NOODLES ........ A DESI TOUCH

Wasn't I too eager to share this "bengali chow chow" from the 80's on my blog though I fear by tomorrow morning I may be thrown out of this beautiful island.... "aloo, dim, peyaj, roshun-lanka kuchi diye chow bhaja korcho eei deshe boshe?".... How dare you? Even I do not know from where I had drawn the courage to cook noodles the way we grew up eating, breaking all the norms of cooking it the way as is done authentically.... but I strongly felt I will blog about this NOODLES........ A DESI TOUCH some day, never knowing it will be today! If you are an 80's kid from India or to be precise from any middle class home from Bengal, you will definitely agree with me that this is how noodles was prepared in our homes..... by our homes here I mean the small towns of Bengal, and of the Kolkata suburbs including the entire Northern Kolkata.... I do not know how the kitchens of Ballygunge or Southern Avenue worked.... those were the "posh areas" of Kolkata after all! 

I remember all the boys and girls in the college who hailed from those upscale areas, ahh this primitive girl found them kind of alien! If my friends Sushi and Indi or one dear "chutu"are reading this, please do not mind.... I speak generally in most cases. About "Chutu".... I really need a proper mind and post to talk about this super woman. This Indirra Sengupta joined our school pretty late, all the boys and girls would stare at her with such an awe! I used to watch her, her aura had a spell on me but never imitated her..... I just cannot be anyone else, someone loves herself too much! She might have learnt the near proper way of preparing noodles but she never stopped from doing it the way as this NOODLES ..... A DESI TOUCH was done in the family.

It was 1982 perhaps when Maggi flooded the Indian market, did plain noodles came into our lives before that? I cannot remember! I remember both of us siblings had this Bengali style noodles around 6 - 6:30pm while watching "Jonny Soko and His Flying Robot"...... This was the scenario in most of the homes then. Those ladies were relieved perhaps to get a quicker option to "luchi, porota, torkari.".... I have literally tortured our mother making her do paratha / poori every day.... two times, never realising she also needed to stay off from the kitchen in the evening. This went on till I was in the university.... the guilt disturbs a lot these days! My men are far more decent, they can survive on sandwiches. I am the one who cannot buy this idea, there is a kind of identity crisis and that guilt.... what I am here for then? Poori / Paratha / Samosa has to happen in my kitchen, this oats thing is becoming a spoilt sport in my life! Yet, I must admit that a bowl of oats with fruits in the morning is keeping me away from that "24/7 hungry kaya mode".... that is something to feel happy about! 

I do not want an untimely exit just to facilitate another woman to get in, take over my kingdom and throw out my son. Readers do I really need to say what the answer was? Just in case you wish to... its plain, clearcut.... "in India, life time imprisonment is for 14 years, I have long passed that and living with you for 20 years.... I will never do that historic mistake again".... So people..... please do not take it to your heart if he  had not said hello to you for a long time or had not wished on your birthday or anniversary. He lives in his own world, I in mine; we do chill until one day I burst out my complaints against him!

Coming to this NOODLES.... A DESI TOUCH, it is done with potatoes, scrambled eggs, onion, garlic and chillies. Initially, our mother used ajinomoto, but stopped later! My aunt and my husband's aunt went to the extent of adding peanuts, coriander leaves and turmeric powder to it, I cannot do a blunder of that magnitude, I have to stay in this island as of now! I had one Punjabi colleague in the school I worked after marriage, Namrata Negi.... she added a specially made Punjabi masala in her noodles.... I simply loved both the taste and aroma of it. I will go ahead with the recipe of NOODLES...... A DESI TOUCH as was done at our home .... though I loved how the aunts and the colleague did!

INGREDIENTS :

Noodles : 3-4 small packet of any variety
Egg : 4-5 [scrambled]
Onion : 1big [peeled, washed, cubed]
Garlic : 3- 4 cloves [minced]
Green Chilli : 2-3 [chopped]
Potato : 1big [peeled, washed, cut lengthwise]
Carrot : 1big [peeled, washed, cut lengthwise]
Green Pea : 1/2small cup
Green Chilli dipped Vinegar : 1/4small cup [to be soaked for at least 5-6 hours]
Light Soya Sauce : 2tbsp
Black Pepper Powder : 1tsp [coarsely ground]
Tomato Ketchup : 2-3tbsp
Salt : As Required
Oil : 4tbsp + 1tbsp

METHOD :

Boil enough water in a heavy bottomed vessel, adding a little salt and 2-3 drops of oil in it. Once the water has boiled for 5 minutes or so, add the broken pieces of noodles.

With another boil, we will immediately switch off the gas stove and transfer the entire content to a big strainer. Let all the water drain away which may take 10-15 minutes. Alternatively, you can soak the noodle cakes in hot water for 3-4 minutes & strain!

Transfer the boiled noodles to a bowl and add 1tbsp oil to it, mix well so that all the noodle strings are coated with oil. Keep aside.

Get all the ingredients ready on the kitchen counter. We need to rub the carrot and potato cubes with salt.

Heat 4tbsp oil in a wok or wok pan. Add the minced garlic and stir till they are little burnt and you get that lovely aroma.

Add the onion cubes and stir for a minute. Add the chopped green chillies, potato and carrot cubes, stir.

Now cover cook for 3-4 minutes, we need to check in between not allowing the veggies to burn. If required sprinkle little water.

Remove the cover, check if the carrots and potatoes are almost done. If so, add the green peas and stir for a minute!

Add the scrambled eggs and tomato ketchup now and fold in everything very well.

Add the boiled noodles and mix.

Add the black pepper powder, chopped green chillies soaked in vinegar, light soya sauce and fold in very well. Add salt if required.

Stir at high heat for 2-3 minutes and its done! Use two ladles to stir!

Transfer to a serving bowl and we really do not have any hard or fast rules about having it in our family! We just have it hot and fresh, hence hardly do I pack it for their lunch box! How about you?