Spicy Pasta & Veggies

I would've liked to come up with a better, more appealing name for this dish but I'm running short on time so this will have to suffice for now. The name may not be appealing but the taste of this sure to please your taste buds... Every time my friend Kaye brought this for lunch (when we were in school), there would be quite a clamor while we tried to dig our spoons in for a taste because we loved this... During a visit to her place I remembered to ask her mom how she made it and this is what I recall of aunty's recipe and follow it when we crave a spicy pasta dish.

SPICY PASTA & VEGGIES

Ingredients:

Shell pasta (small sized preferably) - 6 oz
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Tomato - 1 big, chopped
Carrots - 2 medium, julienned into thin matchsticks
Beans - 10 to 15, french cut
Green Bell pepper - half of a small one, chopped
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt, to taste
Pepper - to taste (optional)
Margarine/Butter - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

1) Cook pasta in plenty of boiling water with some salt till al-dente (or acc. to package directions)

2) Microwave the carrots and beans with about 2-3 tbsp of water and a pinch of salt for about 5-7 minutes (covered) till tender.

3) In a pan, heat oil and fry the onions, when transparent and browned on the edges, add the bell pepper and saute for a few more minutes before tossing in the chopped tomatoes.

4) Add salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander powder and cook till the tomatoes turn mushy. Now add the carrots and beans and stir till the masala and the veggies incorporate well.

5) Finally add the cooked shell pasta and the butter/margarine and mix thoroughly (but gently). Add in some cracked pepper to taste and let it cook for about 5 mins on medium flame, tossing every few minutes. Spicy pasta is ready to serve.