Street-style Chinese noodles

Its not news to readers of this blog that I do not cook Chinese. But the husband does.

I don’t like Chinese food, even the one odd Manchurians. I, obviously didn’t try Chinese food during my stay in Hong Kong, thanks to the Oyster sauce they add always. The only place where I enjoyed Chinese food that I can think of so far was in InChin Bamboo Garden in Redmond, Washington, and that probably was because it was very spicy and Indian-ized.
One of the reasons why I don’t cook Chinese is because of the compulsive use of Ajinomoto in that cooking, or what I’ve seen so far. And the amount of chemicals all those sauces have.
I’ve more or less figured out how to cook without Ajinomoto, but chemical-free soya sauce is tough to come by. After a lot of experimentation, I’ve figured out the magic formula, at least for my house.

Yes, the Ching’s soya sauce and chutney are as good as it gets, for me. Doesn’t reek of chemicals, and the taste stays good even after I cook it.

As for noodles, I rely on Blue Dragon’s whole wheat noodles. They cook super fast, and there is no after taste of chemicals in this either. So that’s that, my awesome-foursome for when I want to cook Chinese.

Street-style Noodles

Level - Medium
Preparation time - 15 min
Serves 2 people

Ingredients

1. Combination of veggies - 1 C [You can use beans, carrots, zucchini and cauliflower , all finely diced into 1 inch pieces]
2. Onions, finely diced - 1, large
3. Bell peppers, finely diced - 1, large [Use either of green, red or yellow peppers, or a little of all]
4. Ginger, finely chopped - 1 inch piece
5. Garlic cloves, finely chopped - 6-8
6. Soya sauce - 2Tbsp
7. Rice vinegar - 1 Tbsp
8. Schezwan or Sriracha sauce - 1 Tbsp [Depends on how hot it is and on the palate]
9. Sugar - 1 Tbsp
10. Salt - to taste
11. Sesame oil - 1 Tbsp
12. Noodles - 2 nests, cooked per instructions on the box

Instructions

1. Sauté the onions, peppers, garlic and ginger pieces for 5 min on a medium flame in a wok/pan.
2. Microwave the veggies till they are almost-cooked. I had to put them on high power for 2 min.
3. Add these veggies to the wok and sauté them well.
4. Add the sauces, and the vinegar to the sautéed vegetables.
5. Add sugar and salt to this.
6. Toss the cooked noodles with these veggies.
7. Serve immediately.