Curried Zucchini Pasta

When I cooked this recipe, I haven't been cooking much zucchini in my life. This was an attempt to try out a different vegetable in my pantry. I absolutely love the fact that this recipe was very fast and easy to cook. Curry (my forte), zucchini (an alien to me) and pasta (my go-to carbs when I'm lazy to think what to cook), et voila!

Serves 1

INGREDIENTS 

1/4 yellow zucchini, cut into quarter-rounds
1/2 cup of white mushrooms
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 tsp of minced ginger
1/4 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup of tamarind juice (Substitutes: lime juice)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp fennel powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
Ground black pepper and salt, to taste
Spring onion, to garnish
Wholewheat pasta of your choice

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare pasta according to the box's instruction.
2. Heat pan over medium and pour cooking oil in.
3. Add cinnamon stick and let it rest for 30 seconds. 
4. Add onion, garlic and ginger and stir for 2 minutes.
5. Lower the heat and toss in spice powder, black pepper and salt. Stir well.
6. Add zucchini, mushrooms and tamarind juice. Braise for 5 minutes.
7. Add coconut milk and stir for another 3 minutes.
8. Serve over pasta, garnish with spring onion.

Bonus: For a spicier version, you can pan-fry 2-3 pieces of dried chili until crispy (but not burnt!) and garnish on top.