MIXED VEGETABLES AND CHICKEN PASTA

Pasta dishes are very popular around the world. The main reason for their popularity is that they combine fantastically well with vegetables, cheese, garlic and meat, and a large varieties of sauces. Pasta dough is usually made using wheat flour and there are more than 90 different varieties of pasta in varying shapes and sizes. Pasta is very healthy and is rich in iron and vitamins.

This is a very simple pasta recipe that gets done in a jiffy. The sauce is prepared in Indo Chinese style. I have used carrots, potatoes, capsicums and peas but you can add any vegetable of your choice. Since potatoes and peas take more time to cook, I have used a pressure cooker to speed up the process. Vegetarians can omit chicken and there will not be much difference in the taste.

Ingredients

200 gms whole wheat penne pasta
3 to 4 tbsp oil
½ tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 cup spring onion julienned
1 carrot julienned
1 capsicum julienned
1 potato julienned
½ cup peas
½ cup chicken cut into small pieces
1 tsp chilli sauce
1 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tsp soya sauce
1 ½ tsp pepper powder
Salt to taste

Method

To prepare pasta

Boil 5 cups of water with 1 ½ tsp salt. Then switch off the gas and add the pasta to the water. Close a lid and set aside for 10 minutes. (or refer to instructions given on the pasta wrapper). Drain the water, pass the pasta through cold water and keep ready in a bowl.

To cook the veggies

Meanwhile boil (or steam) the veggies and chicken with 1/3 cup water (or less) and a pinch of salt in a pressure cooker for 5 minutes or 1 whistle. (This is done only to speed up the cooking). The veggies and chicken must be half cooked.

To prepare the sauce

To prepare the pasta sauce, heat oil in a large pan, add spring onions and sauté for a minute. Then ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes. Next the veggies and chicken and stir fry for some time. Now add chilli sauce, tomato sauce, soya sauce, pepper powder and salt. Mix well and cook for a minute. Finally add pasta. Mix well and cook for 2 to 3 minutes in low heat. Transfer to a bowl and serve hot.