It has been quite a while since I touched Maggi noodles, so when I saw these Maggi Classic Masala Noodles in my local Grocery Outlet (along with a couple other flavors that I’ll get to eventually), I thought it was high time to revisit the brand. Now, just as before, this comes with the standard warning: Maggi is owned by Nestle, and Nestle has done enough terrible things to warrant a #fucknestle hashtag on social media, so you are well within your rights to not want to support the company. Having purchased these from an outlet store, the minimum amount of money possible was exchanged between me and Nestle for the purposes of this review. With all that said up front, read on for the review.
The Verdict:
| Product: | Maggi Classic Masala Noodles |
| Origin: | India (Export to the USA) |
| Noodle Quality: | 7/10 |
| Spice Level: | 2.5/10 |
| Overall Score: | 7.5/10 |
The noodles in here are not the same ones found in the 2-Minute Masala Noodles I reviewed before, as these take three minutes to cook, however based on my reading of the ingredients, the sauce/gravy/seasoning appears to be basically the same as in that product, just in a slightly different order of prominence. This product appears to be part of a larger push by Nestle/Maggi to get Maggi in more than just specialty stores in the USA, since the two other products in new packaging that came out alongside this are also being sold in some Walmarts. In my area, I could not find Maggi noodles for the life of me for years, and now these are available in places like Walmart and Grocery Outlet, go figure. These were $0.50 each at Grocery Outlet, or available in a 4-pack for $1.99, and you can find them in Walmart for $3.97 for a 4-pack if your local Grocery Outlet doesn’t have them.
Inside the pack, we’ve got a block of these new “ramen” noodles (their word on the ingredients label, not mine), which are made from wheat flour, vegetable oil, and various salts and preservatives. The seasoning packet contains sugar, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, red bell pepper powder, and spices like chili, cumin, coriander, and turmeric. Sodium for a single pack is a very reasonable 760mg for a 3.1oz. serving.
Noodles:
A bit better than the 2-minute noodles for sure. They don’t have the brittle quality I remember from that pack for starters, and in fact they came out with a pretty nice chew despite them still being on the thinner side. Still, it didn’t take them long to get soft despite there only being a bit of gravy left after the cooking process, so I have to dock a little bit there. But really, not bad at all.
- 7/10
Spiciness:
The packaging says “Mild” and shows one chili pepper for the spice level, but this will get your attention if you’re spice averse. The chili is included in the single seasoning packet, so there’s no way to adjust the heat if you want something truly mild. It is otherwise just a bit of a tingle for someone who can tolerate something like Buldak.
- 2.5/10
Overall:
It has been about two and a half years since I last had the 2-minute noodles, so I can’t remember if this gravy/sauce tastes exactly like the one in that pack did, but something about this one struck me as just more satisfying this time around. Maybe the slightly thicker gauge of the noodles helped, or maybe the recipe is a bit of a tweak despite the nearly identical ingredients, but I found myself enjoying this pack more than I remember enjoying the 2-minute noodle pack. The usual suspects in the spice blend are there: cumin, coriander, turmeric, and chili pepper, coming together with an appropriate amount of salt and some garlic in the background. I appreciate this spice blend because it’s earthy and savory without being sweet – if there are any other typically sweeter masala spices hiding in here like cinnamon or fenugreek, I didn’t detect them. The gravy gets reasonably thick after cooking and coats the noodles very well. For a 50 cent pack of noodles, this was a flavorful and savory winner.
- 7.5/10
Continuing the Journey
- For a spicier curry noodle from South Korea, be sure to check out Samyang Buldak Curry Ramen.
- The Red Curry bowl from Trader Joe’s Thai Noodle Bowls is another decent curry option if you’re looking for something with a Thai flavor profile.
