SPICY SICHUAN DRY-FRIED GREEN BEANS

I love string beans in all colours and forms. Green string beans are the highlight in this classic Sichuan dish, lightened up a bit. The beans are usually deep-fried for this dish, but dry-frying works really well and is less messy than dealing with a large container of oil. Adjust the spice level to your needs... the dried red chillies are of course edible, and perfect if you wish to have an inferno in your mouth! :-)

Spicy Sichuan Dry-Fried Green Beans

makes: 4 servings

- 1 lb. (~1/2 kg.) green beans, washed, trimmed, and cut into 3 - 4 in. pieces

- 6 - 8 dried red chillies

- 3 garlic cloves, minced

- 1 in. piece of ginger, minced

- 1 leek, halved and sliced

- 1 tsp. whole Sichuan peppercorns (optional)

- 3 tbsp. safflower oil (or any neutral oil, not olive oil)

Mix into a sauce:

- 1 tbsp. rice wine (sake is fine if you don't have Chinese rice wine)

- 1 tbsp. sesame oil

- 2 tbsp. chilli bean sauce (any chilli bean sauce is fine if you don't have the Sichuan kind)

- 1-1/2 tsp. salt

- 1 tsp. sugar

1. Pat the green beans completely dry with a towel.
2. Heat a large skillet without oil and add the green beans. dry-fry the green beans for 4-5 min. stirring constantly so they don't burn. Add the oil into the pan and continue to dry-fry for 7 - 10 mini. or until the green beans start to wrinkle. Transfer the green beans to a bowl and set aside.
3. Return the skillet to the heat and add the dried peppers, leeks, garlic, ginger and Sichuan peppercorn (if using). Stir fry until aromatic. Add the sauce and stir well. Turn the heat to high and add the dry-fried green beans. Mix well and remove from the heat. Adjust salt to taste.
4. Serve hot with rice and a cucumber salad to cool things down.

SPICY SICHUAN NOODLES

These noodles - a riff on the very popular dan dan noodles - are fiery and addictive! Don't be put off by the ingredient list. Although they sound hard to find, Sichuan pepper, Chinese pickled vegetables, and preserved chillies are easily found in any Asian grocery store, or even at a well-stocked regular grocery store.

Use any greens you'd like - this time I used sweet potato leaves from my garden but in the past I've also used sliced bok choy and spinach. I like spice but not infernal heat, so for some people these might not be spicy enough - simply adjust the spice level to your taste!

Spicy Sichuan Noodles

makes: 4 servings

- 1 recipe homemade noodles (or 1 packet of dried or fresh noodles of your choice)

- 3 - 4 dried red cayenne peppers (or any other dried red chillies)

- 4 scallions, sliced

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 in. piece of ginger, peeled and minced

- 1 jalapeño, sliced

- 2 carrots, julienned

- 1 zucchini, julienned

- 1 cup bean sprouts

- 1 cup sweet potato leaves (or any other greens)

- 3 tbsp. pickled mustard greens and/or bamboo shoots, chopped (optional)

- 1 tbsp. crushed red pepper (flakes)

- 2 tbsp. rice wine (sake is fine) (optional)

- 2 tbsp. peanut oil (or safflower oil, but not olive oil!)

Sauce:

- 1 tbsp. sesame oil

- 1 tbsp. sesame paste (tahini is fine)

- 1-2 tbsp. Chinese preserved chillies (or red pepper flakes soaked in 1 tbsp. distilled vinegar)

- 1/4 cup soy sauce

- 1 tbsp. sugar

- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp. Sichuan pepper, crushed (optional)

- 1 tsp. corn starch (optional)

Garnish:

- 1/2 cup bean sprouts

- 1 cucumber, julienned

1. In a small bowl mix all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
2. In a large pot heat water to a rolling boil. Add the noodles and boil for 7 - 10 min. till they are al dente or cooked to your preference. Drain the noodles.
3. On medium-high, heat the peanut oil in a large pan. Add the dried peppers, scallions, garlic, ginger, and jalapeño, and give it a quick stir. Add the carrots, zucchini, sweet potato leaves, and pickled vegetables if using, and sauté, stirring constantly. Deglaze the pan with the rice wine. Add the soy sauce and crushed red pepper and stir.
4. Add the noodles and sauce, turn the heat to high and quickly stir everything together. Turn the heat off.
5. Serve in bowls, garnished with bean sprouts and julienned cucumber.

HOMEMADE NOODLES

Homemade Noodles

makes: 4 servings

- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour

- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

- 3/4 tsp. baking soda

- 1 tsp. salt

- 1 egg

- 1/4 cup cold water

- 1/4 cup cornstarch (or tapioca starch)

1. Mix the flours, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry mix and add the egg. Mix the egg into the flour using a fork or your fingers, till you have a shaggy dough. Add water 1 tbsp. at a time and mix till you have a stiff dough. Knead really well - about 10 minutes - to make the dough supple and smooth. Cover and let it rest at room temperature for at least 15 min., up to 2 hrs. Dust your hands with cornstarch and divide the rested dough into 4 pieces.
2. If using a pasta roller: Take one piece of dough and roughly shape it into a rectangle. Roll it through the pasta roller at the widest setting. Fold into thirds like a letter and roll it through again. Repeat two more times. After that, roll through without folding, and at successively narrower settings till you have sheets of the desired thickness (you don't want to go too thin or the dough will tear, but you don't want to be too thick because the noodles will swell slightly when cooked). Lightly dust with corn starch as needed, if the dough gets sticky. Hang the rolled sheet of dough over a hanger or the back of a chair to dry for 10 - 15 min. Repeat with the rest of the dough. On the pasta maker select the noodle width you want, and pass one sheet at a time through the cutter to make noodles. Gather the cut noodles into a loose pile and set aside while you cut the remaining sheets into noodles.
3. If rolling by hand: flatten one piece of the dough and dust lightly with corn starch. Roll into a circle or rough rectangle, as thin as possible without tearing the dough. Let it dry for 10 - 15 min. Repeat with the remaining dough. Working with one sheet of rolled dough at a time, fold the sheet into thirds and use a sharp knife to cut evenly into noodles as wide or narrow as you want. Gather the cut noodles into loose piles and set aside while you cut the rest of the rolled dough into noodles.
4. Steam the noodles for 5 - 7 minutes. Allow to cool. If not cooking immediately, store in a covered container in the fridge for up to two days. If cooking immediately, see Step 5 below.
5. Finish cooking the noodles by boiling for 7 - 10 min. and enjoy in your favourite recipe!

IRAQI AUBERGINE AND LAMB STEW

My favourite cuisines other than Gujarati are - in no particular order - French, Arabic (from Levantine countries), Afghani, Persian, Mexican, Greek, Italian, and Japanese. I love cuisines that effortlessly combine ingredients to create deep complex flavours. Especially cuisines that have a variety of vegetarian foods, since I am mostly vegetarian and seldom cook meat at home.

This delicious sweet and tangy Iraqi lamb stew is not vegetarian, but it contains a small enough bit of meat to remain light on the body. It's also very versatile - this time I made it with lamb because I needed to use up some leftover ground lamb but I usually make it vegetarian. I find that the split yellow peas add enough meatiness to make a substantial stew - it makes a great meal with bread or rice and of course, a small crisp salad. 

Iraqi Aubergine and Lamb Stew
makes: 4 - 6 servings

- 1 large aubergine, cubed
- 2-1/2 tbsp. salt

- 4 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 med. zucchini, cubed
- 1 potato, cubed
- 2 carrots, cubed
- 1 bulb fennel, cubed

- 1/3 lb. ground lamb

- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 4 tbsp. pomegranate molasses

- 1/2 cup dried yellow split peas, soaked in cold water for 8 - 12 hours

- 4 dried red chillies

- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp. chilli flakes or powder

- 2 tsp ground cumin

- 1 tsp ground coriander

- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

- 1/4 tsp ground cloves 
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. In a colander, mix 2 tbsp. salt into the aubergine cubes. Let the aubergine sit for about 30 minutes until the bitter juices run out. Squeeze the cubes to remove any water that didn't drain out, and pat dry.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 F / 190 C. Mix the aubergine cubes with 2 tbsp. olive oil and bake for 15 - 20 min. or until tender.
3. While the aubergine is baking, heat the remaining 2 tbsp. of the olive oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add the dried chillies, onion, and garlic and sauté till the onion is translucent.
4. Add the lamb and cook for a few min. till the lamb is evenly browned, breaking up large chunks with a spoon. Add the split peas, all the vegetables (except the aubergine, which is still baking!) and the spices and stir to mix well. Turn the heat to high and add 2 cups water. Cook on high for 5 min. Reduce the heat to low, stir in the baked aubergine, pomegranate molasses, and remaining 1/2 tbsp. salt and cook till the vegetables are done, about 20 - 30 min., stirring occasionally.
5. Turn the heat off and adjust salt if needed. Serve with any Arabic bread or rice.