Over the centuries, Indonesia has been shaped by Indian and Chinese influences, and its cuisine is no exception. Padang dishes such as gulai, for example, bear a distinct resemblance to Indian curries. On the other hand, the Indonesian meatball, known as bakso, has its origins in the Chinese bak chor.
Across the Indian Ocean, in Kolkata, a group of Hakka Chinese settled down and with them came a new cuisine within the Indian subcontinent: Indian-Chinese cuisine. For the uninitiated, this isn’t the case of immigrants trying to recreate the food of their homeland; this is an entirely different cuisine. It contains dishes no Chinese has ever heard of, such as Chicken Manchurian and Manchow soup. Indian Chinese cuisine uses some ingredients typically associated with Chinnese food, such as noodles, soy sauce and spring onions. It also uses other ingredients such as capsicum and red onions that Indians think Chinese food should contain. Today, you get Indian Chinese food in practically every North Indian restaurant in India.
For this recipe, I decided to contribute to the mingling of cultures! And I created a simple Indian-Chinese Indonesian dish: Indian Chinese style Indomie. This closely resembles Indian-Chinese Hakka noodles (noodles fried with onions, capsicum and other vegetables, etc). What gives it an Indonesian twist is that it’s combined with Indonesia’s favourite instant noodles, Indomie (Mi Goreng flavour). You’ll use all the seasonings in the Indomie packet, resulting in a slightly sweet and rather spicy flavour.
This recipe is for dry noodles, and there are many ways to spruce up Indomie soups as well, such as by making Indomie Rebus. In keeping with the Indonesian spirit, try experimenting by making your own version of Indomie. It is unlikely to ever go wrong!
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Indian-Chinese Style Fried Indomie ‘Hakka Noodles’
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Rice & Noodles
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Indian
- Diet: Halal
Description
This experimental dish combines Indian-Chinese and Indonesian food, and is a version of ‘Hakka Noodles’ that uses Indomie Mi Goreng instant noodles, along with all its seasonings. Quick and easy.
Ingredients
- 2 packets Indomie Mi Goreng
- 1 small red onion, sliced
- ½ green capsicum, sliced
- 2 tsp chopped spring onion (for frying)
- 1 tsp chopped spring onion (for garnish)
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- Remove the noodles from the Indomie packets and cook them in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- In a wok or frying pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat.
- Add the onions and saute until they soften and turn golden, around 5 min.
- Add the ginger garlic paste. Saute for 1 min.
- Add the capsicum and the 2 tsp spring onions. Stir-fry for 3 min.
- Add all the Indomie seasoning, except for the prepackaged fried onions.
- Add the noodles and mix thoroughly for 1 min.
- Turn off the heat. Garnish with the pre-packed fried onions and some chopped spring onions.
- Serve with chilli sauce.
Notes
- Your Indomie Mie Goreng packet should come with five types of seasoning: oil, chilli powder, seasoning powder, sweet soy sauce, and fried onions. Remember to set the fried onions aside – this is to be used as garnish.
Keywords: Fusion, experimental, quick & easy, common ingredients
