XiaoJunxian.com

PRELUDE

0500: Kanchanaburi, THAILAND. IT WAS THE LAST 2ND DAY, it’s been our 5th in a row. My team struggled to find a well vegetated area for our hideout. Upon reaching a safe and secure location, I delegated the tasks to be done. “Its time to rest”, I sighed,  after a long and tiring walk. Both hungry and tired, it is always nice to have something warm in the middle of the night. So we’ve decided to whip up something.

He went to pick up a few huge rocks and placed them in a circular shape. A solid fuel was then lid up and dropped in the centre of the rocks. His mess tin was then placed over the rocks and then he took out a packet of Maggie Noodles from his field pack. He began to cook, the way he think it should be done, the taste that he enjoyed most. After he was done, he offered me to taste.  It was nicely done, but I believe that the overall taste could be improved.

So how can you improve the taste of a packet of instant noodle with just 3 main ingredients ? Water, MSG and Noodles?

I took out my mess tin and placed over the “man-made stove” my buddy did. “How about I show you how it is done in my way?” I told him with a smile. He looked at me and gave me a thumb up.

The ART OF COOKING

My Art of Instant Noodles:

Start by boiling some water, about 1/2 a mess tin for 1 packet of noodle or 3/4 full if i’m cooking 2 packets of noodles together. The water level must be just nice where the noodles is able to be fully submerged when placed in o the water without breaking it into the mess tin. Wait for the water to boil. How do you define boiling then?. Due to the low but constant heat given out by the solid fuel, it may take 10-15 mins for the water to boil which is seen by the amount of water bubbles which should be covering approximately half of the surface area of the mess tin. Never expect to hear any “bubbling” sounds from the water as that would only happen if you are using your household stove instead of a solid fuel.

Once the water is boiled, ensure that the heat is sustainable and then placed the entire piece of noodle into the water. Why not break it? Breaking the noodles into bits and pieces will result in the noodle cooking at inconstant manner; meaning to say the smaller pieces will get cooked faster than the bigger pieces. Here comes the crucial part on how to make the noodles tangy. When the noodle is submerged, it will start to soften. Once the noodle is placed into the boiling water, start using a fork and spoon and slowly break apart the noodles according to the formation lines of the noodles. If you are using noodles from the brand Maggi, undercook the noodle at about 1 and 1/2 mins and stop the heat. Be cautious when using different brands of instant noodles as they have different thickness which results in different cooking times. For Example, the Korean Spicy Mushroom flavour from the brand “Xin”, takes slightly more than 4 mins to soften. Note that while the noodles are away from the heat, the hot water is still cooking the noodle.

At this point of time, remove the hot water immediately if consumed dry. Make sure that the water is not completely drained out as the MSG contents will absorb the water.

Points to Note. it is advisable to remove the water and cook a new bowl of soup for your noodles as there is a layer of wax used on the instant noodles. NEVER boil the MSG into the noodles when as it will cause chemical reactions with the contents of the MSG. For Best texture and quality, consumed the noodles within 10 minutes for soupy noodles as the noodles will absorb the soup content thus resulting the lost of tanginess of the noodles.

Here you have it, JX’s Art of Cooking instant noodle.

The Art of Cooking, “Pictorial Edition”

I’ve decided to do a pictorial edition of My Art of Cooking when I was cooking up some instant noodles for myself. I hope the pictures will give you a clearer illustration of how I cook my noodles. Enjoy!

 Start By Boiling Some Water. You can see some bubbles in this Picture but the water is not ready for your noodles yet.

 

 This Is Not How It Should Look Like! Look below.

 

This Is How Boiling Water Should Look Like! Many many bubbles!

 

 Next, Place The Noodles Into The Water. Make sure the noodles are completely submerged in the water in order for the noodles to cook evenly.

 

 The Crucial Part. Start using a fork and spoon and slowly break apart the noodles according to the formation lines of the noodles.

 

 If You Have Spread The Noodles Correctly, the noodles will look like this. The noodles are not cooked yet though. It is still hard and not soft yet.

 

 There You Have It! The noodles are now smooth and soft after about a minute or so.

 

 Give It A Boil For 30 Seconds To A Minute Or So.

 

 If You Are Consuming Soup, the soup level should be about this level. The amount of soup will determine whether the noodles will be under or over-flavoured.

 

 

 This Picture Shows A Dry Bowl Of Noodles

 

 Remember To Leave Some Soup In Your Dry Noodles. This is because the MSG will soak up the soup. Approximately about 5 tablespoon will do.

 

Anyway, I’ve Mixed Two Flavours For This Bowl Of Noodles. There you have it, The Art Of Cooking Instant Noodles.

 

****Thanks to my brother JunJie for taking photos while I’m cooking. =) 

Back to About XiaoJunxian