Thukpa
Thukpa is the noodle soup eaten in Tibet, Nepal and the Indian Himalayas — anywhere the evenings are cold. A light, spiced broth with ginger, garlic and cumin, full of vegetables, strips of chicken and wheat noodles. It is a cheap supper, ready in under an hour, and surprisingly light for something so filling. For a vegetarian version simply leave out the meat and add more vegetables — in Himalayan homes that is the everyday version anyway.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Preparation 15 min
- Flavour base 13 min
- Simmering 12 min
- Noodles 10 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneCut everything
Cut the chicken into thin strips, slice the onion, cut the carrot into matchsticks and shred the cabbage. Chop the ginger, garlic and chilli very finely.
Ingredients: 300 g chicken breast · 250 g thin wheat noodles · 2 tbsp rapeseed oil · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic · 15 g ginger, a 3 cm piece · 1 pcs green chilli · 300 g tomatoes · 1 pcs carrot · 150 g white cabbage · 100 g baby spinach · 1 tsp ground cumin · ½ tsp turmeric · 2 tbsp soy sauce · 1500 ml water or stock · 1 tsp salt · ½ bunch coriander
Ginger, garlic and chilli — the heart of this soup.Fry the aromatics
Heat the oil in a pot of at least 4 litres and fry the onion for 4 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and chilli and fry a minute until fragrant.
Ingredients: 300 g chicken breast · 250 g thin wheat noodles · 2 tbsp rapeseed oil · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic · 15 g ginger, a 3 cm piece · 1 pcs green chilli · 300 g tomatoes · 1 pcs carrot · 150 g white cabbage · 100 g baby spinach · 1 tsp ground cumin · ½ tsp turmeric · 2 tbsp soy sauce · 1500 ml water or stock · 1 tsp salt · ½ bunch coriander
Add spices and chicken
Stir in the cumin and turmeric, add the chicken strips and fry 3 minutes until the outside turns white.
Ingredients: 300 g chicken breast · 250 g thin wheat noodles · 2 tbsp rapeseed oil · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic · 15 g ginger, a 3 cm piece · 1 pcs green chilli · 300 g tomatoes · 1 pcs carrot · 150 g white cabbage · 100 g baby spinach · 1 tsp ground cumin · ½ tsp turmeric · 2 tbsp soy sauce · 1500 ml water or stock · 1 tsp salt · ½ bunch coriander
Add the vegetables
Add the carrot, cabbage and chopped tomatoes and fry 5 minutes, until the tomatoes break down.
Ingredients: 300 g chicken breast · 250 g thin wheat noodles · 2 tbsp rapeseed oil · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic · 15 g ginger, a 3 cm piece · 1 pcs green chilli · 300 g tomatoes · 1 pcs carrot · 150 g white cabbage · 100 g baby spinach · 1 tsp ground cumin · ½ tsp turmeric · 2 tbsp soy sauce · 1500 ml water or stock · 1 tsp salt · ½ bunch coriander
Frying the vegetables first builds flavour.Add the liquid
Pour in the water, add the soy sauce and salt. Bring to the boil and simmer covered for 8 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken white through. No longer — thin strips of breast dry out and go stringy.
Ingredients: 300 g chicken breast · 250 g thin wheat noodles · 2 tbsp rapeseed oil · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic · 15 g ginger, a 3 cm piece · 1 pcs green chilli · 300 g tomatoes · 1 pcs carrot · 150 g white cabbage · 100 g baby spinach · 1 tsp ground cumin · ½ tsp turmeric · 2 tbsp soy sauce · 1500 ml water or stock · 1 tsp salt · ½ bunch coriander
Cook the noodles
Cook the noodles separately in salted water as the packet says (usually 4–6 minutes) and drain. Cooking them in the soup makes the broth gluey.
Ingredients: 300 g chicken breast · 250 g thin wheat noodles · 2 tbsp rapeseed oil · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic · 15 g ginger, a 3 cm piece · 1 pcs green chilli · 300 g tomatoes · 1 pcs carrot · 150 g white cabbage · 100 g baby spinach · 1 tsp ground cumin · ½ tsp turmeric · 2 tbsp soy sauce · 1500 ml water or stock · 1 tsp salt · ½ bunch coriander
Noodles apart — the broth stays clean.Add the spinach
Drop the spinach into the soup and cook half a minute until wilted. Taste and adjust with salt or soy sauce.
Ingredients: 300 g chicken breast · 250 g thin wheat noodles · 2 tbsp rapeseed oil · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic · 15 g ginger, a 3 cm piece · 1 pcs green chilli · 300 g tomatoes · 1 pcs carrot · 150 g white cabbage · 100 g baby spinach · 1 tsp ground cumin · ½ tsp turmeric · 2 tbsp soy sauce · 1500 ml water or stock · 1 tsp salt · ½ bunch coriander
Serve
Divide the noodles between four bowls and ladle over the hot soup with its vegetables and chicken. Scatter with coriander.
Ingredients: 300 g chicken breast · 250 g thin wheat noodles · 2 tbsp rapeseed oil · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic · 15 g ginger, a 3 cm piece · 1 pcs green chilli · 300 g tomatoes · 1 pcs carrot · 150 g white cabbage · 100 g baby spinach · 1 tsp ground cumin · ½ tsp turmeric · 2 tbsp soy sauce · 1500 ml water or stock · 1 tsp salt · ½ bunch coriander
Before you start
Vegetarian version
Leave out the chicken and add 200 g of mushrooms and 200 g of diced tofu. A serving then comes to about 385 kcal.
Which noodles
The Himalayas use thin hand-pulled wheat noodles. Chinese wheat noodles, ramen noodles or even plain vermicelli all work.
Storage
Keep the soup and noodles separately in the fridge for up to 3 days — noodles left in broth soak it up and go soft. Reheat the soup to a boil and pour it over freshly warmed noodles.
