Egg Veg Chowmein - Indo Chinese style - For the love of toddlers' taste buds

A big thanks to the friend who insisted on "documenting" recipes from moms of toddlers! It sounded like a great idea to me. Growing up, I remember my mom and neighborhood aunties used to share the actual food among them. If my mom cooked a dish that either the next door girl loved or her mom loved but never prepared at their house because none of the other family members  ate it, and or some other excuses, she will send some of it to them. And the other way would happen too. But now that my mommy friends are not exactly physically next door, sharing recipe and even list of foods that work for their kids can compensate for a lot. We all come across this pretty frequently when we have the physical energy to cook but not enough mental energy to think what to cook. 

Chow Mein has been my long time favorite Sunday breakfast or school tiffin box lunch :) Though it is a very popular street food item of Kolkata and no one really knows the recipe for those delicious noddles, it is also a nutritious way pack vegetables and protein into any kids' meal when home cooked. 

Ingredients: (For 1 kid & 2 adults)

Egg 2-3

Vegetables - Carrots (1/2 cup), french beans (1/4 cup), spring onion (1/4 cup white & green portions each), Green Bell Pepper/Capcicum (1/4 cup)

                     Onion (1/2 cup), ginger - 1/2 inch square, garlic - 3 to 4 cloves depending on taste preference, Coriander leaves(cilantro)

                     Soy sauce, Hot & Sweet Maggi tomato sauce (alternate - ketchup)

I added the vegetables I had left. Otherwise cabbage(1/2 cup) is a definite one to add. Also chili if the target audience can handle :)

 

And of course the noodle. My first choice would be the thin bunch of Asian chowmein noodles.. But if you are like me, you will gladly substitute it with Angel hair pasta noodle to avoid a trip to the Asian store after a long work week. However, I would go for a thin variety. The Kolkata-chinatown spoilt taste bud would mind otherwise.

Process

Bring 2 cups of water to boil for half a pound of the noodle ( or follow instruction from the packet). 

Add a pinch of salt

Add a tea spoon of oil to avoid the sticking of the strings.

Meanwhile, chop all the vegetables into thin stripes except,

Spring onion and garlic - chop and crush respectively.

Keep an eye on the noodle so that they don't get mushy.

In a wok, heat 2 table spoons of oil.

Add the chopped cilantro, crushed garlic, only a few strips of ginger and capsicum. (This will give the Indo-chinese aroma)

Saute that for a minutes to flavor the oil and then add the onions, white part of the spring onion.

Fry them at medium high and add only a pinch of salt. 

Don't forget your boiling noodles. If they are done, strain them. and keep aside. If not done that's good because best would be to time it to be ready when the vegetables are done.

Add the other remaining vegetables one at a time and  fry each one for couple of minutes in this order - beans, cabbage (if used), carrots, remaining ginger and capsicum

Add some freshly ground black pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes. Babysit the vegetables so they neither burn nor get mushy.
Add 2 tea spoons of soy sauce and 2 table spoon of tomato sauce/kethup. You can go light with the tomato ketchup and then each can add to their plate as needed.

Add 2 tea spoons of vinegar. 

Mix everything well.

Add the strained noodles little bit at a time. Mix it and then add more. Two serving spoons or the pasta serving is the best tool to toss and mix. 

Taste test the salt at this point. I go easy with the salt because soy sauce has a lot in it. 

Scramble the eggs to add to the chow mein and that is now a dish ready to serve.

The little and toughest critique finished dinner in 20 minutes as opposed to ..... let me not go there. So that is the approval criteria for any recipe in the house any more. 

Try and share your take on the recipe.