Malaysians Share Their Favourite Moments With MAGGI Noodles And Why It's Special To Them
"I remember sneaking into the kitchen in the middle of the night with my siblings to make MAGGI."
Published for MAGGI, 27 Aug 2021, 11:03 AM
1. "One thing I miss the most is going to the mamak stall and ordering a piping, hot bowl of MAGGI Kari"
"I do miss my occasional hangouts at mamak, watching football with my buddies. While most of them have MAGGI goreng, I usually go for MAGGI Kari sup. The feel is really different. Now, some nights, I will have my own 'MCO MAGGI Kari' after my family goes to bed.
"First I fry shallots, garlic, and two green cili padi for extra kick, then pour in the perencah and stir. Next, I add in a bowl of water and the MAGGI noodles.
"I like my noodles slightly harder, so I cook it for less than two minutes. The secret is adding in the egg and vegetables right before the noodles are ready, so the yolk is still runny, mmm!
"The whole process is relaxing for me, and it's sort of become my little guilty pleasure."
- Haikal
2. "Thinking back to the time we could go camping as a family and slurp down yummy wood-fire cooked MAGGI noodles... so syok!"
"Just last year, I remember being able to bring the kids to go camping by the riverside once every few weeks. We would set up our own campsite, gather our own wood, and prepare meals over a wood-fire grill.
"Waking up by the river, watching my kids jump into the water to swim, and cooking a hot meal out in the wild really brought me a lot of joy. Can't wait to go camping as a family again.
"One of the dishes my kids and I love eating while camping is MAGGI pucuk paku. The wood-fire gives it that extra smoky flavour, and the vegetables add a nice texture and aroma to the dish."
- Muhd Jais Abd Razak
3. "Whenever the five of us siblings gather at our parents home, we all wait for one thing... our ayah to prepare five packets of MAGGI"
"It's nothing fancy, but the way ayah puts his heart into cooking it, that's what makes this bowl of MAGGI Kari so special and meaningful. Even now that we're all grown up, eating ayah's MAGGI is still a highlight.
"He will saute the onions and perencah, add in water, then boil the MAGGI and egg. It seems like something so simple, yet the heart that goes into cooking this makes all the difference.
"Although MAGGI is an unassuming dish, but it's something that has brought our entire family together for years. Now, our family is growing bigger, and all the grandchildren have also learnt how to ask atuk to cook MAGGI Kari for them.
"I've improvised my own version when I cook it at home for the kids, with telur goyang, kuah kering, limau, and cili padi. But the kids all say that atuk cooks it the best, haha."
- Puteri Farah
4. "I remember buying mud crabs and udang galah at the pasar malam, and cooking this special MAGGI noodles for my parents"
"One of the nights, I was just planning to tapau satay from the nearby pasar malam, but I was in luck because I managed to get a good bargain. One mud crab and 15 udang galah for only RM17!
"On the way home, I stopped by the mart to grab some MAGGI Kari. That night, my parents and I were in for a special treat, as I masuk dapur to cook up this special MAGGI Ketam Udang Galah for the three of us.
"Wahhh... sedap giler. Plus, with the cooling rainy weather, I felt just so satisfied having this yummy dinner together with my family. Later in the week, I made another version using the leftover udang galah, quail egg, serunding, and MAGGI Tom Yam.
"Just with MAGGI jer, I am grateful."
- Rizal Yusoff
5. "I remember sneaking into the kitchen in the middle of the night with my siblings to make MAGGI"
"My first memory of cooking MAGGI was when my siblings and I would get out of our bedrooms and meet in the kitchen late at night. While our parents were fast asleep, we'd have so much fun making a bowl of MAGGI Kari together.
"Looking back, with the missing MAGGI packets and the smell of curry filling the house, our parents must have known what we were up to, haha.
"Nevertheless, MAGGI has been my go-to comfort snack all these years, and I always remember to pack some in my suitcase whenever I travel because it reminds me of home.
"Nowadays, I like experimenting with different ways to eat MAGGI, including MAGGI murtabak. It's pretty simple to make, just mix the cooked noodles with chopped onions, cilantro, egg, MAGGI Kari seasoning, and my favourite chilli crisp. Then, pan fry and top with cheese, sooo good!"
- @spebels_my on Instagram
6. "Back when we were in KK, we grow all kind of vegetables. We just pick what we want and add them directly into our MAGGI noodles."
"My family and I used to stay in KK, where we had our own little organic garden. It was so nice because we could easily cook up a delicious bowl of MAGGI noodles, featuring garden-to-table greens. Now that we stay in the big city, a part of me misses that whole experience.
"Our favourite flavour is always Kari or Asam Laksa, and the key to making a good bowl of MAGGI is not adding too much water. First, I like to tumis the onion with extra curry powder, before adding in the MAGGI powder. Then, my secret ingredient is a little bit of santan.
"Next, I'll add in the noodles, along with the fresh sayur, fish ball, fish cake, chillies, and chilli oil. That's how I cook my MAGGI Kari to make it extra sedap!"
- Masliza Maaris
7. "Malam kalo lapar, ambo suko make MAGGI Ohe Bujang Kelate denge sambal goreng budu"
Kelantanese dialect translation: "When I'm hungry at night, I like to eat my own Kelantanese Bachelor Style MAGGI Noodles with sambal goreng budu."
"If you haven't heard of it before, budu is a type of fermented anchovies sauce that's popular on the east coast. It's quite pungent, so you can't put too much of it.
"One thing my friends and I love to eat is MAGGI Kari with sambal goreng budu, which is a mixture of fish sambal, fried shallots, and budu paste. It can be added to both soup or goreng style, but I prefer it with dry MAGGI Kari.
"Firstly, cook the MAGGI noodles with just a little bit of water and the perencah. When it's done, add a small spoonful of sambal goreng budu (not too much as it can be quite salty), half a limau, and chopped chilli.
"Mix it well, and you'll have your MAGGI Ohe Bujang Kelate."
- Ibrahim
8. "The best feeling as a kid was playing under the gutter in the rain, then eating grandmother's special MAGGI soup right after"
"My brothers and I used to live with my grandparents in Kampung Mangkuk, Terengganu, while our parents worked in Kuala Lumpur. Growing up in the kampung, it was very carefree. We would go mandi sungai, play football, catch crickets, and more.
"When it rained, playing under the gutter was the highlight. Each time, my grandfather would advise us to let the rain water clean the gutter first before we play. Getting hit by gutter water was painful, but being the boys we were, the challenge was how long we could last standing under the gutter.
"When it was time to eat, my grandfather would make us go mandi. But what we looked forward to the most was the piping hot bowl of MAGGI my grandmother would prepare for us.
"She would make MAGGI Kari for my two older brothers, and MAGGI Ayam for me, since I couldn't take the heat. But, I suspect she added a bit of Kari powder to train me to eat spicy food.
"Nothing warms you up better than a hot soupy bowl of MAGGI noodles on a cold rainy day."
- Adrian
For 50 years, MAGGI noodles has been part and parcel of our lives. More than just a meal, MAGGI noodles has been something that brought us together and given us all kinds of fond memories.
To celebrate its 50th anniversary in Malaysia, the beloved brand is giving away RM449,000 in prizes with the MAGGI, Sah Malaysia! contest
From 1 to 30 September 2021, you can take part in the MAGGI, Sah Malaysia! campaign by sharing the fondest memories you have with MAGGI noodles or unique recipes that you've come up with.
As a reward for sharing, you could win a hamper, exclusive merchandise, and vouchers worth RM150.
But that's not all. There are even more prizes worth RM449,000 to be won at the national level and state level, with a grand prize of RM50,000, woohoo!
Here's how to participate through WhatsApp:
STEP 1: Buy MAGGI products worth RM5 and ensure purchase receipts are dated from 1 August to 30 September
STEP 2: Include your full name, MyKad number, and the state of your residential address on the original purchase receipts, and WhatsApp to 018-388 0131 or fill up the online form on the MAGGI website.
More info can be found on the MAGGI website.
To give back to the community, 50,000 meal kits will be donated to those in need
As part of the MAGGI Sah Malaysia Shop & Reward Contest, for every 10,000 contest entries, 1,000 meal kits will be donated to the less fortunate. As we've seen Malaysians rising to the occasion to do their part for charity, this contest serves as another avenue for Malaysians to give back to those in need.
Ultimately, the MAGGI brand wants to remind Malaysians that they are always there for you.
