| By: Uma Alappan |
Fusing Chinese ingredients with the unique flavors of the West Indies, this recipe adds spice to the traditional recipe of Chow Mein. By replacing traditional soy sauce with West Indian Honey & Ginger Pepper Sauce and adding cumin seed, Kashmiri Chili powder, and other non-traditional spices, a truly splendid dish is created.
Ingredients
Yield: 4 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
8 oz Bechtle Traditional German Egg Noodles
1 teaspoon salt (add to taste)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
2 cloves of fresh garlic
1 scallion
¼ of a tomato
1/8 of a yellow onion
2 thin slices of jalapeño
3 baby carrots, grated
¼ bunch of cilantro
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon basil spice (crushed leaves)
West Indian Honey & Ginger Pepper Sauce (add to taste)
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli powder
Sriracha hot sauce (optional, add to taste)
Ketchup (optional, add to taste)
Cooking Instructions
Place 6 cups of water, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in an 8-quart pot. Turn burner to medium-high flame. Add 8 oz of the Bechtle Traditional German Egg Noodles to salted boiling water and cook on medium flame for about 4-8 minutes. Stir intermittently. Once noodles are easily cuttable, turn off fire and strain.
Prepare vegetables while noodles are boiling. Peel 2 fresh garlic cloves then pound thoroughly. Dice 1 scallion and 1/8 of yellow onion into small cubes. Cut ¼ of a tomato, remove seeds, then dice. Cut 2 thin slices of jalapeño. Grate 3 baby carrots. Finely chop ¼ bunch of cilantro.
In a large, non-stick fry pan, add 4 tablespoons of olive oil and melt 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter for extra flavor. Turn burner to medium flame. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of cumin seeds then add the diced onions and pounded garlic. Stir until onions appear light brown.
Next, add the diced scallion and jalapeño slices. Mix for 1 minute.
Carefully place strained noodles inside pan then mix for another minute. Add grated carrots, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon basil spice, ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder, and salt to taste.
Add West Indian Honey & Ginger Pepper Sauce, ketchup (optional), and hot sauce (optional). Stir intermittently for 5 minutes then turn fire to lowest flame.
Finally, stir in the chopped cilantro and diced tomato. Turn off fire, cover lid for 2-3 minutes, and allow heat to finish the cooking.
Now, the Chow Mein is ready!
Notes
Bechtle noodles were chosen due to their fine, thin texture and ability to easily mix with all ingredients—especially the Kashmiri Chilli Powder. However, one can replace these noodles with any type.
Garlic & cumin powder can be used in place of fresh garlic and cumin seeds. Kashmiri Chilli Powder, Mild Hot can be ordered online through Amazon. One can also find the powder in local Indian grocery stores.
While this dish does not contain meat, one can add chicken, beef, shrimp, etc. to this recipe. If chicken is added, I suggest adding browning sauce to the recipe.
Because my mother is allergic to soy and legumes, we did not include beans. Additional vegetables can be added in step 5, if desired.
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