Oodles of Noodles - Ohh Yeahhh!

Noodles are the second love of my life – rice of course being the first! Having recently returned from Kolkata, I’ve been going through Chindian (Indo-Chinese) food withdrawals. Once you’ve have Chinese food in Kolkata, US Chinese tastes like a low grade rip-off.

Jimmy’s Kitchen is one of my favorite restaurants in Kolkata. Our family has enjoyed their delicious tableau of assortments for the last 30 years. I have yet to be disappointed by them – and that’s a tall order when it comes to restaurants. One of my all time favorites is their Chop Suey Noodles with Gravy. It's a simple dish with noodles, julienned vegetables, chicken/shrimp served in a glazed gravy (sort of like the “white sauce” of Chinese restaurants in US). It is everything that a noodle lover can dream of. Crisp fresh vegetables, perfectly cooked noodles and succulent chicken smothered in a delicately spiced garlic glaze. I think I just drooled!

Having not been to Kolkata in eight long years, I forgot how amazing these tasted! Since I probably will not be going back to Kolkata until next year, it became imperative that those noodles be replicated in someway.

Obviously not all the ingredients are the same and I am sure Jimmy’s Kitchen isn’t exactly the poster child for healthy Chindian food. I decided buckwheat noodles would be a good substitute for regular chow mein or lo mein noodles. These are high in fiber as well as protein and cook pretty fast (about 4 mins). You can find them in any Asian food market. I added chicken, arugula and portabella mushrooms along with an assortment of veggies. I had some trepidation while trying to recreate the glaze but didn’t let that moment of mini hesitation get in my way of noodle heaven! 

So how was it? …….. Ohhh, these noodles were FAB! No exactly like Jimmy’s Kitchen (DUH) but so deliciously yummy. I will be making them again and experimenting with the ingredients in future! 

This dish ranks in my all time top 5!

Bliss

Ingredients:

Julienned carrots (1½ cups)

Mushrooms – (1 cup)

Wild arugula – (1 whole salad bag – about 4-5 cups)

Garlic grated (4 cloves)

Chicken – (1 cup diced: you can use precooked store chicken if you want)

Julienned onions (3 small ones)

Shredded cabbage (2 cups)

2-3 small green chilies (optional)

Buckwheat noodles (4 cups cooked per instructions and washed in running cold water to prevent stickiness)

Salt to taste

Olive or Regular Oil – 3 tsp

 

Sauce:

1 cup cold water (tap cold will do)

1½ tbsp flour mixed in the water

Cooking:

This is a quick dish to make and the veggies cook down quickly. It is best to cook this in a wok because there a lot of ingredients and the wok’s unique heat distrubtion prevents your veggies from being over cooked. 

Heat the oil up in wok and toss in the cabbage, carrots and onions. Cook down for 5 mins stirring frequently, add chilies, chicken and mushrooms. Add salt and black pepper to taste (extra black pepper in this dish taste heavenly!). Cook for another 5 minutes on medium-high heat.

Add arugula, coat thoroughly with the mixture and cover wok for 2 mins until arugula is mostly wilted. The veggies and chicken should have yielded liquid of their own by now. Add grated garlic and flour/water mixture to this wok. Add more to salt at this point.

Bring sauce and mixture to boil and then simmer on low for 5 mins. If you need more sauce, add ½ cup more water mixed with another teaspoon full of flour. Keep simmering for another 5 minutes. 

One sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon - remove from heat and add the noodles. Toss mixture carefully until all the noodles have been coated with the sauce. Let stand for 5 more minutes and serve hot.

 This dish freezes well and can be perfectly portioned for lunch or dinner!