Can’t see why…

I tried Maggi goreng or fried instant noodles at a roadside mamak stall in Petaling Jaya a long time ago – my nephew and his housemate (my ex-student) who took me there were both single then. Now they are both happily married, with kids! No, I didn’t think it was great, nothing to shout about and I can’t see why it is so popular to this very day.

You can see it on the menu at most Malay food stalls in town and more often than not, if you look at what is in the cabinet, chances are you will see the Indonesian Mee Sedaap which is  a whole lot cheaper than Maggi, only RM2.90 for a pack of 5. I clicked the above link and watched the Indian guy cooking but there was no commentary so I had no idea what he added which did not look like much actually.

I may have fried my own before but the other day, I decided to do it again…

…with the made-in-Sibu Daddy Mee, curry flavour…

These were the ingredients that I used…

I cooked the noodles and drained well, mixed it with the seasoning in the sachet and tossed it well before putting it aside.

Next, I fried the chopped garlic in a bit of oil till golden brown before throwing in the prawns. Once cooked, I added the chopped long beans and stir-fried for a while before I put in the noodles. I added the taugeh (bean sprouts) and once I felt it had been fried enough, I dished everything out onto a plate…

…and served, garnished with a sprinkling of fried shallots and chopped daun sup (Chinese celery).

No, I still can’t see why people seem to like it so much. Despite my adding some prawns, I did not think it tasted great. For one thing, I should have used half of the seasoning in the sachet – it was VERY salty or maybe I should have added an egg or two. That could have brought the taste to a whole new level.

This Korean guy likes it both ways but personally, on my part, I would much sooner have it as a soup dish…

…and enjoy it a whole lot more. This Sibu brand is one of my favourites when it comes to instant noodles, curry flavour but these people seem to swear by the one from Maggi and that Korean guy enjoys it a lot as well – perhaps I should grab a pack from the shop one of these days and give it a try.