Maggi Masala Noodles with Vegetables

If I ever had the power to award a Nobel Food Prize - my first choice would definitely be Maggi. It revolutionized an entire generation's food chain and looking at Little A's passion for instant noodles, it makes me wonder if there has been some genetic inclination to it as well. Whatever it is, for the last two decades, the answer to the following situations has been the same

• Hungry after school? 
• Tired after long day at work?
• Don't feel like cooking?
• Don't know how to cook?
• Nothing at home?

MAGGI!. All you need is just 2 glasses of water and a heat source. On the stove, in a rice cooker, in an electric kettle, inside a microwave and in cases of some people I know - straight out of the packet (no, not me. I do have a lot of food fetishes. But I don't eat raw Maggi!)

A lot of people have cautioned me about the bad effects of instant noodles. For even a die-hard Maggi fan - I am sometimes paranoid of feeding it to Little A who adores it (In fact she has designated Friday as "Noodles Day" and takes it for lunch to school and every day asks "is it Friday today)!. But I have had this stuff for almost 2 decades and if nothing has happened so far. So it can't be that bad - right?  

I never knew that each country had its own variation of flavors - so was quite surprised to see Maggi Mee Goreng, Maggie Tom Yum and Maggi Curry Ayam here in Malaysia and of course I didn't like it. I want my Masala and so each time we come back from India - there are always couple of packets in my luggage. I was happy to find a store in Kuala Lumpur that stocked the "Indian Maggi Masala" and grabbed a few. 

A lot of people cook Maggi in different ways. Some cook noodles separately, drain and mix the masala. Some like it plain. Some may eat it plain out of necessity or laziness. Even in our home, I like it with vegetables, my husband likes it with just curry leaves and Little A likes it plain. 

Today's recipe is my favorite version of the 2-minute noodles. You can substitute with any instant noodle brand. 

Maggie Masala with Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 packet Maggi Noodles (I used masala flavor. You can subsitute for any other instant noodles brand).

1/2 onion - finely chopped

1/2 carrot - finely chopped

1/2 capsicum - finely chopped

2-3 green chillies - finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder or sambar powder

a pinch of salt

1 teaspoon oil

Method:

1. Heat oil in a deep pan.

2. Add the green chillies and onion and fry well

3. Add the onions and fry. Add the carrot and capsicum and fry well.

4. Add red chilli powder and salt and fry well.

5. Add the tastemaker in the packet and mix well.

6. Add the required quantity of water as mentioned in the packet.

7. Break the noodles and add to the pan.

8. Cook until the noodles are done

9. Serve hot.

Notes:

1. Adjust green chillies and chilly powder according to taste and tolerance

2. You can add garam masala if you like for an Indianized curry taste

3. Add a drop of soy sauce while cooking vegetables for a slightly sour twist. But skip the salt as soy sauce would have salt.

4. Tomatoes also add a slightly sour taste. Add it if you like it.

5. I like to make my noodles slightly "soupy". So I add an extra 1/4 cup of water. If you prefer dry, the cook as per the packet instructions.

P.S - It was quite a task to take the photos without grabbing a couple of fork fulls of the stuff. Darn! I am addicted to it. It took exactly 5 minutes to reach this point.

Note: This is not a paid post.

Spicy Japanese Soba Noodles with Vegetables

One of my favorite hobbies is to look around supermarket aisles curious about the variety of food products that are out there. I make it a point to get something that is new to me - it may be a type of pasta or a bottle of exotic sauce or herbs. I normally buy new ones in smaller quantities as I run the risk of it being shunned by the husband and daughter resulting in me eating the entire thing. (which may or may not be a good deal depending on how the dish turns out!).

There are a lot of things (the good ones) that I have discovered recently which are now regulars in my pantry. For example Tomatoes - pureed and chopped in a can .I used to balk at that idea before. Why go for canned when you have fresh tomatoes ? But some recipes do require it and no amount of boiling and grinding may sometimes replace opening a can of tomato puree. Vietnamese Rice Paper - I know the name sounds a bit off. But trust me this is one keeper. (recipe coming soon!), Peanut butter, Nutella, dried parsley, pasta sauces. the list keeps getting longer with every supermarket visit. 

One such discovery is the Japanese Soba noodles. I have heard my SIL who lives there talk about it. So was eager to try it and when I found a small packet, I immediately got it home. I have no clue on what the brand name is as it is in Japanese.

Soba Noodles is one of the most popular noodles and staple foods in Japan. Its made of buckwheat (soba means buckwheat in Japanese) - a healthy grain. Soba noodles are served cold with just soy sauce or as a salad or hot in a bowl of soup.

We do not enjoy cold noodles at home so that was ruled out. I made it for lunch one day and used my usual vegetable noodles recipe for it.

The noodles by itself has a pleasant and wholesome taste and flavor. It would work out well for a cold salad as well. May be the next time I will make it into a salad.

This is a simple recipe and if you do not get Japanese soba noodles, substitute for normal noodles (not the instant variety) or egg noodles.

SPICY JAPANESE SOBA NOODLES WITH VEGETABLES

Ingredients:

1 packet Japanese Soba Noodles
1 Carrot,
1/2 Cabbage.
1 Capsicum
1/2 cup Bean Sprouts (optional)
2 - 3 Spring onions
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 tsp finely shredded ginger
3 red chillies or 3 sliced green chillies
1 tsp Soy sauce
1 tsp Green chilli sauce (optional)
1 T sesame oil (or gingelly oil)
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Boil a big pot of water. Add salt and the raw noodles and cook until the noodles are soft. Drain, wash in cold water and spread on a large plate. You can mix some oil if you think the noodles might stick together.
2.Heat oil in a wok or a pan until high heat.
3. Add the chillis, ginger and garlic until the flavors are added to the oil.
4. Add the cabbage, carrots and capsicum along with the spring onion whites. Fry until the raw smell goes but the vegetables should remain crunchy. (The high heat helps with this). Add the bean sprouts and mix well.
5. Add the soy sauce and green chilli sauce (if using) and mix well. Add the salt. (Remember that the soy sauce is also salty. So add just a bit for the vegetables.)
6. Toss in the noodles and mix well. Garnish with spring onion greens.
7. Serve hot or cold.

Notes:

• If making with normal noodles, you can also add some vinegar and pepper while cooking the vegetables.
• For the non-vegetarians, you can add shredded omlette or pre-cooked chicken finely shredded.
• I had some leftover and I chilled it in the refrigerator for a cold salad next day.
• Any excess cooked noodles can be used in any clear soups.