodles, ramen or udon noodles.

Soba noodles are super thin and made with buckwheat. I use them often to make my vegetable noodles. Udon noodles are fat and thick but made with whole wheat. Somen are super thin noodles made with wheat flour. I have used them in this chili garlic noodles recipe.

Though these are not used in the authentic Hakka noodles recipes, you can still use them if you want to eat healthy and I do that a lot of times.

My Recipe

The restaurant version of Hakka Noodles is pretty basic and is made with minimal use of soya sauce & vinegar. Most of the deliciousness is from the wok hei, a distinct smoky aroma that comes from stir frying the ingredients on a high heat, over an open flame.

Most restaurants use aromat powder or MSG for a flavor boost. However I have not used it in this recipe and never felt the need because the dish turns out good even without the MSG. So to replicate the restaurant flavors, focusing on 4 things is essential:

• Stir fry on a high heat and use a wok.
• Cook the noodles just right – al dente and avoid overcooking.
• Julienne the vegetables thin and long, to match the size of noodles. This comes by practice.
• Avoid using too many sauces to let the smoky flavor shine through. However if you prefer saucy noodles you can transform this to street style hakka noodles with the use of chili garlic sauce. If you don’t have that, feel free to use any hot sauce of your choice.

What to serve with Hakka Noodles

These noodles have plenty of flavor, so at you can eat them on their own. But in restaurants Hakka Noodles are usually eaten with a side of Manchurian or Chili dishes like
Gobi Manchurian
VegManchurian
Paneer Manchurian
Chili Paneer
Chili Chicken
Chicken Manchurian.

Ingredients & Substitutes

Vegetables: Cabbage, French beans, bell peppers, carrots, scallions/ spring onions, regular onions are most commonly used for this recipe. You can use whatever you have. I always feel cabbage adds a great crunch and great aroma to the Hakka noodles. However I have not used it this time since I did not have.

Oil: Use oil that has a high smoke point like peanut, safflower or sunflower oil. High-end restaurants add some toasted sesame oil at the end (after stir frying) to enhance the flavors. But avoid toasted sesame oil for stir frying the hakka noodles as it can leave a bitter taste. This kind of oil is for dressing & salads but not for cooking.

Soya sauce: Choose naturally brewed or organic soya sauce. Avoid using other kinds of soya as they lack the depth of flavor since they are made using harsh chemicals. You can use tamari as a substitute to soya sauce.

Vinegar: Rice vinegar or white vinegar is used to make Hakka noodles. But you can also use apple cider. Avoid using synthetic vinegar.

Spices: Garlic, ginger and crushed pepper are the 3 spices used. These spices add aroma to the noodles without making them taste spicy. I do not use ginger in my recipe. Usually white crushed pepper is used as it is less hot and pungent. I use black ground pepper since I don’t stock up on white pepper.

Chilies: Most Indo-Chinese restaurants use only soya sauce & rice vinegar. The heat comes from the green chilies or the chili oil. Optionally you can use any hot sauce if you like hot spicy noodles. I also use my best homemade Schezwan sauce a lot of times.

Chilli oil is an optional ingredient you can use if you have. Some restaurants use it to enhance the flavors. There are different kinds of chili oil available in the market made with red chilies, Schezwan peppers, garlic etc. You can choose what you like. I have not used any here.

Photo Guide

How to make Hakka Noodles (Stepwise photos)

1. Prepare the following ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic from 2 to 3 garlic cloves
• ½ tablespoon very finely chopped ginger – optional (peel first)
• Chop 2 to 3 spring onions/ green onions and separate the greens and whites
• Slice 1 small yellow or red onion to make ½ cup (50 grams) 
• Chop 1 green chili (optional, may deseed for low heat)
• Peel and julienne 1 small carrot (½ cup, 50 grams) 
• Julienne ½ to ¾ cup (80 grams) capsicum (green/yellow/red bell pepper – any)
• Fine chop 6 French beans / green beans – optional
• Finely shred cabbage to make ½ cup (60 grams) (optional, I did not use)

2. Bring 8 cups water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add 1 pack (5.5 oz, 150 grams) hakka noodles and cook al dente (a little undercooked). Please follow the pack for the timings. Do not over cook.

3. Drain them to a colander and rinse under running water. This helps to remove excess starch and keeps the noodles less sticky. Drain completely. Add 1 tsp oil and toss the noodles. This prevents them from turning sticky. Set aside.

4. In a small bowl, mix together the following and reserve aside

• 1¼ tablespoon organic soya sauce (or tamari)
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce (Use your favorite sauce) (optional)
• ½ to 1 tablespoon chili oil (optional)

Stir Fry Noodles

5. Heat a wok on a high heat and pour 2 tablespoons oil. Spread the oil all over the wok and add chopped garlic and ginger if using. Fry for just 30 seconds. Add green chilli (optional) and spring onion whites. Saute for 30 seconds more.

6. Add onions and fry for 1 minute.

7. Add carrots, capsicum, cabbage and beans. Fry them for just 2 mins until a nice aroma comes out. The veggies should remain crunchy so do not over cook.

8. Add the noodles, salt and pour the prepared sauce.

9. Toss well and fry for another 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the sauces and salt at this stage. Add ground pepper and spring onion greens.

Serve Hakka noodles hot with chilli paneer, gobi manchurian, chilli chicken or chicken manchurian.

Expert Tips

Prepare veggies: Chop the veggies really thin. If you are a beginner, you may not get it right at the first try. But having those thin slices of veggies really makes a lot of difference as they blend will with the noodles after stir frying. Avoid using too cold veggies as sometimes they let out moisture.

Cook noodles: Avoid over cooking them by all means. For the right texture cook them in plenty of hot boiling water, drain them when they are al dente, meaning they are just cooked and are firm but not too soft. Quickly rinse them under cold running water. This helps in 2 ways – 1. Stops them from cooking further 2. Gets rid of the excess starch.

Prepare noodles: Smear some oil all over the cooked noodles to prevent them from clumping up. This is very important.

Use a wok or a cast iron pan: A large wok is best for making Hakka noodles. If you have a cast iron or a carbon steel wok, do make use of it. These cookware impart that smoky aroma to your Hakka noodles.

Oil: The quantity of oil makes a huge difference here. My recipe does not require lots of oil like the restaurant version so please do not skimp on the quantity of oil. If you are on a low oil diet, cut down your serving size but do not reduce the oil.

I also noticed the carbon steel and the cast iron woks absorb so much of the oil making the noodles dry. So adjust the oil as per your need.

Stir fry on a high flame

Keep the heat/flame high from the start to the end while you stir fry. This imparts a unique smoky flavor to the dish and prevents the veggies from turning mushy.

Stir frying the veggies & Hakka noodles will all take less than 4 to 5 mins since it is done on a high flame. So do attend the pan all the time and keep tossing or mixing with a spatula to prevent overcooking & burning.

Variations with protein of choice

Adjust the amount of sauces and seasoning to your taste.

• Tofu: To a bowl, add 1 tsp soya sauce, black pepper, 1/2 tsp vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup and chili flakes. Add pressed extra firm tofu and coat well. You can marinate for a few hours in the fridge. Pan fry this first until the sauce dries up. Remove and add them as a garnishing.
• Egg Hakka Noodles: Stir in 4 beaten eggs first to 2 tablespoons hot oil & scramble. Cook until the eggs are soft cooked, remove them to a bowl. Proceed with the rest of the recipe. Add back the scrambled eggs along with the noodles and add more sauces to your taste. You can also check this Egg noodles post for step by step photos.
• Chicken Hakka Noodles: Whisk together 1 egg, half tablespoon soya sauce, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add 200 grams of chicken strips (3/4 inch size) and coat them well with the egg mixture. Slide in the chicken pieces one after the other to 2 tablespoons hot oil. Stir fry on a high flame until fully cooked, for 3 to 4 mins. Add the remaining egg and cook until done. Remove this to a plate and proceed with the recipe. Add back the chicken along with the noodles. For step by step photos you can also check this chicken noodles.

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