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 with a fork.Begin to cook macaroni on medium to medium-high flame.

Cook macaroni till they are al dente – meaning they should have a slight bite to them.Drain all the water and keep cooked 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 till the garlic is light brown or till its raw aroma goes away.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 oftensaute till the onions become translucent.

Then add 1 cup tightly packed finely chopped tomatoes.Mix well.

Cover the pan with lid. In between do check when cooking tomatoes.

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.

Mix and sauté the spice powders for some seconds till you get a nice aroma from the spice powders.

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. Add veggies of your choice. I added baby corn, carrots, green beans, potatoes, capsicum and green peas.

Season with salt as per taste. Mix very well.

Pour 1 cup of water.Mix again and cover the pan with 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.

Once the vegetables are cooked and tender, add the cooked macaroni. some gravy or curry or sauce will be there when you add the pasta.

Mix well. 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. You can add dried herbs of your choice or Italian herbs or Italian seasoning or even fresh herbs.Mix again. check the seasonings and add more salt or herbs if required.

Serve macaroni pasta hot or warm. you can top with some grated cheddar or vegetarian parmesan cheese or cream before serving. Garnish the pasta with some finely chopped coriander leaves or parsley or any fresh herb of your choice before serving. You can even sprinkle some chili flakes on macaroni pasta before eating.