Spicy indian rice noodles

Ingredients:

1 - Rice noodles -  2 cups
Water - 6 cups

2 - Green beans - 1/2 cup, finely chopped
Carrots - 1/2 cup, finely chopped
Peas, fresh or frozen - 1/2 cup


3 - Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Dried red chillies -2, broken into a couple pieces


4 - Onions -  1/2 cup, finely chopped

5 - Coriander powder -  1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder -  1 tsp
4-5 tsp vegetable oil

6 - Tamarind paste - 1/4 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp

7 - Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, finely chopped

8 - Salt to taste

Method

- In a deep pan, bring water to a boil. Add the dry rice noodles and cook for 4-5 minutes until just cooked, but not mushy. Drain, add a cup of cold water, drain again, and keep aside.

- In a microwavable bowl, add (2), sprinkle some salt and water,  cover and cook for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Keep aside.

- Heat oil in a  pan.  Add the cumin and mustard seeds. As the seeds start to pop, add the red chillies and fry until chillies change colour.

- Add the onions along with some salt. Saute on low heat until they are translucent.

- Add (5) and saute to mix well.

- Add the boiled vegetables and (6), along with 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on low heat till sauce thickens.

- Add the rice noodles, a little at a time till noodles are well coated with the sauce. Mix well and saute on low heat until the noodles have absorbed the gravy and are well-coated. Don't forget to check for salt at this stage.

- Garnish the spicy rice noodles with chopped coriander and serve hot..

Tips:

- Use pre-cooked rice noodles to save time.

- Use tomato ketchup or soy sauce instead of tamarind if u wished.