Ever since Mansi of Fun and Food announced her
Healthy Cooking Event, I have been going nuts thinking of an apt recipe for it. Let's face it, my blog is not that health conscious and I didn't want it to be left out or feel awkward among all the ultra-fit blogs out there. So I was determined to give
my baby something to be proud of!
This is the most tiring post on my blog, because it took me a full two days to research on this dish and then another half an hour just to make the picture look presentable. The house we are in has just one are where there is natural light and the walls there are blue! Not even a baby blue but bright sea blue!! Which means all my pics will have a solid blue background and I really prefer white. So it took a while to find the cardboard piece to act as the backdrop and to position a small table near the window so there is enough light. TH hates having that table there but of course I won the argument and so it stays!
Now, moving on to the dish. When we think healthy, we mostly think of salads or maybe steamed dishes to avoid the oil and the frying. But that's boring. Healthy, but boring. So while I was making a packet of Maggi noodles a couple of weekends back, I was wondering how I can make this dish healthier, without altering the taste (much). Little else has occupied my mind since then when I went shopping after that.
The first step was purchasing a packet of whole wheat flat noodles that was 100% vegetarian. Considering I am in a predominantly noodle-loving country, it wasn't difficult to get exactly what I wanted.
Then it got easier. To balance the carbs, I needed more vitamins, proteins and calcium. Easy answer - vegetables!
Preparation time - 15 mins
Cooking time - 20 mins
Serves - 4
What I Used:
Whole wheat flat noodles - 100 grams
Diced onions - 1/2 cup
Chopped carrots - 1/2 cup
Thinly sliced snap beans - 1/2 cup
Chopped cabbage - 1/2 cup
Diced capsicum - 1/2 cup
Chopped tomato - 1, medium
Spring onions - to garnish (optional)
Eggs - 2 (optional)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Curry masala - 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
How I Made It:
1. Cook the noodles as per the instructions on the packet. I added 2 cups water and a little salt, and cooked it covered. Running cold water and draining it is recommended but I simply drained it and kept aside since it was not too soft.
2. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add the onions and saute till translucent. Then add the ginger garlic paste, curry masala and red chilli powder and fry for 2 minutes.
3. Add all the chopped vegetables with half cup water and cook covered for about 5 minutes. Let the vegetables be a bit crunchy and not completely cooked.
4. Add the cooked noodles to the semi-cooked vegetables and mix well, adding a little water if necessary. Cook keeping the vessel open till the masala has blended well. Adjust salt. Remove from fire.
5. Scramble the eggs in a non-stick pan and add on in the end.
6. Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve hot with ketchup.
This is a great one-dish meal that supplements your daily requirement of all necessary nutrients. The vegetables complement the carbs in the noodles and the eggs provide the protein and calcium part of the diet. If you feel egg = cholesterol, then use only egg whites.
This goes to Mansi's Healthy Cooking Event and also to the One Dish Meal Event hosted by Archana.
Related posts:
Chicken Noodle Broth
Stir Fried Chilli Noodles
Today is my 33rd birthday. My gift was the pasta roller/cutter attachment for my KitchenAid mixer that I have been eyeing for quite a while (next purchase: ice cream maker). Booya! I have really missed fresh pasta since it always contains eggs. I veganized the recipe that came with the roller and the results were pretty good. As you can see, the dough held up very well--even with the thin spaghetti. The cooked final product was a tad mushy, I thought, so I want to play with it before I post it. I also see that Bryanna has a pasta recipe so I should probably try that.
