Noodles yummy

Maggi:

Maggi has been a mainstay in Indian market for a long time now. Maggi and Noodles are synonymous. So much so that competing brands named their noodles something else. I know of people who will swear by Maggi. I used to love Maggi myself, but IMHO Top Ramen tastes better. There are many flavors available and “Atta” and “Rice” noodles are available too. I don’t remember how “Atta” noodles tased, but the “Rice” ones are definitely bad!! Stay away from them. They may even make you vomit.When I was a kid, Maggi meant a lot more than noodles. They had a Maggi Club (Whatever happened of that) and I used to be a member. I even have the membership cards somewhere I guess. The funda is you sent them empty Maggi wrappers and got board games and stuff in return for free. Pretty cool concept eh ? Another thing was the “Maggi quiz“. Though I never won the Maggi quiz, it was always memorable. I still have the participation certificates form my 4th and 5th grade. I made it to the finals twice, but never won!! (The story of my life.)

One of the things I am bad at is cooking. While bachelors my age can probably cook a decent meal, all I can cook is instant noodles. :D (I shall expect my prospective wife to be good cook, or maybe just hunt down a good and affordable restaurant. I know girls probably expect their husbands to be a good cook these days and write the same in their blog. I am not visiting such blogs.) Maybe I can boil eggs or make an omelette’s. I can definitely toast bread in my toaster. What more do you need ?

But I must say that I cook noodles pretty decently. Not that there is anything to cook there. Just put it in boiling water add the seasoning, let it simmer for a while and then eat it. (Transferring it to a plate is optional. ;) ). Some of the popular brands in India are:

• Maggi Noodles. (Probably the oldest.) Instant 2 minute noodles.

• Top Ramen Smoodles

• Wai-Wai Noodles

There are other local brands available, but I don’t like them. I tried it once or twice and didn’t like it at all. (They don’t come with the masala or seasoning.)

tips noodles:

• In most cases, the garnishing is never enough. So you can add a pinch of pepper and salt for taste.

• Never add too little or too much water. It makes it bad. Never pour less water first and then pour some more later. It messes things up bad. (It tastes like….well it doesn’t taste of anything then really)

• If you are a novice and think of adding the vegetables they show you on the cover, you better add very little quantity, boil them before you get started with the noodles (or the vegetables won’t get cooked) and add some more salt and pepper.

• Best vegetables to add would be onion and carrot. (Easily cooked.) Beans and Peas take a longer time to get cooked. (Although cabbage is added in restaurants, I normally don’t use cabbage in my noodles.)

• Make sure the water is boiling before the noodles is in it. Then follow instructions.

• The seasoning powder is tricky. It’s supposed to be added at the end. What normally happens is when you put the powder in, it forms globules and gets attached to localised regions in the vessel. (I am an Engineer ;) …what it means is that, its not uniformly mixed. So its always a better idea to put the powder in a glass, add a little water to it and mix it before pouring the same into the already cooking noodles.

• Water makes a huge difference. I learnt this the hard way. Even if you get everything else right, unless the water is soft, the noodles will end up bad. (Don’t ask me why. I don’t know.) So I always use water from the water filter.

People will soon be thanking Bush

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that despite President Bush’s low approval ratings, people will soon “start to thank this president for what he’s done.”

“So we can sit here and talk about the long record, but what I would say to you is that this president has faced tougher circumstances than perhaps at any time since the end of World War II, and he has delivered policies that are going to stand the test of time,” Rice said.

The secretary of state brushed off reports that suggest the United States’ image is suffering abroad. She praised the administration’s ability to change the conversation in the Middle East.

“This isn’t a popularity contest. I’m sorry, it isn’t. What the administration is responsible to do is to make good choices about Americans’ interests and values in the long run — not for today’s headlines, but for history’s judgment,” she said.

“And I am quite certain that when the final chapters are written and it’s clear that Saddam Hussein’s Iraq is gone in favor of an Iraq that is favorable to the future of the Middle East; when the history is written of a U.S.-China relationship that is better than it’s ever been; an India relationship that is deeper and better than it’s ever been; a relationship with Brazil and other countries of the left of Latin America, better than it’s ever been …

“When one looks at what we’ve been able to do in terms of changing the conversation in the Middle East about democracy and values, this administration will be judged well, and I’ll wait for history’s judgment and not today’s headlines.”

Asked by CBS’ Rita Braver why some former diplomats say Americans are disliked around the world, Rice said that’s “just not true.”

“I know what U.S. policy has achieved. And so I don’t know what diplomats you’re talking to, but look at the record,” she said.Rice said she wasn’t bothered by criticism about her or the administration’s polices, saying if a person in her business is not being criticized, “you’re not doing something right.”

“I’m here to make tough choices, and this president is here to make tough choices, and we have. And yes, I — there are some things that I would do very differently if I had it to do over again. You don’t have that luxury. You have to make the choices and take the positions that you do at the time,” she said.