Try making some noodles at home.
Ingredients
Wheat flour – 1 cup
Plain flour (maida) – 1 cup
Eggs (large) – 3
Olive oil or vegetable oil – 1 tsp
Water – 1 tsp
Salt – half tsp
Method
Combine the two flours and salt together and pile it on a clean surface. Use your hand to create a depression in the flour. Crack eggs into the depression. Add olive oil to the eggs. Scoop some of the flour from the ends into the eggs and gently begin mixing the flour into the eggs. After a minute or two, most of the flour should be incorporated and the dough will be somewhat crumbly. Knead the dough and try to get the rest of the flour incorporated. If you can’t incorporate the remaining flour, drizzle one tsp of water on the dough and knead it for another minute or two. Add water 1 tsp at a time until the flour is incorporated.
Knead the dough for a little bit and it will form into a cohesive ball. If the ball sticks to the surface or your hands, then sprinkle some flour on the surface. Knead the
dough for five to 10 minutes. Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a plate or plastic wrap.
Divide the dough into two equal portions. Sprinkle the surface with flour and flatten one of the balls out with your hand. Put the dough on the work and use a rolling pin to roll it out. Try and keep the pasta sheet as rectangular as possible. It will take some work to get it rolled out.
When you cook the pasta it will get about 25-50 per cent thicker. Keep that in mind when you decide when the pasta is thin enough. Take your sheet of dough and powder it with little flour. Don’t put much flour because it will dry out the thin sheet of pasta.
Roll the sheet up and cut into thin strips. Cut the spiral 1/8 inch for narrow strips and quarter inch for wide strips. As soon as you cut the strips, un-roll them because they have a tendency to stick together. Hang the pasta up to dry for a little while,
but if you are cooking it immediately, it isn’t necessary.
Take some long skewers and wedge them under a couple of plates and just throw your pasta over. Let the pasta dry for an hour or so and then freeze it or cook it. To cook the pasta immediately, bring a large pot of water to boil, salt the water, and cook the pasta for 2-3 minutes. To dry, lay the pasta over a clean cloth, on skewers and let it dry until completely brittle. Store in an airtight container and freeze up to one month.
Vegetable noodles
Ingredients
Homemade noodles – 100 grams
Carrot and beans cut into 2’
length – half cup each
Spring onion chopped – 2
Garlic crushed – 3 cloves
Ginger chopped – 1 tsp
Green chilly sliced lengthwise – 1
Pepper crushed – half tsp
Butter – 1 tbsp
Cheese grated – 1 cube
Salt – to taste
Method
Prepare homemade noodles mentioned above. Bring water and 1 tbsp salt to a boil. Shake noodles loose. Add these noodles to the boiling water, stir, and begin timing. Fresh pasta cooks quickly. Once noodles are cooked, drain well and toss immediately with the sauce, coating evenly. Heat butter in a big pan; add crushed garlic, chopped ginger, and sauté for a minute. Add carrot and beans, sauté it for two minutes. Cover it and cook for two minutes.
Add spring onion green chilly, pepper crushed and salt. Add the cooked noodles. Mix well. Serve with grated cheese. You can add shredded chicken breast (boiled with salt and little pepper powder) for a non-vegetarian alternative.
Homemade sauce
Ingredients
Tomatoes – 3
Onion – 1
Garlic – 4 cloves
Pepper powder – half tsp
Chilly powder – half tsp
Oregano – quarter tsp
Sugar – 1 tsp (optional)
Tomato sauce – 2 tsp
Olive oil – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Method
Blanch the tomatoes—boil enough water and add the tomatoes. Let it cook for three minutes till the outer skin of the tomatoes comes out. Peel off the skin when it cools down. Puree it to a paste. Keep aside. Heat oil, add chopped onion and garlic. Fry it until nicely browned. Then add the tomato puree. Allow it to boil. Add oregano, pepper powder, chili powder, tomato sauce, salt and sugar. Stir it and allow it reach a sauce consistency. Pasta sauce is ready.
Cool and store in a clean airtight container.
