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Chinese bhel
चायनीज़ भेळ (Chinese bhel): crisp fried noodles tossed with crunchy vegetables in a hot-sweet Schezwan dressing
Mumbai's Indo-Chinese carts, parked outside colleges in Dadar and Matunga from late afternoon, sell this street invention that borrows the idea of bhel and swaps the puffed rice for golden fried noodles. Raw shredded cabbage, carrot and capsicum are thrown in with Schezwan sauce, ketchup, a dash of soy and vinegar, and tossed so fast the noodles still crackle when you eat them. Chef's tip: dry the boiled noodles thoroughly on a tray before frying; wet noodles spit and fry up chewy rather than crisp.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the crisp noodles
- 5 ½ oz plain wheat hakka noodles
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 3 ¼ cups sunflower oil, for deep-frying
For the bhel
- 5 ½ oz white cabbagefinely shredded
- 1 carrotcut into fine matchsticks
- 1 green pepperthinly sliced
- 3 spring onionssliced
- 2 cloves garlicfinely grated
- 3 tbsp Schezwan chilli sauce
- 3 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- ⅓ oz fresh coriander (optional)chopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Boil 5 ½ oz plain wheat hakka noodles in plenty of water for 2–3 minutes, until just flexible but still firm. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain well.
4 minStep 2: Toss with 1 tbsp cornflour, spread out on a tray lined with kitchen paper and leave for 10 minutes to dry on the surface.
Step 3: Pour 3 ¼ cups sunflower oil, for deep-frying into a deep, heavy pan so it is no more than a third full and heat it over a medium heat to 350°F on a thermometer; with no thermometer, a small cube of bread should turn golden in about 60 seconds. Never leave hot oil unattended, and keep children well away.
5 minStep 4: Fry the noodles in 3 small batches for 2–3 minutes each, turning once with a slotted spoon, until golden and rigid. Lift onto kitchen paper; they crisp up more as they cool.
8 minStep 5: In a big bowl stir 2 cloves garlic, 3 tbsp Schezwan chilli sauce, 3 tbsp tomato ketchup, 1 tsp soy sauce and 1 tsp white vinegar together, then add 5 ½ oz white cabbage, 1 carrot, 1 green pepper and most of the 3 spring onions and toss to coat.
Step 6: Just before serving, crush the noodles roughly by hand into the bowl and toss for 20 seconds. Common mistake: dressing the noodles early; they go limp in minutes. Top with the last spring onion and ⅓ oz fresh coriander and eat at once.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chinese bhel take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of cornflour?
- Arrowroot or potato starch, same amount.
- What can I use instead of white cabbage?
- Savoy or spring greens, same weight.
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