For the love of Maggi..

‘Maggi noodles’ is a household name, especially in India. Most people love it and for some, it is actually comfort food. Even now, each time I visit the Indian grocery story, packs of Maggi are always piled on to my cart. The noodles are so good by themselves, I hardly ever add any veggies. Nutrition be damned. I do however, experiment a lot and give the flavours a different twist. I am sure a lot of us do that. For fellow Maggi lovers, I am jotting down some versions I have come up with. In all these variations, the regular seasoning has to be added at all times. The listed ingredients have to be added along side.

– The very basic one: just add a dollop of butter and sprinkle some pepper. The butter and spice enhance the flavour.

– While adding the regular seasoning, also add some amount of mustard sauce. When it is fully cooked, stir in some shredded cheese and 2 tbsp of wine. The mix of molten cheese and mustard, along with the seasoning is so awesome!

– Boil the noodles in clear tomato or vegetable soup instead of boiling them in water. Add the seasoning and cook it the regular way. I used to enjoy this a lot at home in Bombay, especially on a rainy evening. Now clear vegetable soup is rarely available at the right time, so I just pour in the powder from the instant soup packs to boiling water and then add the noodles.

– Finely chop at least half a bunch of cilantro/coriander. Stir it in when the noodles are getting cooked. Add a big pinch of red chilli powder. Squeeze in some lime after turning off the heat.

– Saute garlic in olive oil. Add this mix to the boiling water and cook maggi the regular way. Once done, sprinkle in all the herbs you have – basil, oregano, parsley, etc. If you want to indulge, then top it with a layer of mozzarella and dunk it in the microwave for 2 mins or until the cheese melts. You have to make sure you eat this hot though.

– To add some new flavours, I often mix other masalas along with the seasoning – Pav bhaji masala, chole masala, biryani masala, sambar powder, etc. The taste varies each time and they all taste really good.

– Break in an egg and make scrambled egg in your maggi noodles. Add other masalas for added flavour.

– Add any left over item you have at home. Rasam goes really well, so do other kinds of unfinished tomatoe purees and masalas you have at hand.

– Just add Maggi Hot & Sweet sauce to a bowl of hot noodles.

There are so many things you can do to add a twist. It is so versatile. I doubt I’ll ever be really fed up of Maggi, even if I eat it just like that.