Maggi Goreng (Fried Maggi Mee)

It's been a long while since the last time I frequented mamak stalls. They have all varieties of food to offer but I normally go for either a tosai or maggi goreng (without egg). I've one heard one of my friends remarked before that only fools would order maggi goreng because anyone can jolly well whip up this dish at home at a much cheaper cost. While this could be true,  I somehow feel it's lacking in a particular taste when I fried it myself at home. I cannot pinpoint out exactly what is lacking. Wok flavor perhaps? Anyway, I was frying this vegetarian maggi goreng the other night for my dinner and to be packed for my lunch to office the following day. It wasn't spectacular (I'm comparing to this certain mamak where I've ordered from them before) but it was more than edible for me. From a scale of 1 to 10, I would give a rating of 7. Maybe I should have added an egg, I don't know but it was meant to be a vegetarian dish right from the start. Here's what I did :

Ingredients :

2 packets of Maggi Mee Kari Letup (Maggi instant Noodle with curry flavor)

2 pieces of tofu (hard type)

6 cloves of garlic - chop

1 carrot - cut strips

cabbage/ mustard greens (sawi)

1 tomato - quartered

dark soy sauce

a little water

Method :

1. Heat oil and fry the tofu in low fire. When all sides turn brown, dish out and let it cool slightly before cutting into cubes.
2. In a pot, boil water to cook instant noodles. When water is boiled, turn fire off before you add in the instant noodles. It takes a short while for the noodles to soften. Drain the noodles before it is fully soften and run over with cold water. Drain and set aside (leaving a little water in the pot with noodles.
3. Heat oil and fry garlic till fragrant. Add in cabbage and stir fry for about 2-3 minutes before adding in carrot strips and tomato.
4. Stir a while before adding in the tofu. Right after that, toss in the half packet of curry powder seasoning (the sachet in the noodle pack) in it along with a little water. Do not add in all 2 packets of seasoning. Stir to mix evenly. Pour in the drain noodles follow with the dark soy sauce. Mix evenly and taste the noodles before adding in more curry seasoning. Go easy on the seasoning and add according to your preference. Add in a little water if need be.
5. Garnish with fried shallots,cut chillis and lime.