These vegetable hakka noodles are packed with vegetables, flavor and vibrant colours! This dish can be made in less than 30 minutes – perfect for a weekday dinner and a great way to use up any veggies in your fridge!
What are Hakka noodles?
- Hakka noodles are a popular dish from the Hakka cuisine, in China and Taiwan. This dish consists of stir-fried vegetables, noodles, spices and seasoning.
- Although this dish is from the Hakka origin, hakka noodles have been adapted in South Asia and a variation of the original dish is also served as part of the Indo-Chinese cuisine (or Indian Chinese cuisine).
- When I go to a Chinese restaurant (or Indian restaurants) - chinese hakka noodles are always my go-to order!
Why You'll Love these Veggie Hakka Noodles
These veggie hakka noodles are:
- Delicious, and flavorful – a combination of garlic, ginger, onions and seasoning bring flavor and great taste to these noodles!
- Hearty and wholesome – these noodles are colourful, vibrant and packed with fresh vegetables - perfect when you fancy Indian or Chinese food.
- Easy and quick to make – you can whip up these fresh veggie noodles in less than 30 minutes with simple ingredients!
- Tips and tricks for the best texture – through practising this recipe countless times (and many mistakes we have learnt from) we have perfected this recipe with tips and tricks to help you get the best texture of noodles and vegetables (perfect balance of crunch and delicacy) – similar to restaurant-style noodles!
- Versatile – this Indo-Chinese recipe is also a great way to use up any leftover veggies from the fridge – this easy recipe allows a range of vegetables! – from celery and cabbage to carrots and bell peppers – we’ve tried them all in this dish and they work! You can mix and match the vegetables to your liking depending on what you have in your fridge and supermarket!
Ingredients You Need to make Veg Hakka Noodles
- Noodles: it is important to cook according to instructions. You can use egg noodles in this dish. Noodles labelled as “hakka noodles” or “egg noodles” are fine to use in this recipe.
- Sesame oil: use toasted sesame oil for best results, this brings an authentic flavor to these noodles. If you do not have sesame oil you can substitute for olive oil. (I prefer using olive oil to sunflower oil as it is a healthier option).
- Garlic and ginger: I recommend chopping the garlic cloves and fresh ginger separately in a food processor (to save time!), both are added at the same time to sauté in the sesame oil.
- Green chilies: to add spice to these noodles
- Onions: you can use red or brown/yellow onions (I use one of each), sliced and sautéed until translucent
- Spring onions/scallions: add flavour and texture to this stir fry, you will need the whites and greens (whites are cooked earlier and greens are added to garnish the noodles)
- Celery: celery is optional but recommended for taste and texture. Slice celery diagonally into small slices and add after sautéing the onions.
- Carrot: carrots should be julienned (cut into very thin slices/thin juliennes), you can also grate the carrots if preferred.
- Other Vegetables: you can use other vegetables including green cabbage, slice thinly and add after adding the carrots.
- Bell Peppers: I recommend red and yellow bell peppers for flavour and subtle sweetness
- Soy sauce: you can use a combination of dark and light soy sauce. If you are not able to use both, you can use dark soy sauce alone.
- Seasoning: salt (optional) and black pepper are used to lightly season the dish.
Equipment
- I recommend using a non-stick medium/large wok for best results.
- I also recommend using two wooden spatulas to help you mix the vegetables and noodles.
How to Prepare Noodles
- Boil noodles according to package instructions (or until al dente). Mix to help evenly cook the noodles.
- Drain and rinse the boiled noodles. Use a colander to drain the noodles, rinse with cold water (to remove starch).
- Rub oil into noodles. After rinsing and draining the noodles, add a teaspoon of oil (toasted sesame oil) and rub into the noodles to evenly coat all noodle strands (this will help prevent the noodles from sticking/clumping together).
SAVE this recipe! 📩
How to Make Veggie Noodles (step-by-step)
- Sauté garlic and ginger. Heat oil in the wok, add garlic and ginger and fry on high heat (high flame) for 30 seconds, use a wooden spatula to stir and sauté the garlic and ginger. You’ll notice the aroma of garlic and ginger (and the raw smell going away).
- Add onions, spring onions/scallions and chillies. Add onions, spring onions/scallions (whites) and green chillies and cook for 2-3 minutes, until translucent.
- Add carrots, celery and vegetables. Add the carrots, celery and cabbage (if using) and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add the bell peppers and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce and black pepper and stir to season vegetables.
- Add the cooked noodles and using both spatulas toss the vegetables to evenly mix with the noodles. Check for salt before seasoning.
- Garnish with spring onions/scallions (spring onion greens), serve and enjoy!
Tips to Make the Perfect Hakka Noodles
- Prepare veggies in advance – stir-frying is a quick process which is done on high heat so it helps to prepare the vegetables in advance. Slice the veggies long and thin for the best texture, use a sharp knife to easily slice vegetables.
- Carrots – thinly slice (julienne) carrots using a julienne peeler – alternatively you can grate carrots into long thin strips.
- Noodles – cook the noodles according to packet instructions. Avoid overcooking the noodles or they will become soggy and mushy! Ensure you rinse the noodles with cold water, then add a teaspoon of oil and rub into the noodles to stop them from sticking to each other (this helps each strand of noodle be separate from one another).
- Soy sauce – soy sauce contains salt so before adding salt to the dish I recommend tasting the noodles. You may not require seasoning (or need little salt) depending on taste preferences and the brand of soy sauce you used.
- Use the best equipment for optimum results – use a large non-stick wok for best results – woks can get hotter than typical frying pans (so you can cook food faster) and the high walls of the wok allow you to easily toss and mix the vegetables quickly so they are evenly cooked. Use two wooden spatulas to help you toss the vegetables and noodles. If you do not have a wok you can use a large frying pan or skillet which has slanted or rounded sides.
- Cooking time: I personally prefer the vegetables to be cooked but if you prefer slightly crunchy veggies cook for a little less time.
Variations
- Sauces: for a tangier taste you can add hot sauce, rice vinegar or white vinegar.
- Vegetables: you can add more vegetables in this recipe including baby corn, broccoli, cauliflower and snap peas.
How to Serve these Noodles
- Serve hakka noodles with Chinese dishes such as green beans, chilli and garlic tofu and chow mein!
- These vegetable noodles can also be served with paneer manchurian or gobi manchurian for an Indo-Chinese meal!
Related
Check out our other vegetarian dishes:
Vegetable Hakka Noodles (Indo Chinese Recipe)
These vegetable hakka noodles are packed with vegetables, flavour and vibrant colours! This dish can be made in less than 30 minutes – perfect for a weekday dinner and a great way to use up any veggies in your fridge!
Ingredients
- 300 g Egg noodles
- 1-2 tablespoon Toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoon Garlic finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Ginger finely chopped
- 2 Onions (medium) (red or brown/yellow) sliced
- 4-5 Spring onions chopped, (separate whites and greens)
- 2 Green chillies chopped
- 1 Carrot julienne (large or medium carrot)
- ½ cup Celery sliced (optional)
- ½ cup Cabbage sliced (optional)
- 1 Red bell pepper sliced
- 1 Yellow bell pepper sliced
- 1 tablespoon Dark soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon Light soy sauce
- Pinch Salt (or to taste) (optional)
- Pinch Freshly ground black pepper (black pepper powder)
Instructions
Boiling the noodles
- Boil noodles according to package instructions. Mix to help evenly cook the noodles.
- Use a colander to drain the noodles and rinse with cold water (to remove starch).
- After rinsing and draining, add a teaspoon of oil (toasted sesame oil) and rub into the noodles to evenly coat all noodle strands (this will help prevent the noodles from sticking/clumping together).
Make the stir-fry noodles
- Heat oil in the wok, add garlic and ginger and fry on high heat 30 seconds, use a wooden spatula to stir and sauté the garlic and ginger. You’ll notice the aroma of garlic and ginger (and the raw smell going away).
- Add onions, spring onions/scallions (whites) and green chillies and cook for 2-3 minutes, until translucent.
- Add the carrots, celery (if using), cabbage (if using) and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add the bell peppers and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the soy sauce and black pepper and stir to season vegetables.
- Add the noodles and using both spatulas toss the vegetables to evenly mix with the noodles. Check for salt before seasoning (see recipe notes).
- Garnish with spring onions/scallions (greens), serve and enjoy!
Notes
-
- Prepare veggies in advance – stir-frying is a quick process which is done on high heat so it helps to prepare the vegetables in advance. Slice the veggies long and thin for the best texture, use a sharp knife to easily slice vegetables.
- Carrots – thinly slice (julienne) carrots using a julienne peeler – alternatively you can grate carrots into long thin strips.
- Noodles – cook the noodles according to packet instructions. Avoid overcooking the noodles or they will become soggy and mushy! Ensure you rinse the noodles with cold water, then add a teaspoon of oil and rub into the noodles to stop them from sticking to each other (this helps each strand of noodle be separate from one another).
- Soy sauce – soy sauce contains salt so before adding salt to the dish I recommend tasting the noodles. You may not require seasoning (or need little salt) depending on taste preferences and the brand of soy sauce you used.
- Use the best equipment for optimum results – use a large non-stick wok for best results – woks can get hotter than typical frying pans (so you can cook food faster) and the high walls of the wok allow you to easily toss and mix the vegetables quickly so they are evenly cooked. Use two wooden spatulas to help you toss the vegetables and noodles. If you do not have a wok you can use a large frying pan or skillet which has slanted or rounded sides.
Nutrition
Calories: 387kcalCarbohydrates: 69gProtein: 13gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 389mgPotassium: 556mgFiber: 6gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 3771IUVitamin C: 107mgCalcium: 75mgFolate: 75µgIron: 2mgZinc: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Dina and Bruce
We adore veggie meals, and wow, this one spiced up our menu! So tasty!
dana
Loved these noodles! Looking forward to making them again!
MacKenzie
These noodles were so good I love all the veggies. This one is perfect for meatless Monday