Noodle Vegetable Stir-Fry

This recipe is one of the easiest and tastiest you can make for a group that would satisfy omnivores and vegetarians alike. I picked up my own recipe after throwing around different veggies in a student kitchen. Feel free to make this your platter of choice for a potluck or dinner. It’s easy to make, it’s cheap, and it’s very healthy.

Let's start off with the ingredients, let's imagine you’re making a meal for four people (including yourself). So, let’s begin:

• Noodles 400g
• Broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, sliced carrots, capsicum and other vegetables
• 250 grams of Mushrooms (these are better fresh rather than frozen)
• A zucchini (another must if not found in the vegetable pack
• Salt
• Three cloves of garlic
• A medium yellow onion.
• 1.5-2 table spoons of vegetable oil.
• A tablespoon of ginger
• ¾ cup of soy sauce

Ideally, all of this would be cooked in a wok. Start by boiling the noodles in hot water till soft (add a pinch of salt). Then fire up another spot on the stove on high and throw the wok onto it. In the meantime, chop up your garlic and onion. Once the wok is hot, place some oil onto the wok. When the oil starts sizzling, switch the heat from high to medium high. Throw in the onion and garlic, and if you bought capsicum, toss it in with them as well (this is a very flexible dish that changes every time I make it). While they are frying, chop up the onions and the zucchini.

(Source: http://www.argos.co.uk/product/8615466)

Stir the onion and garlic mixture. Add a small pinch of salt and the ginger into the mix. After, put the frozen vegetables onto a plate and microwave them for a few minutes. Once the onions start turning a hue of brown, toss the warmed veggies into the mix and stir sufficiently with the onions and garlic. You want to get the taste of ginger and garlic spread all over the mixture. If it all becomes too dry, feel free to add cups of water. Start with half a cup and mix. Don’t overpour.

(Source:https://muyfitness.com/calabaza-italiana-versus-info_29863/)

Keep an eye on the noodles so they don’t get too soft. If they’re sufficiently soft, simply take them off the stove. Keep stirring the wok.

(Source: https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/hoisin-china-noodles-with-four-flavors)

It may take 5-15 minutes depending on how softened the veggies are from the microwave.  If it gets too hot change the heat to medium. Keep stirring throughout.

Once they have softened sufficiently, strain the noodles. Then, pour the amount into your wok. Make sure to not overfill the wok.

Mix the veggies and noodles properly together. Then another pinch of salt (not too much as the soy sauce might be more than enough). At this point you can pour the ¾ cup of soy sauce and keep stirring until most of the soy sauce is soaked up by the ingredients. Let it cook for a few minutes then start tasting.

From here, you get a bit more personal freedom. You may choose to add more ginger, soy sauce or salt to personalize the taste. Once you’re satisfied with the taste, let it cook for a minute more then take it off the heat.

Serve and impress your guests. You could choose to increase the vegetable to noodle ratio, or even completely remove noodles from the formula. This recipe works well with most vegetables. You could always alter it to add chicken and other meats to it. If you’re looking to cut down your salt intake, you can remove salt and simply use the salt in the soy sauce to provide the taste augmentation. You could add lemons or limes as well.

(Source: http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/04/09/lemons_vs_limes_blind_taste_test_how_easy_is_it_to_distinguish_between_citrus.html)

Feel adventurous and never be scared to experiment. Bon appetite

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