In a pan, heat 3 cups water and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring it to a boil.
Add 1 heaped cup macaroni or elbow macaroni (125 grams elbow macaroni).
Stir and bring to a medium high flame.
Cook the pasta until al dente–with a little tooth in it.
Drain the water and keep the macaroni aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan. Lower the flame. Add ½ teaspoon minced garlic or finely chopped garlic or 3 to 4 small garlic cloves, minced or finely chopped. You can also add ½ teaspoon ginger-garlic paste instead.
Sauté the garlic for two minutes. Next add ⅓ cup finely chopped onions (about 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped).
Mix well. begin to sauté onions on a medium-low flame stirring often. Sauté until they become translucent.
Then add 1 cup tightly packed finely chopped tomatoes.
Cover with a lid and cook tomatoes on a low to medium-low flame till they soften and become pulpy.
Now add all the spice powders one by one – ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder, ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder and ½ teaspoon cumin powder.
Now add 1.25 to 1.5 cups of mix vegetables. Also add ¼ cup green peas. You can add vegetables like carrots, green beans, cauliflower, capsicum, baby corn, broccoli, potatoes etc.
Season with salt.
Pour in one cup of water and mix everything together.
Cover with a lid. On a medium-low to medium flame simmer till the vegetables are cooked. In between do check and if the water has become less you can add some more water.
Next, add the cooked macaroni to the vegetables and gravy.
On a low to medium-low flame simmer for a few more minutes till all the water is absorbed. Stir at intervals. Lastly add 1 teaspoon mixed dry herbs – basil, thyme, oregano, parsley.
Mix again and add more seasoning if required.
Serve the macaroni pasta hot or warm.