We caught up with Pimp My Noodles host Aaron Harvie to find out what’s so special about the world’s most popular budget meal.
Modest, noble, reliable; these are the kind of words that come to mind when we picture the instant noodle. It’s like the mate that never let’s us down, the mate that always has your back no matter what, through thick and thin. But what if your mate was covered in bacon? Or he/she sandwiched by grilled cheese? Would they be a better friend? The answer, simply, is yes. And that’s the philosophy behind brand new web-series Pimp My Noodles.
The show is the brainchild of former MasterChef contestant and cookbook author, Aaron Harvie, who walks us through crafting mouth-watering meals that are so easy you could cook with them your eyes shut (though this is not recommended). They’re perfect for impressing a lot with very little on hand and taste as good as they look – trust us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWAIR2C2PgA
If watching the expletive-laden episodes doesn’t get you running down to your local noodle dealer, you probably need to get your tastebuds checked. Episode one (The Heart Attack Sandwich) and two (Win Friends With Salad) are out now with episode three out next week and more on the way.
Head over to their website for full recipes and Facebook for news, and check out our interview with Pimp My Noodle host, Aaron Harvie below:
How did the idea for the show come about?
The initial idea came from a lunch I cooked for my wife. We had nothing in the house, so I grabbed some of the leftovers from the fridge and made a version of the dish featured in episode 3 called The Chicken or the Egg (instant noodles, green beans and leftover BBQ chicken fried in sambal with a six-minute egg). It was so damn tasty she remarked that I should make a show about it… So, I did.
What makes the humble noodle so good for pimpin’?
They’re cheap and everyone has a packet tucked away somewhere in their kitchen. But above all their just so easy to make. Literally anyone, I mean even a monkey can make instant noodles. Even if you can’t cook a piece of toast, you can boil water and drop in a cake of instant noodles (unless you forget to take them out of the packet… then it’s a disaster).
What’s the best noodle-based meal when you’re hungover?
Funny you ask that question. One of our upcoming episodes is called The Hangover Pancake, it’s an instant noodle breakfast I created for those mornings when your mouth tastes like the floor of a taxi and you could drink your body weight in water. It’s two pancakes filled with fried instant noodles, chorizo sausage and cabbage then topped with a mayo and BBQ sauce. I know it sounds questionable but it’s amazing when you’re hungover… I promise I did my research.
What is the gold standard instant noodle?
Nongshim, Paldo and Nissin (they produce the first instant noodles back in 1958) are all pretty good. But for me, it’s the variety of flavours that make them so damned interesting. You can get chicken nugget and fries flavour, green tea, abalone and oyster, chicken tortilla or even borscht. Hell, there’s even a Mi Goreng instant noodle flavoured vape.
What’s the one tip aspiring noodle pimpers need to know?
Be prepared to do something stupid and never overcook them. They’re called 2-minute noodles for a reason.
What sort of things are cooking up in the next episodes?
If you can think of it, we cook it. We make soups, we deep fry them, bake them into pastry and even make desserts. In an upcoming episode we even make an instant noodle carbonara!
