Maggi to the Rescue

One of the positives of sheltering in place is that I get to spend more time with my kids. Since they were babies, I left the house before they were out of bed in the mornings and sometimes, depending on my schedule, did not see them till late in the evening. Now, though we spend most of the day in separate rooms attending conference calls and online classes, we are all within "yellable" distance of each other, 24x7. Most of the yelling being comprised of, "______, come, eat your food." 

Spending the whole day together also means that we have to have a plan for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Not counting the multiple pantry trips for snacks, those are a lot of meals to plan. Breakfast is easy in our house. We usually grab something quick because no one seems to be particularly hungry at that time. It is lunchtime that catches us unawares. Typically, we have a rotation of lunches that we pack for work and school. Now that we are no longer following that routine, I find myself tasked with planning a mid-day meal while managing work emails and phone calls. I will look up from my emails to notice that it is almost 1:00 PM or during a break in conference calls, realize that if I don't fix something quick to eat now, everyone will be munching on snacks for the remainder of the day. In moments of unpreparedness like these, Maggi comes to the rescue.

Maggi, India's equivalent of Top Ramen, became a household name in the early 1980's. Prior to Maggi, I don't remember any packaged or processed food having such currency in Indian homes. Meals were definitely a product of home-cooking with fresh ingredients and grains. Anything processed and packaged was an alien concept. Heck, even the spices were freshly ground every day. Given the cooking and eating habits of typical Indian families in the 80's, it probably took a very smart marketing campaign to sell millions of Indians on this quick noodle meal. Nestlé, the parent company for Maggi, took some innovative approaches to marketing their new product. The first marketing coup was the very distinctive Indian spice blend packet that accompanied the Masala flavor of the noodle. This masala packet -- a combination of the holy trinity of Indian spices -- turmeric, cumin, and coriander, with a generous dose of chili powder -- hit the right tastebuds in the Indian palate. Nestlé has experimented with various flavor options in India, but to this day, the Masala Maggi remains the most popular and almost synonymous with the product. The other factor that is sure to have contributed to the acceptance of the new packaged product was the changing landscape of the Indian family. For the first time in the 80's, many Indian parents found themselves raising kids without the supportive network of grandparents, uncles, and aunts that marked the traditional, Indian extended families. Moms had to figure out what to feed the kids when they got home from school and they did not have a lot of helping hands in the kitchen. They were probably thankful for this quick 2-minute option and thankful that they did not have to deal with older members of the family questioning the nutritional qualities of this new food item.

Nestlé also clearly knew a thing or two about taking their product directly to their target audience. In this case, kids. I clearly remember the day in second grade when a hip, young woman dressed in an oversized denim jacket and ankle boots visited our class. She was there to introduce us to the offerings of the Brave New World, in the garb of the bright yellow packets of Maggi 2-minute noodles. I do not remember anything that she said, but every kid left school that day with a free packet of Maggi noodles. Though I now question the unholy nexus between an educational institution and a processed food conglomerate, it is safe to say that the trick worked, because we have been hooked to the product since then. We have even passed on our love for Maggi to our kids, no matter which part of the world we may be raising them. The appeal of Maggi has endured several decades and weathered some serious controversies. In 2015, all Maggi noodles were pulled from markets following an allegation from food safety authorities in India. I am happy to report that all the allegations were eventually cleared in India as well as by the FDA in USA. If anyone had any lingering doubts about Maggi, all were laid to rest when jumbo, 24-packs of the noodles started gracing the shelves of the American megastore, Costco.

Maggi Masala is a favorite with my children. When they were first introduced to it, they could only handle half packet of the spice mix in their noodles. They have graduated to the whole packet since then and sometimes kick up the spice level with other toppings.  In a bid to quell my motherly guilt of not providing healthy food to my family, I typically add a handful of frozen vegetables to the boiling water a couple of minutes before I add the noodles. I also add either a fried or boiled egg (in ramen fashion) on top of the cooked noodles to add some protein to the meal. The kids will happily slurp up their noodles minus those additions. However, they have their own preferences about consistency (soupy or dry) and choice of toppings to customize their bowls.

Some of my family's favorite Maggi toppings include:
-- Fried Onions (I buy these at the Indian grocery store. Primarily to use in biryani.)
-- Various Hot Sauces (Featured here: Trader Joe's Hot Sauce and Ching's Recipe Green Chili Sauce)
-- Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch (Not sure if this is one of those seasonal items that Trader Joe's was testing, but they should seriously consider carrying this as one of their standard condiment products.)
-- Pickled Chilies. (This is a standard condiment in all Calcutta Indo-Chinese eateries and can be made by soaking sliced Thai bird chilies in a mixture of equal parts white vinegar and water. I always have a container ready in my fridge for when we have Maggi or other Chinese food.)

I would not recommend adding all the toppings to the same bowl as the result can be quite fiery!