Vegetarian thukpa – Noodles in a spicy broth
A vegetarian thukpa – classic spicy broth from the North-East region loaded with noodles and veggies makes a complete healthy meal in a bowl
If you have read my post on momos, you know where this recipe comes from. Extremely popular in the North East region, this flavourful broth is a treat to your taste buds.
My sister who resides in Darjeeling informs me, thukpa’s origins can be found in Tibet and is in actuality a simple broth of trimmings of meat, veggies in water that has been boiled for hours. Thick handmade noodles are then dunked in this flavourful broth that is spiced only with salt. Simple and yet full of flavours, this comforting bowl has now undergone many variations.
A heavy adaptation of my sister’s thukpa, my recipe is tweaked with the addition of two relatively unknown ingredients, gundruk and sinki. Gundruk is a dry form of mustard greens that is fermented and preserved to be used in soups, pickles and jhol (a watery stew). Mustard greens or rayo saag as it is known locally is cleaned, pounded and then fermented in clay pots under the soil for 10-15 days. Once fermented, it is dried out in the sun till it dehydrates.
Sinki is the sour counterpart which is actually radish that has been cleaned, pounded, fermented and then dried. The fermentation helps with the preservation of vegetables so difficult to find in colder months and as they are full of good bacteria, it helps in fighting the infection as well.
Understanding that gundruk and sinki are not widely available, I have added radish and greens to the thukpa to replicate the flavours. I have given a base in my recipe but let it not stop you there as I find thukpa a forgiving and a customizable recipe. You can use whichever vegetable that is lying about in your fridge and greens of your choice. You can also strain the veggies before serving or leave it as is. Pick and choose your accompaniments too. Play around with the base and make it your own. Make it zesty, spicy and tangy and slurp your noodles with pure bliss.
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Vegetarian thukpa – Noodles in a spicy broth
Recipe Rating
AUTHOR
Hema B Kathrani
CUISINE
Indian
PREP TIME
15 minutes
COOK TIME
45 minutes
SERVINGS
serves 4
Author: Hema B Kathrani | Cuisine: Indian | Category: Healthy Options
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Servings: serves 4
A vegetarian thukpa – classic spicy broth from the North-East region loaded with noodles and veggies makes a complete healthy meal in a bowl
Ingredients
- For the soup:
- ¼ cup cabbage, shredded
- ¼ cup shredded radish * read notes
- ½ cup spinach chopped *read notes
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, grated
- ½ inch ginger, grated
- 2 large tomato, chopped
- ¼ cup coriander leaves with its roots
- 1 cube of vegetable stock
- 3 tbsp mustard oil *read notes
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp red chili powder
- Salt to taste
- For the accompaniments:
- 1 pack rice noodles
- ½ cup soya chunks
- Oil to fry
- For garnish: coriander leaves, green onions, lemon
Method
- For the soup:
- In a large pot, heat mustard oil till it starts smoking. It is important to bring the oil to a smoking point to achieve the best flavours.
- Carefully add the chopped onions, salt and sauté for 3-4 minutes
- Add grated ginger, garlic and chopped tomato and sauté till tomatoes turn slightly mushy.
- Combine cabbage, radish, spinach, coriander leaves with roots, turmeric powder, red chili powder and mix well.
- Cover the pot with a lid and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add vegetable stock cube and 2-3 liters of water.
- Bring it to a boil and then simmer on low for another 30 minutes.
- Adjust the seasoning.
- For the accompaniments:
- Cook the rice noodles as per the instructions on the packet.
- Drain and keep it aside.
- Soak the soya chunks in salted warm water for 15 minutes.
- Squeeze out the water and then fry in the oil till crispy.
- To serve:
- In a bowl, put noodles followed by the soya chunks, coriander leaves, green onions.
- Pour the spicy broth over the noodles until it is completely submerged.
- Squeeze a generous squirt of lemon and enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Use any greens of your choice for the broth. You can use mustard greens, moringa leaves, leaves of cauliflower or any other you prefer.
- Mustard oil gives a unique flavour profile to this soup; however, you can substitute it with any other oil.
- If you can find gundruk and sinki, soak 3 tbsp each in warm water for 5 minutes. Drain and add it to the soup base. You can skip the greens and radish and proceed as written.
- You can also add carrot, beans, cauliflower or any other vegetable of your choice to the soup base.
- Soya chunks tend to lose its crispiness as it sits. Do make it closer to the serving time to enjoy the crispy texture to the watery soup.
- You may need to adjust the water in the soup as per your requirement.
- Be generous with the garnish of corinader and lemon, it uplifts the broth tremendously.
- Add more water if needed to the boiling broth as per your requirement.
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