Spicy Noodle Stir-Fry with Vegetables — Super Healthy and Easy Weeknight Meal

Featured on Babble's 20 vegan meals you can make in 20 minutes or less

I grew up on Top Ramen instant noodles.

A dish of steaming hot noodles with scrambled eggs and carrots was pure joy. Particularly on a weekend. Almost mostly I was in charge of prepping noodles for my siblings. So many Sunday breakfasts and beautiful moments with my sister and two brothers chitchatting around the table over many cups of chai, ah.

Those are some of my most treasured memories. Especially since I lost my kid brother in an accident a few summers back, and I know we cannot have a foursome again. Never again.

My kids are huge on noodles too. Indonesian Indomie, particularly the Rasa Soto Mie or vegetable flavor, is their absolute favorite. Cooked with a bit of extra (powdered) chili it’s the best instant noodle soup.

A bowl of quick stir-fry noodles is always a welcome pleasure. I like mine filled with vegetable goodness. Greens, reds, oranges, yellows and purples. A plate filled with richly pigmented plant food that fights for your life, tastes deliciously hot, and comes together in less than 20 minutes. Absolutely gorgeous.

With age, I’m keen on maximizing our intake of hero food—food that helps slow down the affects of free radicals in our body. Boosting your intake of antioxidant rich food is as easy as filling your diet with colors. Colorful plant food, that is.

A stir-fry has all the ideal qualities of a weekday meal—it’s easy, quick, nutritious and delicious. And what better way to eat your colors than a quick stir-fry. All you need is to cut your choice of veggies, throw it into a skillet with a touch of oil and aromatic spices like ginger and garlic, stir-fry for few minutes (less than 5), and finally stir in some sauces for flavor. Add some noodles, and you have a complete meal.

In this recipe I’ve used vegetables like baby carrots, broccoli, baby corn, snow peas, and bell pepper. Not to forget chili to fire up things and boost metabolism in the process. Chilies come in different variety, color, and size. The level of heat varies per variety. I cooked with these small, colorful chili pepper called ‘naadan mulaku’. I found them at the local farmers’ market in my hometown (see more photos) and brought some with me to Qatar. They are super hot and fiery. You can substitute birds eye chili, or even green chili. Adjust quantity accordingly.

Vegetables are seared in high heat so they keep their crunch and bright color. You want them crisp tender, and not overcooked and soggy. For noodles, use thin or medium egg noodles.

The key to stir-frying is to quickly cook over high heat. Keep the food moving to avoid burning or scorching, and ensure even cooking. Some vegetables like carrot, cauliflower, potoato require longer cooking time. Cut them into smaller pieces or thin strips—the smaller they are, the faster they cook.

This recipe is endlessly adaptable. Substitute any combination of veggies you have on hand, or at the market.  Some suggestions are zucchini and mushrooms. Also, choose vegetables for color as well as texture and taste.

And before we get to the recipe, I hope you had a most wonderful Diwali. We don’t celebrate Diwali, but I did take this opportunity to photograph some Diwali sweets. Colorful burfi (fudge) in delicious mango, pistachio, rose and fruit flavors. Pretty, isn't it?

Spicy Noodle Stir-Fry with Vegetables

Ingredients

Serves 2-3

Prep + cooking: 20 min

2 nests dried, medium egg noodles (I used Blue Dragon, low fat noodles)

1 tablespoon sesame seed

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2-3 fresh red chilies, minced (use per intensity and taste)

1 onion, halved and sliced

1 head broccoli, cut into small florets

1 small red bell pepper (capsicum), deseeded and cut into strips

½ small yellow bell pepper, deseeded and cut into strips

4 baby corns, halved lengthwise

4 baby carrots, quartered lengthwise

4 snow peas, trimmed and halved diagonally

2 tablespoons scallions (spring onion), thinly sliced

lime wedges, for squeezing

sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

½ tablespoon oyster sauce

2 tablespoons tomato ketchup

1 teaspoon sugar

¾ tablespoon tamarind paste

½  tablespoon chili garlic paste

1 tablespoon vegetable stock (or use water)

salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook noodles for 3-4 until al dente (following pack directions). Rinse under cold water. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, combine the sauce ingredients in a jug, and whisk to blend.

Heat the wok or skillet until very hot. Add the sesame seeds and stir-fry over high heat until golden. Remove and set aside.

Reheat the wok and add the oil.  Swirl to coat. Stir-fry onions over high heat for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly tender. Tip in ginger, garlic and chili, and stir-fry for 10 seconds.

Add all the vegetables and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Then add a splash of stock to the wok and cover to create some steam. Cook for a minute, or until vegetables are just heated through and still crunchy.

Increase the heat to high, and stir in half the sauce. Tip in noodles with the remaining sauces, and spring onions, and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, and stir around until everything is blended and the noodles are heated through.

Transfer to bowls and top with sesame seeds. Serve immediately with hot sauce and lime wedges on the side.

The weather has been so absolutely gorgeous, it’s impossible not to fall in love. And this week has been enchanting strolls down the corniche with sundrenched beauty and slants of sunlight, blue skies and billowy clouds, torqouise waters and sounds of crashing waves. Not to mention sun kissed skin and wind tousled hair. So much beauty, I’m inspired to go for a walk now to soak in a bit more of this stunning weather.

See what’s happening behind the screen, and follow along if you like.

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."—Eleanor Roosevelt. 

Hope you have a most wonderful weekend x

PS: For a vegan version of the noodle stirfry, use rice noodles instead of egg noodles. Also make sure to use vegan substitutions of oyster and worcestershire sauces (click on links for vegan sauce recipes).