Spicy Chicken Noodles

After the unexpectedly warm Christmas and New Year's day, we had a quiet, peaceful new year's night. A rainy, cold, shivery, quiet and peaceful new year's night. Desserts just don't cut it on nights like these. So I put the ingredients of my second-ever cake away, and made myself a spicy noodle stir-fry. It's not stuff I'd serve to my pal Dea, but for people who are chums with chillies, this dish is absolutely the bees knees, the dog's bleeding unmentionables. If you're freezing from an unstoppable draft in an unheated flat in the middle of winter, there's absolutely nothing else that will shoot little flames of heat through your body better than this dish. So, try it while the season lasts!

Here's the drawing board:

 

 Take dried red chilies, little pieces of ginger, a little sugar, and some vinegar in a bowl (the small grinding-bowl of our mixie, in this case). All quants. depend on personal taste. Paste the lot.

Heat sunflower/canola oil in a wok. When hot, simmer and add chopped green shallots/pNeyaajkoli. I should note, however, that it's a better idea to add them with the onions later.

Then add tiny-diced carrots. If you want larger pieces, blanch, steam or boil them first in salt water.

Add similarly-diced chicken, preferably marinated in lemon juice and salt for an hour. Stir till golden-brown.

Finally, when the chicken is golden-brown and the carrots tender, add a half teaspoon or so of oil if needed, then add chopped red onions. Stir till they change colour and start smelling fried.

Then add the ginger-chilli-vinegar-sugar paste, and fold it in well. Season with a little salt.

When the chicken and vegetables have been cooked well in the spice, add boiled and drained noodles. Mix it all up.

Serve!

Now go make it for yourself while the season lasts! If chicken is off your personal menu, just substitute with more veggies, or small chunks of paneer or tofu. Happy winter eating, people :-)