Serotonin Paper

I try to incorporate as many different varieties of vegetables as I can, in a day to day meal. I also love to add as many colors as possible. The colors not only add to the vibrancy of the dish but they also denote the type of nutrition that particular vegetable is rich in. So more the colors, better it is for you. I also find that adding color helps the food go down way lot easier with finicky eaters.Sometimes, attractive presentation and appearance do act as a main catalyst. I am always little hesitant to buy vegetables in large amounts – yes, can't help myself when I see beautiful vegetables - but when I do go overboard, the end of the week is a disaster when I see the wilting vegetables. So I tend to buy those vegetables, which I can easily use, in my day to day cooking, in bulk. Like these Baby bell peppers.

I saw a big batch of them at local Cost Co store and I couldn't stop myself from placing one huge bag in my cart. They look so adorable, don't they. It has yellow, orange and red mini bell peppers. Among the various recipes I made that week with these peppers, was this dish, which has a crazy fan following in India – Hakka Noodles. The name brings back memories of street foods and fast food stalls. This is an Indo- Chinese creation. It is one of my go to meals when time is short and inspiration is sorely lacking. Easy, quick to make, it is one of those delicious meals which plays a regular role in my house. I am sure it must be in yours too, especially if you have kids around 

There are immense varieties of this famous dish available with each cook adding his/her own touch of creativity to it. I don't have a specific version since I tend to add ingredients whatever I have in hand on that particular day. Each time I make it tends to taste a little different. I sometimes add pan fried Tofu to this dish to add protein. On this particular day, I was inspired by colors and added as many different colors as I could. The purple cabbage, the multi colored bell peppers, beans and spring onions came together to make this beautiful dish.

You can use any vegetables you have on hand on that day. Like tofu? Add few cubed tofu while stir frying to add protein to this dish.

Method

Boil the noodles as per the package instruction. Add salt, oil to the water.

When it is about 85-90% cooked, drain the noodles and toss it lightly with cold water. Drain it completely and set aside until ready to use.

Meanwhile heat a wide skillet. If you own a Wok, then it is best to use it for this.Heat about 1 tsp of oil until it smokes. Make sure you have all the vegetables ready by the side since its all about quick cooking. Add the garlic followed by spring onion greens, bell peppers, cabbage, celery, carrots and beans. Toss on high flame for 2 minutes. Don't leave the vegetables on their own since at this stage they can easily burn. You would want to keep tossing them.

When you find the vegetables softening slightly , add the noodles, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper, chilli sauce (and ketchup if using) , bean sprouts along with spring onion greens.

Give it a good toss and saute for another minute or so.

Serve hot and immediately.