Garlic and Scallion Noodles

I love chowmein. Or at least the version of chowmein that is served in the hundreds of cheap, hole-in-the-wall "Chinese" restaurants in India. And in the Bengali Sweet Houses that now carry every conceivable cuisine of the world on their menu cards. Chinese, Continental (which is basically cheese toast and tomato soup), Mexican, Italian, Thai and even American (Potato Burger). The greasy, maxed-out-on soy-sauce, altogether too salty and highly addictive noodle dish is just what I craved for when I used to get out of school, or when I had an extra 50 Rupees in my pocket which I didn't have to account for. It was nothing special, far from anything gourmet or spectacularly tasty, but it was just something so dependable and different from home food, that it always hit the spot. And it always came with a dinky little 3-cup condiment tray with hot sauce, soy sauce and vinegar with bits of green chillies floating around. Ah yes.

This noodle dish is my go-to dish whenever I feel like I want to be a teenager in Delhi again, need a change of taste from Indian food or whenever I just need a quick, flavorful, delicious meal. And they go great with a side of those potatoes that I posted earlier.

Ingredients:

1 packet chinese egg noodles
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, finely grated or chopped
Quarter head of chinese cabbage or regular cabbage, finely sliced
2-3 scallions, white part julienned, green part cut in rounds
1 green pepper, thinly sliced
1 carrot, julienned (optional)
4 tbsp soy sauce
chili flakes or Asian hot sauce (to taste)
2 tsp rice vinegar

Handful of chopped cilantro (optional)

2 tbsp Sesame oil (or vegetable oil)

Preparation:

Boil the noodles as per the packet directions. Cool in a colander. In the meantime, heat the oil in a wok or a deep pan. Wait till it becomes hot and then add the ginger and garlic. Be careful to not let them burn. Add the white parts of the scallion, the green pepper, the cabbage and the carrot, if using. Keep stirring while letting the vegetables cook. You don't want them to be raw, but you do want a little bite in them, so they'd rather be a little less done than more. They can continue cooking with the noodles. When you think they are ready, toss the noodles in, making sure you separate them with your fingers as you drop them in the pan. Add the soy sauce, vinegar and the chilli peppers (or hot sauce). Mix the vegetables, the noodles and the sauces together to evenly coat all the surfaces. Taste a little bite and make sure that the seasonings are to your liking. Add salt if needed, or splash in some more hot sauce if you need more heat. Turn off the stove, and add the green parts of the scallions, since they don't need cooking and you want the vibrant green to shine through the dish.
Season with some sesame oil and cilantro just before serving.