Maggi-ficent feast

Maggi. If this word, repeated three times to a deliciously familiar tune, does not set your ears ringing right away, you belong either to an alternate era or hail from a parallel universe. As far as instant noodles go, this formerly banned and now plentifully available little yellow packet has more joints dedicated entirely to it even in the most obscure corners of the capital than there are stars in the sky. Okay, so maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration. But it isn’t as far from the truth as you might think, and the recently concluded Maggi Festival – organised by Delhi-based hyperlocal start-up GoBuzzinga and supported by Delhi Food Walks – stood delectable testimony to this. All it took was a sunny Sunday morning and an open invitation to sample the many delicacies that could be whipped up with Maggi as the core ingredient, and Nehru Park found itself teeming with the city’s noodle-happy foodies in no time.

So what, you wonder, can really be done with Maggi beyond a smattering of extra masalas, veggies and/or eggs and chicken A single sweeping glance across the premises would have given you at least ten reasons to be surprised, maybe even a little shocked. From Maggi Pocket Parcels, Maggi Lasagna and Mexican Maggi Bhel Shots to Tandoori Maggi Sandwich, Butter Chicken Maggi and Vodka Maggi, the sheer number of reincarnations for this two-minute noodle would have given you, quite literally, a lot of food for thought. The 34 stalls laying out all these reincarnations, on their part, were helmed by an interesting mix of popular local Maggi points, college canteens, well-established cafes and eateries, and some seriously talented home chefs. From among the latter, Mrs. Makkar served up a cracking bowl of Poha Maggi. “We’re just home chefs who like to experiment,” she told us humbly, as we chomped on the noodles cooked not with poha, as we had anticipated, but like poha - using the ingredients typical to the dish in its traditional form, such as curry leaves and mustard seeds. The team of RohSho’s kitchen, comprising a set of youngsters passionate about food, also plated up an impressive set of Maggi canapes, the Mexican Maggi Bhel Shots, using the noodles in their crispy form with fresh veggies and sweet and tangy sauces for a good attempt at an interesting balance of flavours and textures.

Having sampled treats from the festival at large, one version of Maggi that truly stood out for us was the Red Wine Grilled Fish Maggi by Bus Stop Café, Rohini. And although chef and co-owner Angad jokingly explained the combination of red wine and Maggi as the result of a typically Punjabi love affair between food and liquor (“jab har cheez mein wine dal sakti hai to Maggi mein kyun nahin ”) the final dish came with an explosion of flavours, fun and sophistication that caught the attention of quite a few Maggi aficionados in the stall’s vicinity. The heady combination of Maggi with red wine, chilli flakes and dry spices like oregano alongside grilled Surmai fish and fresh celery was probably what made it one of the most popularly sought-after dishes at the festival by the time the curtains came down and the knives were packed up, as attested to by GoBuzzinga COO and co-founder Yashika Dubey. Another dish to generate a similar volume of interest, she tells us, was Mango Maggi by Café Wanderlust, Gurgaon. Blanched and cooked in mango pulp-infused sugar syrup to perfection, the cold dessert was served up with whipped cream and slices of fresh mango.

A few other notable mentions include the non-vegetarian Hyderabadi Maggi from Kev’s Café, Satya Niketan – a startlingly biryani-like burst of flavours including the gentle, all-too-familiar hit of cloves and khade masale – and Sev Puri Maggi by Irrfan from the SRCC canteen in Delhi University’s North Campus – a simple but delectable marriage of Maggi, veggies and aloo bhujia.

Mango Maggi Ingredients Maggi, 1 packet Mango pulp, 1 cup Mango slices, a handful Sugar syrup, two bowls prepared in advance, 250 ml each

Method Break the Maggi vertically, blanch and strain. Immerse in one bowl of sugar syrup for 4 hours. In the second bowl of sugar syrup, add the fresh mango pulp and then the Maggi. Refrigerate and soak for another 4 hours. Pour into a bowl, top with whipped cream and mango slices, and serve cold. (Recipe courtesy Cafe Wanderlust, Gurgaon)

Red Wine Grilled Fish Maggi Ingredients For fish Surmai fish, 250 gm Lemons, 2 Ginger, julienned, 20 gm Celery, chopped, 30 gm Chilli Flakes, 15 gm Red wine, 50 ml

For Maggi Maggi, 1 packet Red capsicum, chopped, 10 gm Yellow capsicum, chopped, 10 gm Zucchini, chopped, 20 gm Carrots, chopped, 10 gm Red wine, 2 tbsp

For grilling Lemon, Chilli flakes, 20 gm For garnishing Pink cherry Celery leaves Black olives Red cabbage Tomatoes, sliced

Method Place the fish in a deep plate and marinate in the lemon, ginger, celery leaves, chilli flakes and red wine. Place in a freezer for 10 minutes. Prepare Maggi as you normally would, adding the chopped red and yellow capsicum, zucchini, carrots and red wine. Grill the marinated fish for 10 minutes and then add 2 tbsp of lemon juice and a sprinkling of chilli flakes. Arrange the Maggi in a serving dish and place the grilled fish on top. Drizzle with a little more red wine and sprinkle some extra Maggi masala. Garnish and serve hot. (Recipe courtesy Bus Stop Cafe, Rohini)