Veg Chowmein
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> Chowmein, the word itself brings water to my mouth !! 😀 I still remember in my childhood days ,when I tasted it for the 1st time , I became its fan..All I could remember is that the Bengali aunty who send in the chowmein for us was a talkative lady and she gave us saying “new type of maggi”.But we found the taste so overwhelming that we started demanding this special maggie from our mom on every occasion. Till now , the aroma itself is enough to pull me straight to its corner. >
> > Eventually I realized, its because of the vegetables and seasoning which make the dish so attractive and edible.Today I am going to share another recipe of my mom, where she always says that the beauty of this dish lies in the chopping of vegetables. Rest of the work is a game.> I found the Angel Hair thin Spaghetti(all-purpose flour) to be the best in taste and texture. If you are going to try for the first time go for this one, else you may pick any to suit your health and taste buds.
INGREDIENTS:
1. Carrots thinly sliced – 1⁄2 cup
2. Cabbage thinly slices – 1 cup (Although I didn’t had this at that time..)
3. Red onions thinly sliced – 1⁄2 cup
4. Capsisum or Bell peppers thinly sliced – 1⁄2 cup (add as many colors here)
5. Angel Hair thin Spaghetti broken in halves(All-purpose Flour) – 1⁄4 lbs or 113 gms
6. Black pepper powder – 1 tsp
7. Salt to taste
8. White chilli Vinegar/Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
9. Soy sauce/tomato sauce – 1 tbsp
10. Cooking oil – 2 tbsp
11. Tomato Ketchup – 2 tbsp (optional)
12. Ginger paste – 2 tsp
13. Garlic paste – 2 tsp
14. Chopped green chilli – 1-2
15. Red Chilli Flakes – 1⁄2 tsp
16. Spring onions(hari pyaz) finely chopped for garnishing (optional)
17. Baby corns sliced lengthwise – 6-7 (optional)
18. Schetzwan Manchurian sauce/hot chilli sauce – 1 tsp (optional)
Since I didn’t had Cabbage, I added more of carrots to balance the quantity.According to my mom , its made of 3C’s >> carrot,capsicum and cabbage.Easy to remember this way ,right?? 🙂
METHOD:
1. Chop and slice all the veggies thinly and cover them. Take the spaghetti and halve them or in thirds according to the size of the pan you are using for boiling water. Now heat some 6 cups of water in a pan and bring it to a boil. Also add 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp oil in it.
As soon as the water comes to a rolling boil, add your spaghetti in it and let them cook on medium flame for 2-3 minutes or until al-dente i.e. they could be broken with your nails . Don’t overcook them or they will lose all the carbs and get sticky and thicker. Cook them just enough that they get tender.
After 3 mins I removed the pan from heat and washed them in cold water by straining them through a colander.
Now heat a wok on medium heat. Add cooking oil in it. Then add the ginger-garlic paste. If you don’t have the store bought paste, make your own. For this grate 1⁄2 inch of ginger and 2 cloves of garlic through a grater.
Now add all the veggies together.You may add as many vegetables in them as you wish. Some people add mushroom, black olives, jalapeno peppers too. Stir them on medium heat till they are half cooked.
Now add the salt.Give it a stir.
Next add the black pepper. Again stir so its well coated.
Then add the red chilli flakes. You may add whole red chillies chopped finely in its place. Add the spices according to your taste and preference. I had prepared for my kid , hence had kept the level low.
Now add the spaghetti and stir and saute them together with all the vegetables. From hereon stir continously by tossing them either with chopsticks or two ladles. You need to coat all the spaghetti in the spices and vegetables.
Now turn off the heat or reduce it to the lowest and then add the soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar,Schetzwan sauce etc.
Toss the noodles and veggies together in the sauces to coat them evenly .
Once all is blended well, took it off the heat and garnish it with spring onions or cilantro and serve.
Enjoy this yummy evening appetizer or one-pot meal !! Share your experiences here.:)
We appreciate your time and patience..