Macaroni used to be a thing of luxury at my place when I was growing up. Each time my father would bring a packet of Bombino’s Macaroni, I would pester my mother to make some pronto. Unlike instant noodles, packets of Macaroni did not come with spice-maker pouches, which meant, we had to toss the Macaroni is a sauce that was made from scratch. After boiling the Macaroni, she would transfer it to a masala that looked eerily similar to what she would make for most of her sabzis. Picture, tomato, onions, ginger, garlic and garam masala. At that point, I didn’t care if my Macaroni was ‘Italian’ enough, and honestly not much has changed.
Entrenched in flavours desi, this is the Macaroni most of us have grown up with. The macaroni that we would carry to school, picnics, and potlucks. It is also called the ‘Masala Macaroni’ by many, and it is a cakewalk to make at home.
As we said, it is cooked in a traditional Indian way, so let’s take you through the making of the masala of the Masala Macaroni.
- Heat some oil in a non-stick pan, throw in some chopped ginger and garlic and sautee it. You do not have to brown them, cook them until the rawness is gone.
- Make sure you cook the garlic on medium flame, unless you may end up burning garlic.
- Then add chopped onions and sautee again, for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, this should immediately be followed by all your powdered spices. Cook on medium flame again, and make sure you stir occasionally so that the veggies are well-cooked.
- If you have capsicum and sweet corn, throw them into the masala, followed by tomato ketchup or chilli sauce. Add a pinch of salt to taste. Add salt, towards the end, else it may make tomatoes release water.
- Finally, add the boiled macaroni, toss it well for 1-2 minutes on medium flame. At this point you can even close the lid for the macaroni to cook with masalas, this should not take more than two minutes if you are cooking for a portion that serves two.
- Serve the macaroni hot.
Some points to remember. While boiling the macaroni, add a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of oil so that the macaroni is not bland or it does not stick to the vessel. Another, very important thing to remember, you can add or omit any veggie or masala of your choice, for this is the most forgiving kind of pasta you would ever have in life.
Here is the detailed recipe of Masala Macaroni by Tarla Dalal. Try it at home and let us know if you can finally call yourself, a macaroni expert. Don’t forget to share the pictures with us.
