Hey macaroni!

“Exhale Negativity. Inhale Macaroni.”

While most people might have grown up on Mac n Cheese, I grew up on this – Curry Macaroni, a desi version of the delicious dish. Much as the original has oodles of melting cheese, so does this have a punch of perfumed Indian spices that play a melody on your taste buds.

It might have been more than a decade since I first had it when we all were tinkering around the kitchen, but it is still one of my favorite comfort foods. A steaming bowl of this pasta eaten behind the warmth of a blanket, watching reassuring sitcom reruns is just what I always need after a long week and what may seem like an even longer day.

But most of all, this is where I was introduced to fusion food and the fact that how two seemingly different cultures can come together to make something even more special.

RECIPE
Feeds 4 hungry people

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 medium size bay leaf
• 1 cup onion (2 medium size), finely chopped
• 1 cup tomato (2 medium size), finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon oil (any neutral or vegetable variety)
• 1 ½ tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon pepper powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
• 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon red chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Cooking Pasta

• 400g of dried macaroni
• 2 liters of water, boiling
• 1 tablespoon salt

METHOD

1. Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain while reserving some of the starchy water for the sauce.
2. In a large pan, heat a tablespoon of oil and butter, along with ginger-garlic paste, bay leaf, chopped onion and tomato for a couple of minutes.
3. Then add in all the powers – coriander, turmeric, red chili, garam masala, pepper – along with salt and sugar. Fry until the spices are fragrant and the mixture releases oil at the sides.
4. Add in the drained pasta along with the pasta water. Stir to thoroughly combine.
5. Lastly, add in the ketchup, oregano, and chili flakes. Top with the remaining butter.
6. Enjoy hot or cold, plucked from the fridge as a midnight binge!

ADDITIONAL NOTES

1. You can replace the butter with 1 tablespoon of oil and use eggless macaroni to make it vegan.
2. In a pinch, you can roughly chop and add the tomatoes, onion, ginger, and garlic to a blender and add in one go to the pan.
3. Tomato paste can also be used instead of ketchup.
4. Any type of pepper powder as per preference can be used.