Instant Pot Hakka Noodles is a vegetable-based noodle dish quite similar to vegetable Chow Mein. This dish is particularly famous as Indo-Chinese street food, often served with Indian-born gobi Manchurian and paneer chili. Here is my instant pot version of instant pot Asian Noodles or chow mein.

Hakka Noodles vs Chow Mein vs Lo Mein

The major difference between Hakka noodle and chow mein is the texture of the noodles. The Hakka noodle is kind of toss fried whereas chow mein is stir-fried with veggies and meat. Most of the time, the Hakka noodle recipe includes tossing of boiled noodles and stir-fried vegetables and seasoned with Chinese sauces.

Lo Mein, in contrast, is very saucy and doesn’t particularly use thin noodles. You can either use spaghetti or flat noodles to make a lo Mein. The texture of Lo Mein noodle is always soft and sweet whereas both Hakka noodles and chow mein are firmer than lo mein, and has a spicy flavor.

What is Hakka Noodles?

If you ever go to India, you will be surprised with the variety of street food you will see there. A majority of street food and foreign-inspired, especially from immediate neighbors. You will find Mughal inspired biryanis and kebabs, and a variety of spicy Chinese stir fry or fried dishes often categorized under the Indo-Chinese category. The Hakka noodle dish is very popular across India and is spicier than its Chinese siblings. Often this dish with made with vegetables or meat.

Cooking hakka noodles in the instant pot

What can I substitute for Hakka noodles?

Hakka noodles are widely available across all Asian and Indian stores in the USA. You can also look for these in speciality markets or in online stores. If you are unable to find this noodle, you can substitute it with Maggie brand noodles or any wheat-based spaghetti noodles.

How to Make Instant Pot Hakka Noodles?

Since we are making the instant pot Hakka noodle version of the famous Indian street food dish, we are using an instant pot to cook them all together. The process takes less than 30-minutes and yet results a really tasty noodle dish with close resemblance with stir-fried noodles. Presenting my version of Instant Pot Hakka Noodles.

Ingredients:

Vegetables:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced or chopped
½ inch ginger, minced
½ cup green onion, white part chopped and green part for garnish
½ cup carrot, julienned
½ cup broccoli florets
¼ cup green beans, cut into ½ inch pieces
½ cup sliced mushrooms
½ cup grilled or air-fried tofu
Salt and pepper to taste

For Instant Pot Hakka Noodles:

3.5 cups water or vegetable broth
2 tablespoon dark soya sauce
1 tablespoon red chili sauce or sriracha sauce
1.5 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
16 oz Hakka noodles
Salt and pepper to taste

To Garnish:

2 tablespoon green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon hot sesame oil
Toasted sesame seeds to garnish

Method Of Making Instant Pot Hakka Noodles:

Turn on the SAUTE mode on your Instant Pot and wait till the display shows “hot.”
Now add half of the cooking oil and sauté the green veggies (broccoli and beans) until lightly brown. Set aside.
Add rest of the cooking oil and add in minced ginger and garlic and saute for few seconds.
Then add all the other veggies (green onion white parts, carrot, and mushrooms), salt and black pepper and give a good stir.
Stir and saute for 1 minute till veggies start to sweat. Do not cook till the veggies are mushy.
Place noodles over the sautéed veggies, add water or veggie broth and add all sauces. Alternatively, mix the sauces in water and add it over the noodles. Try to push the noodles in to the liquid.
Now close the instant pot lid, and turn the valve from the VENTING to the SEALING position. Set the instant pot to manual with cooking time set for 4 minutes.

After the IP beeps, quick release the pressure and open the pot. Mix in the sautéed green veggies and tofu if using, and give a good stir.
Add the smoked sesame oil and use a fork to separate the noodles sauce with the tongs.
If you see some water or sauce in the pot, it’s totally alright. The noodles absorb the sauce and water even while they are hot.

Adjust salt and pepper if necessary and add more sauce if needed. Cover with lid and rest for 2-3 minutes.
Serve after 3-minutes with your favorite sides or as it is.

Notes:

For gluten-free version, use rice noodles and change the cooking time to 2 minutes.
Also replace the soy sauce with Tamari for a gluten-free version.

📖 Recipe