2 Recipes From *Nik Sharma (The Flavor Equation) Chicken Hakka Noodles/ Braised Bamboo + Mushrooms 🌞

Chicken Hakka Noodles (Indo-Chinese)

Indo-Chinese food differs quite a bit from familiar Chinese food; to many,
it bears little resemblance. But this special cuisine is an integral part of
Indian cuisine and is highly celebrated all over the country. Born out of
innovation by the original Hakka immigrants who first moved to Kolkata
(Calcutta) and by local Indian chefs, an array of recipes that use spices
lavishly and defy any rules gave rise, unexpectedly, to a whole new genre
of Indian cuisine. It’s not that easy to find some of these recipes in
restaurants outside India, save for a few large metropolitan areas, and it’s
even rarer to see them mentioned in Indian cookbooks. Chicken hakka
noodles are delicious on their own and really require no other accompaniment
besides the Chilli-Soy Vinegar Sauce*** and the Indo-Sichuan Sauce**

SERVES 4

12 oz [340 g] chow mein stir-fry noodles
Fine sea salt
2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp grapeseed oil or other neutral oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
One 1 in [2.5 cm] piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 green chilli, minced
1 medium onion (91/4 oz [260 g]),
halved and thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions (about 4 oz [115 g]), both white and green parts, thinly sliced
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp red chilli powder
7 oz [200 g] green cabbage, shredded
1 medium green bell pepper (7 oz) [200 g]), thinly sliced
5½ oz [155 g] green beans, thinly sliced
5½ oz [155 g] carrots, sliced into 1 in [2.5 cm] matchsticks
7 oz [200 g] shredded rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp amchur

THE FLAVOR APPROACH

The fruity sour taste of amchur is what really makes this noodle
dish’s flavors stand out against the savory soy and the warmth of
the scallions, garlic, and ginger.

Select an oil with a high smoke point if you don’t have grapeseed
oil. The temperature of the wok should be at about 350°F [ 177°C]
when you stir-fry (I use an infra-red surface thermometer to measure
the temperature). At this temperature, the oil starts to shimmer and
will be hot enough to cook.

Cook the noodles in a large pot of salted water according to the package
instructions. The noodles will be cooked in 3 to 4 minutes, once they
are just tender. Drain, rinse under running tap water, and drain again.
Place them in a large bowl and drizzle immediately with the sesame oil.
Toss to coat the noodles evenly and prevent sticking. Season with salt.

Heat the grapeseed oil in a wok or saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add the garlic, ginger, and chilli to the hot oil and sauté until fragrant,
30 to 45 seconds. Add the onions and sauté until they turn translucent,
4 to 5 minutes. Add the scallions and sauté for 1 minute, until they just start
to soften. Add the black pepper, cumin, and red chilli powder and
cook until fragrant, 30 to 45 seconds.

Add the cabbage, bell pepper, green beans, and carrots and stir-fry until
the vegetables are tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt. Add the
chicken and cook for 1 minute. Transfer the vegetables and chicken to the
noodles in the large bowl. Combine the soy sauce, vinegar,
and amchur in a small mixing bowl. Pour the liquid over the noodles
in the large bowl and toss to coat evenly with a pair of kitchen tongs.

Serve warm.

**Indo-Sichuan Sauce

The name of this sauce is a bit misleading; it does not use
Sichuan peppercorns but instead refers to the Hakka.
While this sauce is served with Chinese food in India, I use
it as a dipping sauce for everything; it even goes on top
of my fried eggs. The oil extracts the bright red pigment
of the red chillies, and you end up with a brilliant shade
of rouge. While Kashmiri chillies are mild in their level of
heat, you can further reduce the level of fieriness in the
dish by simply removing and discarding the seeds from
half the chillies, then proceeding with the recipe.

MAKES 1 ¼ LB [ 570 G ] , 3 to 3 ½ CUPS

1½ oz [40 g] dried whole Kashmiri chillies,
stalks removed and discarded
1 cup [240 ml] boiling water
½ cup [120 ml] grapeseed oil or other neutral oil
2 Tbsp minced shallot or red onion
3¼ oz [90 g] garlic, peeled and minced
2¼ oz [65 g] fresh ginger, peeled and minced
¼ cup [55 g] tomato paste
½ cup [120 ml] cider vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp sugar
Fine sea salt

Place the chillies in a medium bowl or cup and cover with the
boiling water. Push down the chillies to submerge them and
let stand for 30 minutes to soften and rehydrate.

Remove the chillies and transfer them to a blender with
half of the soaking water. Reserve the remaining water.
Pulse for a few short seconds until a coarse paste forms.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
When the oil is hot, add the chilli paste and cook, stirring
constantly, for 1 minute. Add the shallot and cook for 1 minute.
Add the garlic, ginger, and tomato paste and cook for
2 minutes. Lower the heat to a simmer and add the vinegar,
soy sauce, sugar, and the reserved water.

Cover the saucepan with a lid and cook, stirring occasionally,
until the ginger is completely tender and cooked, almost all
the water has cooked off, and the oil separates, 25 to 30 minutes.


************************************************************************

***Chilli-Soy Vinegar Sauce

This sauce is usually prepared without the addition of soy
sauce; however, I find mixing the two together with the
chillies gives a more robust flavor. A quick and easy sauce
to prepare, it’s got acidity, umami, and heat all rolled into
one. Sprinkle a few drops of the liquid into your Manchow
Soup (page 255) or over your noodles to kick things up.

MAKES ½ CUP [ 120 ML ]

¼ cup [60 ml] rice vinegar
¼ cup [60 ml] soy sauce
1 green chilli, such as serrano or bird’s eye, thinly sliced
Fine sea salt

Place the vinegar, soy sauce, and chilli in a small serving
bowl. Season with salt and let sit for 1 hour before serving.
Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to
2 days.


From "The Flavor Equation" by Nik Sharma
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50998820-the-flavor-equation

**************************************************************************


Braised Bamboo + Mushrooms

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

In a large saucepan or wok over medium-high heat, warm 2 Tbsp
sesame oil. When the oil is hot, add 1 lb [455 g] whole cremini
mushrooms; one 5 oz [140 g] can sliced bamboo shoots, drained and
rinsed; and 1 shallot, thinly sliced. Cover with a lid and cook until the
mushrooms are tender, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl, mix together 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce; 1 garlic
clove, grated; 1 tsp light or dark brown sugar; and ½ tsp ground black
pepper. Pour over the vegetables and stir to coat well. Cook until the
liquid is absorbed. Taste and season with fine sea salt.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator
for up to 3 days.

Cremini mushrooms are white mushrooms and baby bellas are
portobellos; they’re just picked at a different stage of maturity. When
braised, they become succulent and juicy and provide a softer
counterpart to crunchy slices of bamboo shoots. This is excellent over
plain rice.

THE COOK’S NOTES

If you want a stronger sesame flavor, don’t swap in toasted sesame
oil when heating; its smoke point is much lower than that of regular
sesame oil (regular sesame oil is 410°F to 446°F [210°C to 230°C]
while toasted sesame oil 350°F to 410°F [180°C to 210°C]). The
toasted oil will taste bitter. Instead, drizzle a few drops of toasted
sesame oil on the dish when it’s ready to serve. You can swap in
oyster or shiitake mushrooms instead. If the mushrooms are large,
chop them into bite-size pieces.

From "Veg-Table" by Nik Sharma
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/115575060-veg-table


Nik makes Indian Food achievable. Enjoy everyone!


*Nik Sharma
https://niksharmacooks.com/

Nik is a best-selling and award-winning cookbook author, photographer,
columnist, and former molecular biologist. He grew up in Bombay and now lives in LA. Nik’s beautifully photographed cookbooks include Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food (2018), The Flavor Equation (2020), and Veg-table (2023). His blog and San Francisco Chronicle column have been consistently recognized by the IACP, and his popular Substack newsletter, The Flavor Files, combines his passion for cooking and science. Nik is a member of ATK's first-ever group of editors in residence, a two-year program during which he develops exclusive recipes and collaborates on video, podcast, and TV episodes with the test kitchen team.

https://www.americastestkitchen.com/authors/560-nik-sharma