Veggie Pasta Stir-Fry

Growing up, none of us at our home knew about Pasta or the many variations of it. In our local supermarket, what we got was local-made maida filled macaroni or shell pasta (we still get these) using which people made masala upma kind of dishes (My MIL is an expert at it and I shall post the recipe soon) At such times, I happened to watch a TV show where I first saw pasta and pasta sauce. Inspired by it, I wanted to make it for breakfast and my sister was my scapegoat. I boiled pasta too much and made a so called white-sauce which was no less than paper glue. The sweetheart that my sister was is, she never said anything but kept eating mouthfuls after mouthfuls until my parents came home and freaked out at the mess I created. I decided not to make Pasta at all, like ever.

Things do change a lot as we grow up isnt it? My taste preferences changed, I was trying to explore different cuisines and different types of food and things that I thought I will never try again were given another chance. Like Pasta. Like Eggs. Like Sambar (yes! I detested sambar wholeheartedly). Like Brinjal and the list goes on. Few of these changes happened, thanks to my husband S and our marriage. He never complains about what I cook or not cook while constantly giving me positive comments 🙂 I made pasta in red sauce soon after we started our married life and I cant begin to describe the damage I might have done to my newly married life, if not for a very patient S. This time though, I didn’t give up. Soon, I ditched all the recipes online and started preparing pasta in a way we would love to it. The red sauce recipe was perfected and was so the low calorie white sauce recipe. This stir-fry recipe is a recent addition to the other pasta dishes I make at home. Its fairly simple to make but tastes awesome too! Everytime parents stay with us, I make this dish atleast once a week for amma is such a fan! 🙂 To find a favorite of your mom from your kitchen and make it for her is such a happy feeling – Agree?

Recipe

What I used –

• Pasta, 1.5cups (I used Borges Tricolor Pasta this time)
• Mushrooms, 1 cup
• Zucchini, 1 medium
• Sweetcorn, a handful
• Onion, 1 medium
• Garlic, 10 pods
• Oregano/Basil/Parsley/Thyme Mix, 2 teaspoon (Can use fresh herbs if available, I only had fresh Basil)
• Chilli flakes, 1.5 tsp
• Salt, as required
• Water, as required
• Olive Oil, 3 teaspoon (Normal oil can be used too)

How I made –

1. Finely chop garlic pods and onion. Zucchini and Mushroom to be diced and kept aside.
2. In a large pot, bring water to boil. Add salt. Add pasta and cook for 13-15mins or according to the package instructions. Do not add oil to the boiling water unlike cooking noodles. Drain the water and let the cooked pasta rest.
3. In a pan, heat Olive oil. Add finely chopped garlic and fry for a minute. Add finely chopped onion and cook until translucent. Do not let the garlic or onion to caramelize.
4. Add the chopped vegetables (can range from mushrooms, zuchhini, broccoli, green/red/yellow capsicum, sweetcorn, olives, spinach – just get the combo right)
5. Add required salt, spice mix powder and chilli flakes. Cook for 5mins or until the vegetables are done. I like the Zucchini pieces to have the crunch and so I semi-cook them.
6. Stir in the cooked pasta and if required, drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil on top. When the pasta stir fry sizzles, remove it from heat and serve hot.