Here’s an Indo-Chinese-inspired chilli garlic noodles recipe that you can try on a cold chilly afternoon. I am obsessed with this dish and I cannot stress the fact that this here is the comfort food you’ll need today.
Inspiration for Chilli Garlic Noodles: India’s favourite cuisine (Indo-Chinese)
Indian-Chinese food dates back to the 1700s when the Hakka traders from China settled in Calcutta – the then capital of British India. Kolkata, or Calcutta was one of the first cities in India to start an Indo-Chinese restaurant. Chinese immigrants who moved to India for work opportunities started cooking their food. They used locally sourced ingredients and customizing it to the Indian palate. Eventually, this Sino-Indian cultural fusion spread all around the country like wildfire. As the years went by, people began experimenting with different ingredients and christened each dish in an Indianized manner. Dishes like the Gobi (cauliflower) Manchurian or Schezuan fried rice are localized only to India and not to the Chinese culture.
This cuisine has been subtly adapted to the Indian palette to suit the fiery tastes. It includes a variety of ingredients, an explosion of flavors, Chinese sauces, and spices that makes the cuisine super appetizing to eat. Thus, began the birth of a line of dishes that made a beautiful impact on every Indian’s heart. I want to bring this beautiful amalgamation of India and China onto your plates.
Why is Indo-Chinese food so popular?
The exquisite Indianness and unique cooking style infused in this cuisine makes it so spectacularly popular. We also love eating anything that feels familiar. This cuisine was built on very specific regional flavors and ingredients and is the perfect Indian interpretation of Chinese foods. Ingredients like Paneer (Indian cottage cheese), potatoes, cauliflower, spring onions, cabbages, bell peppers, etc are used to create dishes with a Chinese twist. Thus, dishes like Veg Manchurian, Spring rolls, Schezwan noodles, Manchurian soup, Gobi Manchurian, Chilli Paneer, and many more came into existence.
Indians and spices have a special unbreakable bond. We love anything that makes our tongue feel like it’s on fire. Trust me!
Indo-Chinese dishes satiate the cravings for spicy foods quite perfectly. Spices, condiments and aromatics like garlic, chilies, MSG, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar give the dishes that extra zing which will make you go for a second helping.
Here’s my version of Chilli Garlic Noodles that has the right amount of spice and an overdose of yumminess.
How to make some Delicious Chilli Garlic Noodles ( Tips and Tricks)
Prepping the Noodles
I used Wheat noodles here but you can use of buckwheat noodles or rice noodles too depending on your choice. Make sure, though, to prep them according to their respective cooking methods.
The trick behind getting the right texture for wheat noodles: cook the noodles to 70% doneness before draining. It gets cooked further once the noodles are added to the wok along with the other ingredients. If you cook them completely while boiling, you will be left with soggy, overcooked noodles completely ruining the dish.
Red Chilli Paste
The red chilli paste is the secret behind the spice, reddish tint, and vibrancy of this dish. If you love spicy food like me, then make a large batch of this homemade chilli paste. Store it in an air tight container in the fridge. You can use this paste in other dishes as well. Pour it into soups, use it as a spread for sandwiches, use it as a marinade or add some vegan mayo to make a quick dip for your nachos etc.
I made a fresh batch of red chilli paste for this recipe. Soak the dried Kashmiri red chillies (easily available in any indian store) in hot water for 15-20 minutes till the chillies soften up. Grind it into a fine paste with garlic and water to maintain a paste like consistency.
Vegetables
You can use any vegetable that catches your fancy – zucchini, cauliflower, green peas, french beans, mushrooms – ANYTHING!
I am sticking to carrots, bell peppers, capsicums, scallions, and cabbage.
Before you get chopping, let’s run over the thumb rule – the thinner the better. We also want our vegetables to be in a similar size since we are cooking with thin noodles. The reason we cut them uniformly is to ensure an even cooking rate. Hence, get your chef’s knife out and julienne the heck out of these veggies.
MSG
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer that is has been used in Asian cooking for ages. It imparts a pleasant savoury taste or umami to dishes. You can definitely skip it if you don’t wish to use this ingredient.
Making the Chilli Garlic Noodles
As the name Chilli Garlic Noodles suggest, this dish here has loads and loads of garlic – because we’re obsessed.
Check out other recipes from the blog:
Delicious Chilli Garlic Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 Pack Wheat noodles or gluten-free option
- Water for boiling the noodles
- 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 8-10 Kashmiri dried red chilies
- 3 tbsp Garlic (minced)
- 2 cloves Garlic (chopped)
- 3 tbsp Garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Ginger minced
- 2-3 Green chillies sliced (optional)
- 1 Carrot julienned
- 2 cups Red green, and yellow bell peppers julienned
- ½ cup Shredded cabbage
- 1 tsp Soy sauce
- ½ tsp Sugar
- 1/3 cup Scallions sliced
- 1 tsp Rice Vinegar
- Fresh coriander leaves a handful
- Salt to taste
- ½ tsp MSG optional
Instructions
- Boil noodles according to instructions on the packet.
- Once boiled, drain the water and rinse in cold water.
- Drizzle oil to coat the noodles and to avoid sticking.
- Set the noodles aside
- Prep the Chilli Garlic paste by soaking the Kashmiri red chillies in hot water for 10-15 minutes. Let it cool and set aside.
- Transfer to a blender with 2 garlic cloves and blend it into a fine paste.
- Add some water to occassionally to get a paste like consistency. Keep aside.
- Set a wok on medium heat and add oil. Once the oil is hot enough add minced garlic & ginger and saute for 1-2 minutes
- Then, add the red chilli paste prepared before hand and cook until the oil separates
- Now add the green chillies and chopped veggies while sauteing them continuously
- Once the veggies have softened down a bit, add soy sauce & sugar.
- Sauté on high flame for 1-2 minutes
- Add MSG (if using) for a delicious umami flavour
- Add boiled noodles, scallions, fresh choppped coriander and vinegar
- Stir & toss well on high flame for a minute
- Serve it hot in your favourite bowl
Don’t foget to tag @beextravegant if you make this and follow for more bomb-ass recipes! Click here for a visual representation to give you an idea on how to make this recipe. Enjoy!
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