What is Thukpa?
An easy to prepare, one-pot dish, Tibetan thukpa is a popular noodle soup. The veg thukpa is a traditional soupy dish from the North-Eastern Cuisine related to Tibetan culture. The thukpa dish is prepared with noodles and classic vegetables like cabbage, bell pepper, carrots, tomatoes, spring onions, spinach in a soup base. The Indian variation of the thukpa soup makes use of a variety of spices like turmeric, coriander, cumin, and chilli powder, making the thukpa more delicious and pleasing to the Indian taste buds. The Thukpa is your go-to recipe when you are under the blue or just want an easy fix to warm you up on cold days.
Origin of Thukpa:
Traditionally, Tibetan thukpa is a noodle soup that originated in the eastern part of Tibet. The dish slowly became a staple in different regions of Bhutan and Nepal and migrated to the north-eastern and Himalayan parts of India too. The thukpa dish is now popular in Nepal, Sikkim, Nagaland, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Leh Ladakh parts of India. Due to its high nutritional value and versatility, the thukpa soup is gaining popularity in other Indian states too.
Thukpa Soup Recipe
The veg thukpa is a one-pot meal prepared with noodles and several vegetables in a soupy base. Easy to prepare, the thukpa recipe can be served as a main course for lunch or dinner. The thukpa ingredients are nutritionally rich, with vegetables and noodles providing a perfect balance of fibre and carbs while maintaining the taste. You can reduce or skip the spices to make the thukpa recipe kids friendly. You can alter the thukpa recipe as per your taste, using different variations of the thukpa veg soup. Add your choice of veggies and noodles, or make the thukpa with boiled rice or momos. The veg thukpa recipe can be altered to suit your taste buds.
Thukpa Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Noodles (100 gm)
Carrot (1 large, peeled and cut)
Onion (1, chopped)
Mushrooms (1 cup, sliced)
French Beans (1/2 cup, chopped)
Oil (1 tbsp.)
Garlic cloves (6-8)
Ginger paste (1/2 tsp)
Turmeric powder (1/2 tsp)
Coriander powder (1 tsp)
Cumin powder (1/2 tsp)
Soy sauce (1 tsp)
Vinegar (1 tsp)
Red Chilli powder (1/4 tsp)
Salt (as per taste)
Water/Vegetable stock (4-5 cups)
Fresh coriander (3 tbsp., chopped)
Thukpa Recipe
To get started with the veg thukpa recipe, assemble all the ingredients required for the soup.
2. Next, add some water to a pan and bring to boil. Add the wheat noodles and cook them until al dente. Take care not to overcook the noodles.
3. Drain out the noodles and save the water.
4. Place the noodles aside.
5. Now, in a large pan, heat some oil on medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until they become translucent and soft. Next, add some chopped garlic and stir fry for a few seconds.
6. Once you can smell the aroma, add the chopped tomatoes, and cook them on low heat until they turn soft and mushy. Also, add the spices and ginger at this stage.
7. Next, add French beans and cover the pan to let the beans cook for few minutes on low heat.
8. Take the lid off and add carrots and mushroom and stir fry on medium heat now.
9. To this, add the saved water from the noodles or vegetable stock and salt.
10. Once the soup starts to simmer gently, add the noodles into the boiling soup along with vinegar and soy sauce.
11. Continue boiling the thukpa for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add some freshly chopped coriander leaves.
12. The thukpa veg soup is ready to be served hot with some chilli sauce.
You can try making the noodles at home for a thukpa from scratch recipe. To prepare the wheat noodles, take some wheat flour in a mixing bowl and add a pinch of salt. Add some water and make a firm and soft dough. Cover the dough and rest it for 10 minutes. Knead the dough after 10 minutes and divide into 3 equal parts. Roll each dough into thin rounds. Cut stripes out of the round dough, and the noodles are done.
Serving ideas: You can pair the thukpa soup with delicious dishes from Chinese cuisine, like
Schezwan Noodles,
Chicken Hakka Noodles,
Chicken Fried Rice or Veg
Fried Rice. Other complementary dishes that go with the thukpa are
Manchow Soup and
Gobi Manchurian.
Tips for Making the Thukpa Soup:
When using ready-made vegetable stock, reduce the amount of salt as per your taste.
For a healthy version, you can also use dal water instead of plain water.
You can adjust the spices or skip a few if you want the thukpa to be less spicy.
Add your choices of vegetables, or you can also add some meat, chicken, or seafood to the soup.
You can substitute the wheat noodles with other noodles like rice noodles, Hakka noodles or flat noodles.
The soup thickens after a while as the noodles tend to absorb the water. Dilute the thukpa with some water, salt and pepper and simmer it or keep the consistency watery while cooking.
Garnish with some spring onions to get the flavour of the authentic thukpa soup.
Benefits of Thukpa:
The veg thukpa is a warm, nutrient-rich one-pot meal. Thanks to the healthy ingredients, the noodle soup is packed with some amazing health benefits.
Onions contain vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, and regular consumption of onions helps boost the digestive system.
Rich in phytochemicals and potassium, garlic boosts your immune system, helps fight cancer and promotes heart health.
The bell pepper rich in Vit. C and A, carrots rich in vitamin A and beta-carotene, cabbage rich in vitamin K and C and Mushrooms rich in vitamin B are some healthy vegetables used to prepare thukpa.
Coriander increases bone strength while also being rich in antioxidants that protect the eyes from damage.
The spices used in thukpa, like cumin, is a rich source of iron and helps in balancing blood sugar levels. Turmeric is another well know curcumin rich spice that has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Enjoy the hot, spicy thukpa guilt-free as the soupy dish is high in nutritional value, low in calorie and tastes great!