A Lengthy Reboot

Maggi

Aug 14, 2020

Maggi Noodles is my comfort food. I have been eating it since the 80s.

I eat it often on Saturday mornings and after working late nights. My kids eat it too, and they love it! Aiden (13) is already a pro at making it, and Adele (9) recently learnt to make it too². We would forget to restock sometimes, and one of the kids will crave it, and I will hear their disappointment loud and clear. It is hard to resist.

Like music, food has sentimental value, and it does take me back in time, but the real reason is it is quick & easy to cook and tastes good¹.

The first time I remember eating Maggi was in my school (the 80s). Maggi was new in India, and its promoters cleverly went to schools where they served us cooked Maggi for free. I still vaguely remember the large aluminum pots they brought in to cook it.

I was a fan from the first slurp.

Luckily for me, my mother obliged my demands for Maggi and fast food in general. She would add (real) chicken pieces, vegetables, and eggs into it to increase the nutritional value, and it was yummy. I think we mainly had the "Chicken" flavoured Maggi back then. Masala flavour came later, and it was too spicy for me (I would mix Chicken and Masala seasonings to make it milder). There might have been other flavours that I forgot. What I do remember is I would stay away from atta (wheat flour) Maggi noodles. Another reason my mother might have bought Maggi was to collect freebies. If we had a certain number of Maggi packets, we could redeem things (might have been Maggi branded steel dinner plates).

Years later, we moved on to other brands like Top Ramen, Cup Noodles, and Wai Wai.

When I came to Canada, I started eating one of the many varieties of Korean instant noodles, but I did eat Maggi occasionally.

The Maggi Cutlet

In early 2017, the wife (who is not a fan of Maggi because of its gooey texture) visited her brother in Shillong, India. Her sister-in-law Eurika made Maggi in a new way. When the wife returned, she recreated that recipe with her twist for me, and it became a Saturday morning breakfast tradition since. I am excited about tomorrow's breakfast!

Here are the ingredients for the recipe

• One packet of Masala Maggi
• Two eggs
• Salt
• Pepper
• Chilli sauce

The step-by-step guide

• Boil water in a small pot (water level should be just below the thickness of the noodles)
• Empty the Masala seasoning into the pot
• When the water is boiling, put the noodles in (don't break the noodles)
• After a minute, flip the noodle to cook the top part that was above the water level.
• Stir gently and cook for another two minutes (or less if the noodles are too soft)
• Beat two eggs with salt
• Fry them with oil (not butter) like an omelette in a large pan.
• Flip over the eggs, so the fried firm part is on top.
• Use a chopstick or fork to scoop the cooked Maggi on the frying eggs (some soup is ok but not too wet).
• Put some chilli sauce on the noodles.
• Fold the eggs to cover the Maggi and create a wrap.
• Pour some of the leftover soup on top.
• Serve it in a flat plate and sprinkle pepper on top.

Enjoy!