Szechuan Style Vegetable Hakka Noodles

Ingredients:

Noodles-200gms

• Chilly Oil-5 tbsp (recipe follows)
• Cabbage -1/2 cup, shredded
• Beans-1/4 cup, shredded
• Carrot-1/2 cup, shredded
• Spring Onions-1 cup, chopped
• Garlic-1/2 tbsp, chopped
• Capscium-1, finely shredded
• Celeary-1 stem, sliced
• Oil-5 tbsp
• Dry red chillies-4, broken into 1”pieces
• Soya sauce-1 tbsp
• Tomato sauce-1 tbsp
• Vinegar-1 tbsp
• Chilly sauce-1 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Pinch of pepper
• Ajinomoto- ½ tsp (optional)

Method:

Boil a liter of water in a large sauce pan and add salt. Add noodles to the boiling water and cook till ¾ done, drain. Run cold water through the noodles to rinse off excess starch. Drain thoroughly and sprinkle 1 tbsp oil and toss well.

Heat the chilly oil and fry the noodles lightly for 5 minutes. Remove and keep aside.

Heat 5 tbsp oil and fry the red chillies until light brown. Add garlic and fry for 2 seconds and then add spring onions and stir fry for 2 minutes. Then add all the vegetables and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add noodles, sprinkle soya sauce, tomato sauce, vinegar, chilly sauce, salt, pepper and ajinomoto. Mix well. Remove to a serving plate and serve hot with any Chinese side dish.

Chilly Oil

Ingredients:

2 cups refined groundnut oil (I used Sunflower oil)

1” piece ginger crushed

4 tbsp red chilly powder

Method:

Heat the oil and do not let it smoke.

Add the crushed ginger. Remove from fire.

Add the chilly powder and keep aside to cool.

Strain oil through a thick cloth. The oil should be red in colour. Store in a bottle. This oil can be stored for a month at room temperature.