Spaghetti with Sweet & Sour Vegetables

Spaghetti with Sweet & Sour Vegetables

It is the middle of the week and I often wonder what can I cook up quickly for dinner instead of the routine Rotis, Vegetables and the likes... It's been a while since I stepped into the kitchen to dish out some 'Indianised-Chinese Food'. So here goes a little experiment gone totally right! Throw in whatever vegetables you find in your vegetable basket at home... A little sweet here, a little tangy there and a tinge of spice...end your day on a tasteful note!

Here's a quick pic-by-pic low-down on the recipe:

SPAGHETTI WITH SWEET & SOUR VEGETABLES

Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 15 mins | Servings: 2

Ingredients:

1. Spaghetti Pasta
2. Bell Peppers - Red/ Yellow/ Green (either one or all three) - chopped into square pieces
3. Onion - 1 medium sized chopped in quarters with layers separated 
4. Carrot - 1 chopped into chunks/ cubes
5. Zucchini - 1 sliced (I opted for the yellow  zucchini)
6. Baby Corns - 5-6 nos (split at the centre and cut into halves)
7. French Beans - 8-10 nos
8. Broccoli or Cauliflower Florets - 1½ cups
9. Soy Sauce - 3 tablespoons
10. Garlic - 3 cloves finely chopped
11. Ginger - ½ inch finely chopped
12. Tomato Ketchup - 2 tablespoons
13. White Vinegar - 1 tablespoon
14. Cornflour - 2 tablespoons
15. Water -  ½ cup to mix cornflour and 2 cups for the vegetables (you could add vegetable stock instead of water as well)
16. Oil - 1½-2 tablespoons
17. Pepper - ½ teaspoon
18. Sugar - 1 tablespoon
19. Salt - to taste

Preparation:

• Boil and coat the pasta as per instructions and set aside. Blanch the zucchini, baby corns, cauliflower, french beans in water (add a teaspoon of salt) and keep aside

• Heat a wok/ kadhai and add oil. Saute ginger and garlic and add onions and bell peppers and stir fry (on high flame) for about 3 minutes

• Add rest of the vegetables and stir fry for about 4-5 minutes. Mix soy sauce and tomato ketchup in a bowl and add it to the vegetables. Season with salt, pepper and sugar and mix well. Add two cups of water (or vegetable stock) and simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.

• Mix 2 tablespoons of cornflour in ½ cup water and add to the vegetables. Stir quickly and ensure no lumps are formed. Simmer for a couple of minutes till it thickens and round it up with a tablespoon of vinegar. 

Your sweet & sour vegetables is ready to be served with the spaghetti... If you change your mind, you can serve it with steamed rice, plain noodles or fried rice too! Enjoy a different dinner on the weekday!