They differ from the dozens of other noodle varieties available on the market today, such as flat and thick rice noodles and regular wheat noodles both in terms of texture and ingredients. The fun in creating noodle dishes is finding the right kind of texture and consistency for the dish you are preparing.
Originating in the Fujian province of China, these noodles have since been used all over the world in a number of dishes, each one of which beautifully demonstrates the chewy, yet tender texture of the noodle. This texture results from the use of egg, which allows the Hokkien noodles to soak up more water, which strengthens the noodle and contributes to the chewy texture. For this reason, many brands of Hokkien noodle require blanching for one minute before they are cooked with.
Making a Hokkien noodle dish at home
Noodle dishes incorporating Hokkien noodles are highly flexible with their ingredients, allowing for the components of the meal to be fairly versatile. Any kind of protein can be added to complete the meal, such as chicken, beef or lamb, and the addition of tofu can transform your noodle dish into a vegetarian meal.
Hokkien noodles can both be stir fried and used in soups – in the case of stir fry, they suit light and dark soy sauces well, as well as thicker sauces such as oyster sauce. A classic dish that incorporates Hokkien noodles with these kinds of sauces is Hokkien mee – although this dish uses a noodle from a Chinese province, it is in fact Malaysian. This is due to workers from the Fujian province bringing the noodle with them and preparing it in their home away from home!
Make your own Hokkien noodles with our recipe
To start you out with a great noodle dish, we’ve provided you with an amazing chicken stir fry with hokkien noodles. It’s a simple dish that requires you to only cut up a select few vegetables and meat before you throw it all together in a wok or pan. It’s a good idea to keep your wok reasonably hot during cooking, as the quick cooking allows for the beautiful flavours in fresh meats and vegetables to truly shine.
Even the sumptuous sauce only requires you to combine three easy ingredients together before you throw it into your work. With it being so simple, you can easily adapt our instructions and create your own exciting recipes!