Szechwan Vegetable Noodles - Quick and Easy Recipe

Szechwan (Szechuan/Sichuan) is a province in South Western China. The Sichuan cuisine is known for its bold and spicy taste and hence the name of the dish. This is a simple and easy to make one-pot meal but very elegant for a great meal. I used left-over refrigerated spaghetti to make this. To revive leftover pasta, drop them in a pot of boiling water with a pinch of salt and drain after 2 mins. Be aware of the heat going into this dish because it is super-spicy.

Ingredients:
Serves: 2-3
Thin Spaghetti or any noodles - 1/2 lb
Vegetables - 2 or 3 cups - I used julienned Carrots, Red Bell pepper, Green Bell pepper - You could use Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower and String beans
Soy Sauce - 2 tbsp (I used low-sodium variety)
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
White/Brown Sugar - 1 tsp (to counter the spice)
Salt - to taste
Fresh Ground Pepper - 1/4 tsp (If you dare)
Scallions/Spring Onion Greens - For garnish
Sesame oil - 2 tbsp
Spice Mix:
Dry Red Chillies - 3 or 4 (depending on spice level)
Ginger - 1" piece
Garlic - 3 cloves

Method:
Cook the noodles/pasta according to the package directions. Coarsely grind the ingredients under spice mix in a mortar and pestle or a mixer grinder. In a wide skillet, heat the sesame oil in high heat. Add the carrots and bell peppers (and any vegetables) and saute in high heat for 2 to 3 mins. The vegetables would be half cooked but still maintain their crunch when cooked this way. Add the ground spices and mix for about a minute. Add soy sauce and the cooked noodles. Mix well and add salt and lemon juice to taste. Serve hot garnished with spring onions.
Note: I did not have any spring onions at hand so I did not add. You could add 2 eggs to the noodles if desired. Adding black sesame seeds to finish would also give a beautiful touch. The traditional szechuan sauce calls for using vinegar which I substituted with lemon juice.

Sending this to CC-What's for Friday Dinner; Kid's Delight - Party and 100 day Global Food Festival.



And also to Presto Pasta Nights - #234.