Of Maggi Noodles and Memories…
My first memory of Maggi Noodles is one of my mother snatching away the leftover masala from my hand, and telling me its ‘bad for your health’. Yet, I would cook Chicken Maggi Noodles with very little of the tastemaker in it, because I always was fascinated by that umami-laden thing that was the perfect accompaniment to my books – I would spend hours in the tiny attic room, the balmy breeze making a fan superficial on a cool November afternoon, my Durga Pujo holidays at my maternal Grandparents’ house coming to an end.
That tradition continued through my childhood, until the Chicken Maggi Noodles Tastemaker lost its charm (and a lot of its taste, too). Over the years, the flavour changed from fabulous to rather artificial, and I shifted allegiance towards Masala Maggi, because the flavour mostly remained the same. It was this that gave rise to one of my favourite things to cook in the evenings – the Maggi recipe that I sort of learned from Rekha Aunty, who used to make it for Deepu dada and me in the evening, her kitchen a wonderful place for me to just be and take notes. She was my mother’s best friend, and I was her favourite person to be around, or so I would like to think.
The Maggi Noodles Menu at Bon Appetit
When recently Rahul Arora did a Maggi festival at Bon Appetit, the Cafe, I was overjoyed to see the huge repertoire of dishes featuring Maggi in it – from omelettes and parathas stuffed with Maggi to crunchy biscuits with Maggi on top, the list was impressive. But, my favourite would be the Maggi with Meatballs – spicy meatballs topping a bounty of noodles underneath. The festival is on till the end of this month, and the dishes are all very reasonably priced where a meal for two will cost about INR 350/-.
Rekha Aunty’s Maggi Recipe
My favorite way of making Maggi starts by chopping up a good handful of vegetables – I used, in this recipe, a combination of cabbage, bell pepper, and tomato – however, the original version was almost always made with tomato, onion, potato, and chillies. I also used spring onions instead of regular onions, but feel free to use normal onions.
Start by heating a pan and adding 2 cloves of crushed garlic in it (about 1/2 teaspoon). Once the garlic changes colour lightly, throw in your vegetables (about 3/4th cup mixed vegetables – I used chopped bell pepper, cabbage, tomato and chilli). Rekha aunty would start by adding onion and finely chopped potato, and then cover the pan for a bit to ensure the potatoes cook for a while. As all my veggies cooks quickly, I just stir fried everything till the tomatoes were soft.
Mix together the tastemaker, 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup, 1 tablespoon chilli sauce (or your favourite hot sauce), 1 teaspoon soy sauce (I used light soy), and 2 tablespoons of water. Keep it aside.
Once the vegetables are soft, its time to add 2 cups of water, the noodles, and the taste maker mixture. Stir everything together, and cook the noodles till done to your liking. At this point, you can stir in a cube of grated cheese, or a tablespoon of cheese spread, but its up to you, and its optional. This is best eaten immediately after cooking.
Disclaimer: Poorna Banerjee was invited to sample the menu at Bon Appetit. For more, follow #FriendshipWaaliMaggi on social media.
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