OK, 'Chinese bhel' is a bit misleading – this dish is actually a chaat, a type of street food served at stalls and trucks throughout India, but this one's 'Chindian' (it's a real word – look it up), meaning its flavours are influenced by India's Chinese immigrant population. It's hot, sweet and spicy – see Emma Power's recipe below.
Ingredients
For the Szechuan sauce
· 2 tbsp vegetable oil
· 4 large cloves of garlic paste (crush fresh garlic for best results)
· 2 inch piece finely chopped ginger
· 4 tbsp tomato puree
· 4 tbsp red chilli paste (this can be bought pre made in the Asian supermarkets)
· salt
· 3 tsp white vinegar
· 2 tsp sugar
All other ingredients
· 200g fried hakka noodles
· 3 chopped spring onions
· 100g shredded cabbage
· 100g shredded or coarse grated carrots
· 100g shredded or finely sliced capsicum
· 2 tbsp tomato ketchup (add more if you prefer your dish sweeter)
· 4 tbsp Szechuan sauce (add more if you want a stronger flavor)
· handful of fresh coriander leaves
· salt to taste
For the Szechuan sauce
Heat the oil in a kadhai (Indian pan or a wok) until it smokes, add the garlic and ginger and mix well and sauté on a medium heat for 1 minute until the flavours release. Don’t let it burn or go brown. Add the tomato puree, mix well and cook on a medium heat for 4–5 minutes, stirring continuously.
Add the red chilli paste, salt and 4 tbsp of water, mix well and simmer for a couple of minutes while stirring. Add the vinegar and sugar and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. This can be kept in a container in the fridge for up to a week.
For the noodles
Follow the cooking guidelines on the noodles, drain and leave to cool. Once cooled these need to be deep-fried in vegetable oil until very crispy.
To create the dish
In a large mixing bowl add the crispy noodles, all the prepared vegetables, tomato ketchup and Szechuan sauce. Toss all the ingredients together until the noodles are evenly coated with the sauce. Add in the coriander leaves just before serving. Serve with lime wedges and eat straight away – it's best eaten when the noodles are still crispy.
By Emma Power; emma-power.co.uk
