Comforting Macaroni, My Mom’s Way

We’ve been sitting on this blog idea for months now or has it been a year…I can’t say! All I know is there’s nothing better than joining together two things I enjoy, eating ( also cooking) and writing about it. So here goes to a new beginning and hopefully a successful one :)
Did you ever freeze macaroni?

My mom was visiting us a few weeks ago and she cooked some mouth watering macaroni, my favourite way- mom’s way. I had to travel with her to visit my brother across the border in Canada and my husband couldn’t take the zing in the mac, so I ended up freezing the leftover. And voila, a week later it tasted fresh and fiery after being defrosted in the microwave. So to start I am going to share the recipe that my mother uses to cook macaroni, which is delicious and really simple.

Here is how this tangy home-style Macaroni is made!

Ingredients

• Packet of macaroni, two if you like. For three people we used about 500 gms.
• Tomatoes, 5-6, diced in cubes.
• Green chillies, 2-3, finely chopped; remember we are doing it indian style!
• Garlic, 5-6 cloves, you can add as many as you like, for me the more the merrier. I would recommend grating it to release all the flavour or you can crush it and then chop it finely.
• Onions, 2 large ones, chopped, not too fine.
• Keep some ketchup handy or if you prefer tomato puree that works well.
• Salt to taste.
• Pepper to taste.
• Red chilly powder. (optional)
• Amul cheese, quarter tin, grated. If you prefer some other cheese feel free to use it. Parmesan will be splendid.
• Green peppers (capsicum) 1-2, sliced lengthwise quarter of an inch thick.
• Carrots (optional) 2-3, depending on the size, grated, thick.
• Cooking oil- olive, canola or whichever you favor.

Process

Fill a pot of water 3/4th of the way and put on the stove for boiling. To it add about two teaspoons of salt and a tablespoon of oil.

While it is heating up, put a wok or a large pan on the stove. To it add about 5-6 tablespoons of oil. Let it heat up for a few minutes and then add the grated garlic to it. If the oil is too hot, garlic will burn, so sometimes it good to add it right away.

Once the garlic starts browning, add the onions and green chillies to it. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the onions, this helps cook them faster. When the onions have finished sweating and are light brown, throw in the tomatoes. Cook them well. This is all the spice that it really needs but to add a kick put it the red chilly powder.

Pay attention to the water, once it’s boiling throw in the macaroni. Cook covered for about ten minutes or until tender. Drain and run cold water through it to stop the cooking process.

Returning to the sauce, if the tomatoes are cooked such that they are squishy and easy to mash, then add the pepper( capsicum) and carrots. Cook them for a few minutes.

At this point you can add about a quarter cup of ketchup to the sauce or tomato puree. This helps add a little texture to the sauce and ensures that it will coat the macaroni evenly.

After this throw in half the grated cheese and let it melt into the sauce. Now, add the drained and cooled macaroni to the sauce. Mix well. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the macaroni, cover it and keep it on simmer for a few minutes before serving.

What are you waiting for, dig in to yumminess!

A delicious, tangy, Indian style comforting Macaroni is ready!

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Spicy Indian Macaroni – My Mom’s Way!

A home style tangy Macaroni recipe loaded with tomatoes, cheese and assorted vegetables the way my mother used to make. This is our take on Indi-Italian! Make it.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: dinner, entree, lunch

Cuisine: Indian, Indo Italian, Italian

Keyword: macaroni, pasta

Servings: 4 people

Author: Kanika Samra

Ingredients

• 500 gms Macaroni pasta
• 5-6 Tomatoes diced
• 2-3 Green chillies finely chopped
• 5-6 Garlic cloves smashed, peeled, chopped
• 2 Onions, large roughly chopped
• Ketchup for serving
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Red chilli powder to taste, optional
• Grated cheese any, as much as you like
• 1 or 2 Green bell pepper sliced
• 2-3 Carrots grated, thick
• 2-3 tbsp Cooking oil

Instructions

• Fill a pot of water 3/4th of the way and put on the stove for boiling. To it add about two teaspoons of salt and a tablespoon of oil.
• While it is heating up, put a wok or a large pan on the stove. To it add about 5-6 tablespoons of oil. Let it heat up for a few minutes and then add the grated garlic to it. If the oil is too hot, garlic will burn, so sometimes it good to add it right away.
• Once the garlic starts browning, add the onions and green chillies to it. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the onions, this helps cook them faster. When the onions have finished sweating and are light brown, throw in the tomatoes. Cook them well. This is all the spice that it really needs but to add a kick put it the red chilly powder.
• Pay attention to the water, once it’s boiling throw in the macaroni. Cook covered for about ten minutes or until tender. Drain and run cold water through it to stop the cooking process.
• Returning to the sauce, if the tomatoes are cooked such that they are squishy and easy to mash, then add the pepper( capsicum) and carrots. Cook them for a few minutes.
• At this point you can add about a quarter cup of ketchup to the sauce or tomato puree. This helps add a little texture to the sauce and ensures that it will coat the macaroni evenly.
• After this throw in half the grated cheese and let it melt into the sauce. Now, add the drained and cooled macaroni to the sauce. Mix well. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the macaroni, cover it and keep it on simmer for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

1. For three people we used about 500 gms.
2. Parmesan will be splendid in this!

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