We just love how varied Indian street food culture is! Visit anywhere across India, you will find a variety of unique options that help define the food habit of the place. Take Kolkata for instance. Kolkata offers a variety of street foods - from phucka and jhalmuri to greasy egg roll, options are many leaving us spoilt for choices. If you notice, you will find each of these dishes is affordable, accessible and are made with ingredients procured locally. Besides, the flavours (of these foods) also help you understand the palate of the city. One such popular street food of Kolkata is chicken chowmein. A perfect instance of desi Chinese, it is noodles tossed with veggies, chicken, sauces and several other spices. Quintessentially, chicken chowmein is greasy, spicy and extremely flavourful, garnering a huge fan base of its own. So much so that today, you will find street-style chowmein in different parts of the country. That's not all. Many of us make it at home too. But let's agree, getting the right texture of the chowmein is not as easy as it seems. In fact, most of us end up overcooking the dish, making it sticky and soggy. Every wondered why?!
(Also Read: 7 Of The Best Indian Street-Style Noodles Recipe You Must Try)
The secret lies in how the noodles are boiled. That's right! Boiling the noodles right will help you get the exact street-style texture of the chowmein without much fuss. Want to know the trick? Then this article is just for you.
Here're 6 Easy Tips To Boil The Noodles Right:
1. Take sufficient water in a bowl and add oil and some salt to it. Some add a pinch of turmeric too.
2. Let the water boil completely.
3. Add raw noodle cake in the boiling water and stir with fork. Do not over-stir; that will break the noodles into pieces.
(Also Read: Shirataki Noodles: 5 Ways These Zero Calorie Noodles May Benefit Your Health)
4. When you see the noodles are almost 75 percent cooked, strain the water. Make sure the noodles have a bite-like texture.
5. Immediately put the noodles under running cold water to stop further cooking. Let the water drain out completely.
6. Spread the noodles on a flat base and rub oil on it gently.
(Also Read: Watch: Move Over Ramen, Try The Quintessential Soba Noodles From Japan)
Now that you have the perfectly boiled noodles, what are you waiting for? Get all the necessary ingredients and make yourself Kolkata street-style chicken chowmein at home. We have also found the recipe for you. Click here for Kolkata street-style chicken chowmein recipe.
And for the ones who don't like chicken, here're the egg and veg version of the recipe too.
Click here for egg chowmein recipe.
Click here for veg chowmein recipe.
Try the recipe today and do let us know if the tips worked for you!
About Somdatta SahaExplorer- this is what Somdatta likes to call herself. Be it in terms of food, people or places, all she craves for is to know the unknown. A simple aglio olio pasta or daal-chawal and a good movie can make her day.