Chinese Bhel

Name: Chinese Bhel
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 persons
Ingredients: ½ teaspoon light soy sauce; 1 teaspoon vinegar; 2 ½ tablespoons tomato ketchup; ½ tablespoon chilli sauce; 1 teaspoon chilli flakes; 2 teaspoons sugar; 1 ½ tablespoons cooking oil; 6 cloves garlic (finely chopped); 2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste; 1 ½ teaspoons red chilli paste; ¼ cup water; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ cup carrot (julienned); ¼ cup green capsicum (julienned); ¼ cup red capsicum (julienned); ¼ cup yellow capsicum (julienned); ½ cup green beans (thinly sliced, cut into thirds); ¼ cup spring onion (greens only, cut into thirds); 2 cups fried noodles (140 gms mfs link)

Chinese Bhel

Say hello to Chinese Bhel—a crunchy, tangy, spicy Indo-Chinese twist on the classic bhel. If you love bold flavours, this one’s going to be your new favourite!

Serves 4 persons

Prep 10 minutes

Cook 15 minutes

Total 25 minutes

Jump to the recipe

If you’ve ever craved something crunchy, tangy, and a little spicy—Chinese Bhel is that snack. It’s one of those things you throw together quickly but everyone thinks you spent hours on. Crispy fried noodles, fresh veggies, and that punchy Indo-Chinese sauces… it’s a whole vibe in a bowl.

We usually make this for movie nights or when friends drop by unexpectedly. It’s fun to eat, super satisfying, and way easier than it looks. And those flavors are addictive 😍 Let’s find out how to make Chinese bhel, street style!

Chinese Bhel Ingredients

You don’t need anything fancy to make this Chinese bhel recipe—most ingredients are pantry staples:

Sauce Ingredients: Light soy sauce, vinegar, tomato ketchup, chilli sauce, chilli flakes, sugar
Stir-Fry Base: Oil, garlic, ginger garlic paste, red chilli paste, water, salt
For the Bhel: Carrots, green/red/yellow capsicum, green beans, spring onion greens, crispy fried noodles

Want To Use Your Air Fryer More?

Check out my ✨FREE✨ Air Fryer Starter Guide to help you get started on your air frying journey and use your air fryer for more than just making fries. Check it out here or enter your details below to get it delivered straight to your inbox!

Frequently Asked Questions

freshly make crispy fried noodles in the air fryer

Air Fryer Crispy Noodles

For this recipe, I made my crispy noodles in the air fryer. It’s such a game-changer because this method uses way less oil making it healthier. Plus, air fryer crispy noodles have the same flavor and texture as traditional deep frying, but minus the mess! Check out the full Air Fryer Crispy Noodles recipe here!

Richa’s Top Tips

Cool the sauce before adding it to noodles to prevent sogginess.
Serve immediately for maximum crunch.
Evenly chop your veggies for better texture and uniform mixing.
Make your Chinese bhel healthier by frying the sev in the air fryer. You can find the steps for air fryer noodles in this recipe.
If you like it spicy, feel free to throw in some schezwan sauce ❤️‍🔥
You can buy a ready-made fried noodles packet to save even more time.

Chinese Bhel Variations

Add protein: Toss in some pan-fried tofu or air-fried paneer cubes.
Extra crunch: Sprinkle some roasted peanuts or sesame seeds on top.
Make it saucier: Double the sauce if you like your bhel with more coating.
Add cabbage: Shredded cabbage adds more crunch and volume.

Serving Ideas

Pair it with veg fried rice for that classic street-style combo. The crunchy noodles and tangy sauce go so well with the umami flavors of fried rice.
Serve as a chaat-inspired snack alongside momos or veg spring rolls for a fun Indo-Chinese platter.
Add it to your game night menu with honey chilli potatoes and crispy corn—trust me, it’ll disappear in minutes.
Make it a part of your party appetizers spread with other crowd-pleasers like chilli paneer or veg manchurian.

Storage Tips

Only store the sauce and veggies separately. Once mixed with noodles, this dish doesn’t hold up well.
The sauce can be kept in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Fried noodles stay crispy for 7-10 days in a dry, airtight container.

a close up image of chinese bhel to show the crunchy texture

This Indo-Chinese bhel is the snack you didn’t know you needed. It’s quick, vibrant, and totally satisfying. Once you try it, you’ll want to keep a stash of fried noodles ready at all times!

Want more quick snacks like this? Check out other Appetizers and Snacks recipes on my blog.

And if you make this Chinese Bhel, tag me on Instagram @my_foodstory—I’d love to see your creations!

This article was researched and written by Harita Odedra.

The recipe

Chinese Bhel

Saucy, crispy, spicy, tangy… Chinese Bhel is a flavor and texture bomb. It's the easiest thing to whip up both for random chat cravings and unexpected guests.

Serves 4 persons
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 15 minutes
Total 25 minutes

Ingredients

Sauce

½ teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 ½ tablespoons tomato ketchup
½ tablespoon chilli sauce
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
2 teaspoons sugar

Stir Fry

1 ½ tablespoons cooking oil
6 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
1 ½ teaspoons red chilli paste
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon salt

Bhel

½ cup carrot (julienned)
¼ cup green capsicum (julienned)
¼ cup red capsicum (julienned)
¼ cup yellow capsicum (julienned)
½ cup green beans (thinly sliced, cut into thirds)
¼ cup spring onion (greens only, cut into thirds)
2 cups fried noodles (140 gms mfs link)

Method

Making sauce mix

1
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

For the stir fry

2
Heat oil in a wok and add garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add ginger garlic paste and red chilli paste and cook for 3 – 5 minutes on low to medium heat while stirring occasionally. Cook until the raw red chilli smell goes. When the red chilli paste looks slightly toasted, increase the heat to high and add the sauce mix and stir to combine.
3
Add water and cook till the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Turn off the heat and transfer the sauce into a bowl. Allow the sauce to cool completely.

Making bhel

4
When ready to eat, add carrots, bell peppers, beans, spring onions, fried noodles and the cooled sauce to a large bowl and toss to combine. Toss the bhel only when you are ready to serve as the fried noodles will get soggy over time.