An unsual Combination

Pork Noodles

This dish combines ridge gourd and pork, probably the most unusual combination for noodles. Since ridge gourd is a taste-less vegetable, it does not over power the pork, yet remains in the background to lend a very true taste, uniquely its own. I used pork belly with fat since it tastes better and also because my son adores it but for all you health consious people out there, you can use lean pork or any other meat of your choice.

















Ingredients :

Pork - 1/2 lb
Noodles - 8 Ounces ( 5 packets )
Ridge Gourd - 1
Carrot - 1
Beans - 1 cup
Onion - 1/2
Cornflour - 2 Tblsp
Capsicum - 1
Cabbage - 1/3 ( Approx. 1 cup)
Optional: Cauliflower
Optional : Ajinomoto

Sliced Ridge Gourd

Boil noodles according to instructions and keep aside. Slice the carrots and ridge gourd into 1/2 slices. Slice the cabbage, capsicum and onions into squares. You can add cauilflower too..however that is optional.Saute the onions and cabbage in a pan with a little bit of oil and salt for about 10 minutes until the veggies are cooked thru but still remain crunchy.
Remove, keep aside.

Carrot, Beans, Cabbage and Green Peppers

In the same pan, add a tsp of oil add the beans , carrots and green peppers and a little bit of salt and saute until cooked but still crunchy. Keep aside. In the same pan, add the cabbage and gourd. saute for about 5 minutes . These get cooked very fast so take care it does not get over-cooked.

Pressure cook the pork pieces along with 1/2 a cup of water and salt and pepper for about 20 minutes or for upto three whistles . Once the pork is cooked, add the meat to the pan in which you sauteed the veggies. Let the water dry. When there is no more water, add the cooked veggies quickly as the pork fat tends to splatter when it becomes dry.

Saute the veggies for a couple of minutes in the pan along with pork. Check for seasonings and add salt if needed. Add one cup of water. Meanwhile, In another cup of water dissolve two tblsp of corn starch. When the mixture starts to bubble, add the corn starch mixture. The consistency of the sauce should be a little thick , like that of a soup. If you think its watery, add some more corn starch. Once the sauce has reached its consistency, turn off and serve hot with noodles.


I usually serve the noodles and the sauce separately.

Chicken Noodles

Eating veggies is always a challenge in my house since we are such staunch non-vegetarians. With this dish, atleast three servings of vegetable enters into our system and plus lets not forget the chicken. You can avoid the chicken if you want , it tastes just as good with out it or you can add chicken and shrimp and take it to the next level :-) Its quick , easy and very simple to make.

Ingredients:

Chicken (Cooked and Shredded) – 1 Cup
Carrots – 3 Cups
Beans – 3 Cups
Cabbage – 3 Cups
Onion – 1
Eggs – 4
Soya Sauce – 1 tbsp
Noodles – 8 Ounces

Cook noodles according to the instruction on the package. Strain the noodles and rinse in cold water. Keep aside. Thinly slice length-wise the carrots, beans, cabbage and onions. In a large skillet, add oil and sauté the carrots and beans. Add a pinch of salt. Sauté for about 10 minutes until the veggies are cooked and crisp but not overcooked. Keep aside.
In the same skillet, add onions and cabbage, add another pinch of salt and sauté for 5 minutes. When done, remove and keep aside. The reason I sauté the veggies in this manner is because all these vegetables have different cooking time and when you add all of them together, some get cooked a little more than the others.
In the same skillet, add oil and scramble four eggs. Add chicken, sauté for about 2-3 minutes and add all the vegetables. Add noodles, soy sauce and check for salt. Mix the noodles well and serve hot. You can garnish it with sliced green onions.