Jazz It Up! - Ramen/Maggi

Maggi is the Indian equivalent of Ramen - both are kid-friendly, college-student-pleasing meal in packet staples. But after a while popping a bowl of noodles, water the mystery powder in a packet gets boring and unappealing. There's a hundred websites dedicated to adding variety to your standard Ramen meal.. here's my go to version of a 'jazzed-up' Ramen/Maggi.

Ingredients

1/2 small onion - rough chop

2-3 pieces frozen grilled chicken strips

1/4 cup frozen vegetables

1 pkg Ramen/Maggi

2 cups water

Oil

Preparation

1. Saute onion until it gets a little color on it. Add frozen vegetables and continue sauteing.

2. Once the onions become translucent, add the chicken strips. The chicken is already cooked, so this step is only to get the frozen taste out of it and give the chicken some color.

3. Add 2 cups of water. This is a little extra for the Maggi (which calls for only about 1cup of water), but I like my noodles soupy. Adjust water amount to your personal preference.

4. Once the water comes to a boil, add the noodles and powder packet of seasoning. Let the concoction simmer for 2 minutes (or until the noodles are cooked through).

Voila! A little added nutrition and flavor to an otherwise same old package of Ramen/Maggi.

If you're using Oriental or Shrimp flavored Ramen, substitute shrimp for the chicken (remember not to over-cook the shrimp or it'll be rubbery). Also, substitute the mixed vegetables (I prefer the standard peas-carrots-corn/beans) with water chestnuts, sweet pea, etc. Throw in a dash of soy sauce as the noodles simmer to add to the Asian flavor.

If you don't have Maggi on hand, but want that Indian flavor... grab a chunk of frozen masaala and defrost it in pot with the sauteing onions. Mix the frozen vegetables and chicken with the masaala so the flavor infuses with everything. If you have curry powder or Indian pickle on hand, add about 1/2 tsp of it when the noodles are in.

I've never taken a picture of my Ramen/Maggi creations since they've always been a quick-fix meal for me.. but the next time I need a 5-mt dish, I'll remember my camera so I can share the results with you all.