Fry Your Noodles!

I think we can all say that we take a certain liking to some food during out lives. Food is something that inherently satisfies our soul and has its appeal to most people. It doesn't just help us stop our hunger, but it also satisfies our cravings. Food is one of the fundamental things in our life and as humans, we have the option to not only cook it, but make it sound the way we want it to.

Chinese cuisine is loved by children and adults alike, simply because of how light the food feels. Usually with bases like rice or noodles, chinese food is quick and easy to make, with not much hassle. Plus, you can have it with any gravy that you prepare, be it a vegetarian or a meaty gravy.

However, we could always turn it up a notch, by making Pan Fried Noodles, which is great to taste and easy to make. This is a mom approved recipe, so it is healthy and easy to make. I've cooked this, so I know that this works.

Total Prep time - 1 hour

Ingredients required - all for one portion

For the pan fried noodles:

1. Noodles - 1 packet, or more depending on how much you would like to have

2. Oil - any cooking oil

For the sauce:

1. Garlic - 4 to 5 pods, finely chopped

2. Ginger - 2 tablespoons, washed and grated. You can vary the ginger according to your liking

3. Onions - 1 roughly chopped

4. Carrots - 1 finely chopped

5. Spring Onions - a handful, finely chopped

6. Capsicum - half a capsicum, roughly chopped

7. Broccoli - 1 cup, cut into small flowerlets

8. Cabbage - 1 cup, roughly chopped

9. Spinach - 4 to 5 leaves. Do not chop.

10. Mushroom - 1 cup, roughly chopped

11. Corn Flour - half cup, mix with water before you pour it into the broth

12. Salt and pepper - according to preference

13. Tastemaker - personally, I use Ajinomoto, but you can forego this, even if you want to

14. Water

It isn't necessary to use only the vegetables prescribed in the recipe. You can forego a few or alternate with preferred quantities of beans, cauliflower, peas, etc. At the same time, you could also choose to add lightly tossed chicken into the souce, if you don't want your food to be exclusively vegetarian.

Preparing the Noodles

• The noodles are the easiest part of the recipe.

• Boil a pot of water, with two tablespoons of oil and add the noodles to it. The oil is essential so that the noodles don't stick to each other and become a soggy mess. We absolutely do not want that hapenning.

• Ensure that the noodles are only half cooked, because you have fry them ahead and cooking them completely to fry them later will overcook them.

• Take the pot of noodles off the stove and drain the water from it. Cool the noodles under running water or a tap. I place a big strainer over my sink and pour the pot of noodles into it, while running the tap over it for the process to happen faster.

• While the noodles sit, place a frying pan over a medium flame and pour oil into it. When the oil is hot enough, drop a portion of the noodles into it.

• Let the noodles fry, until they turn a golden colour and fish them out.

• Repeat the process until your entire portion of noodles is done.

Preparing the sauce

• In a large pan, pour two tablespoons of oil and let it heat for 10 seconds.

• Add the chopped cups of garlic and onion. Saute it, until the garlic no longer sticks to the pan and the onions are translucent.

• Start adding the rest of the vegetables in; carrots, cabbage, broccoli, spinash, mushroom, meat (if any,) beans, etc. and saute the vegetables.

• Add 3 cups of water immediately to let the vegetables boil. Once the water starts boiling, add 2 more cups of water. Water can be added according to preference, only ensure that it looks like clear soup. Allow it to boil.

• Add the required amount of salt, pepper and if preferred, soy sauce too. Mix it thoroughly before adding your tastemakers, if you are using one.

• Mix the corn flour in a small bowl of water and pour it into the broth. Add more corn flour, if you want a thicker consistency. Allow it to boil. After adding the corn flour, keep stirring until it reaches a gooey texture.

• Put the rest of the vegetable into the broth; capsicum, spinach and ginger and stir for a while.

• Once the sauce boils again, turn off the stove.

Your dish is ready to serve.

Serving Instructions

Pile on as much as fried noodles you want onto your plate and pour hot sauce over the noodles. Do not let it sit for too long, so that you can enjoy the hot sauce and the crispness of the pan fried noodles. Pour as much as sauce as it takes to cover the plate of noodles.

Happy Eating!