Do you remember the controversy over Maggi noodles that started some time back? Research revealed that it contained lead that can affect children’s brains. Many packets of Maggi were burnt, there was protest across the country, and Nestle also suffered a loss of billions of rupees. These noodles stopped appearing in stores, while packets of other varieties of noodles by other brands filled the market. Everyone knows how to make instant noodles. 

Many people also use vegetables in it, but do you know how these instant noodles are made in the factory? The production process of instant noodles has not changed since its invention. Most instant noodles are already steamed and fried. Yes, the noodles are 80% cooked before they even reach you. That’s why they get cooked in just two minutes. 

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Here is how you can do it at home:

  1. Sorting ingredients: The first step of making instant noodles is sorting the ingredients Wheat, rice and jowar etc., are ground to make the flour. This may be different according to different companies. 
  2. Kneading the dough: It is like kneading dough at home. Giant machines are used to knead the dough, and water is added. But here, hydration is taken care of because if the ratio of water and flour is disturbed by even 1%, the elasticity of the noodles will be lost. The exact process involves adding salt and kansui to the flour. Kansui is an alkaline solution containing sodium carbonate, making the noodles sticky and look good.
  3. The roll: The flour is mixed with salt, and the extensive machine roll also cuts it into the shape of noodles.
  4. Steam and fry: Now, instant noodles are dehydrated with preservatives to stay in the packet length. For this, they are steamed for some time and deep-fried with oil. Palm oil is used in most cases because of its high heat stability. This step is essential because instant noodles are considered unhealthy, as they contain fat content with decreased moisture content. Only a few brands make noodles using the air-dry process (non-fry process), but they are pretty expensive, significantly reducing their fat content.
  5. Packing: After this, the noodles are cut and packed, and a machine does all the work, from cutting and rolling to adding them to the test maker packet. They are considered unhealthy because instant noodles have many added fats, chemicals, MSG (monosodium glutamate), and flavour enhancers.

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