Decked up Maggi noodles

Dear Foodies,

You might be thinking why a recipe and an entire post for Maggi ! Everyone loves it and surely make it at home. Its a newbies comfort food that they whip up with confidence. Well, the reason is until I ate Maggi made by someone other than I mom, I din't realize that cooking Maggi wasn't the same for everyone. It is a universal dish but with a uniqueness added by each one. In my home the first time we had it was when my uncle introduced it to us. Maggi as I know always has onions, carrots and tomatoes with peas paying an occasional visit, just the way the picture on the packet shows it. Maggi cooked plainly in the the masala was unimaginable to me and still is :)) A friend of mine makes a Maggi upma similar in style to the usual Rava Upma. I'll tell you about that in a little while.

Once you see how well are Maggi noodles can be decked up, I am sure you will not think of the plain maggi masala one :) On to my recipe now,

Thats my new Faberware Santoku knife, absolutely love it

Ingredients:

For one pack of Maggi,

• 1/2 cup - Red onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup - Tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup - Carrots, julienned
• 1/2 cup - Green peas
• 1 nos - Green chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tsp - Turmeric powder
• A pinch of salt
• Coriander leaves for garnish
• 1 Tbsp - Oil

For extra zing: One or more of

• 1 tsp - Chilli powder
• 2 tsp - Maggi Hot n Sweet ketchup
• 2 tsp - masala from your favorite pickle (Tomato/Mango/Red chilli)
• 1 Tbsp -Roasted peanuts
• 1 tsp - Ginger-garlic paste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan and roast the peanuts first if using them. Then add the green chillies and onions. Add turmeric and saute till the onions turn translucent (add the ginger-garlic paste if using )
2. Add the tomatoes and carrots next. Cook until the tomatoes turn mushy and the carrots become tender.
3. Next add the masala that comes with the noodles, salt and 2 1/4 cups of water(or as indicated + 1/4 cups for the veggies) and cover with a lid.
   
4. Once the water comes to a boil add the peas and Maggi noodles and cook until all the water evaporates or gets absorbed by the noodles. Add the ketchup or the pickle masala when half the water has evaporated. The noodles should be soft must smash easily when pressed between your fingers.
5. Turn off the stove when you can still see a little water like a gravy coating the noodles if you like to slurp your noodles. Garnish with coriander leaves &/or Lime juice and enjoy your bowl of comfort :)

This is my favorite way of eating Maggi, there is flavor bursting out of every noodle strand, not to mention all the memories stuck to it. The veggies add a lot of flavor and color making it a lot more appetizing. The volume of dish also gets doubled making the more number of servings per packet. The ketchup and pickle addition gives the maggi soo much flavor and its also deliciously spicy :) If you have not tried this version do try it....you are sure to love it.

And as I mentioned earlier my dear friend makes her Maggi - Upma style, including the initial roasting part. In a pan dry roast the Maggi noodles my breaking them lengthwise and browning them on all sides. They burn easily so keep a careful watch. Once that is done, transfer them to a plate, heat some oil and make a tadka of Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds, Chana dal, Green chillies and curry leaves next add water, Maggi masala and let the water come to a boil. Add the roasted Maggi noodles and cook until done. This is such a wonderful variation of cooking Maggi. The browning of the noodles adds a lot of flavor to the final dish. Do try this version too.

So there you go, two of my versions for our dear 2 minute Maggi Noodles...now its your turn to tell me yours :)