I was so zoned since such long. Work pressure was such, that I didn’t get time to sleep even for 6 hours a day and though the blog alongwith many brilliant ideas did swim around in the head, I couldn’t really bring myself to find the time and patience to sit, arrange and put it down onto the blog. Have you ever had such a phase? Like when you felt that if breathing would have required dedicated 5 minutes a day separately, you would have been dead! Yes, that. What I know now is that it takes a lot of systematic planning for a blogger and commitment too, to be called a blogger in the first place. I am still learning. Thanks for sticking around.
Anyway, off-season at work is creeping in and I hope to have enough time to do all that I love and all that requires my commitment per se. Yes, it’s that time of the year when it’s not that cold that you turn off the fan and when the fan is on, you still feel the chill. Fall, did anyone say? Yeah well if you could call that in India. Anyway, I love winters and this time is like the letter announcing the arrival of Grandma. The Grandma who brings warm cookies and warmer knitted sweaters for you when she comes. My didu (naani/maternal grandmother) does, right before the onset of winters. *bliss* Today was that kind of a Sunday when I felt like snuggling into my bed, reading a happy book whilst eating a hot bowl of thukpa. And that is precisely what I did. And for you my lovely readers I have jotted down how to concoct up the easiest, tastiest, hottest bowl of thukpa ever!
You know what thukpa is, right? If not, then you are missing out on a great option for comfort food; reminds me of mountains and wooden cottages. If you are a fan of hot, spicy noodles and if you love your soups and veggies, you’ll positively love this bowl of wholesome goodness, I promise! The thukpa originated in Tibet but has become popular in Nepal, Bhutan and also in the states of Assam, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh, also in the Ladakh region with slight variations everywhere. The one I make is the Indian style Thukpa with everyday spices from the Indian kitchen. It is inspired by the various thukpas had during my stay in Nepal, my maternal place that is Arunachal Pradesh and also a specific thukpa I have had at a popular Tibetan joint here in Kolkata during my graduation days.
So, here’s a list of the ingredients you will need for 1 portion:
Chicken (shredded and soaked in lemon juice overnight)- 100 gms
Onion (sliced)- 1 medium
Rice bran Oil (or your choice of any refined oil)- 2 tsp
Garlic (chopped)- 3 cloves
Turmeric powder– 1 pinch (optional)
Cabbage (shredded)- 1/2 cup
Carrot (juliennes)- 1/4 Cup
Green chilli (sliced from tip to base)- 3 [I add more]
Capsicum (juliennes)- 1 pc
Soya Sauce– 1/2 tsp
MSG– 1 Pinch (only if you want to, otherwise it’s still delicious) (by the way, it’s just an amino acid which is naturally present in tomatoes!)
Red chilli powder– 1 Tsp [or more if you want it hotter still]
Salt to taste
Green chilli sauce- 1/2 tsp
Chicken stock (or vegetable stock)- 1 Cup
Lemon juice– 1 Lemon [I add a little extra for the zing!]
Coriander (chopped)- optional
Spring onions (chopped)- 1 tbsp
Egg– 1
Noodles (boiled al dente)- 1/2 Cup [be careful with this step, too much and there will be no bite to the dish, too less and all you will do is bite]
Let us cook it up:
1. Heat 2 tsps of oil in a wok (kadhai). When hot, add chopped garlic, onion slices and saute it for a minute or so.
2. Now add the lemon-soaked chicken, mix and stir-cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add turmeric, cabbage, carrot, green chilli, capsicum mix it well.
4. Add in soya sauce, MSG, red chilli powder, salt, green chilli sauce, chicken stock and squeeze in the lemons.
5. Add seasoning to taste. Finally add chopped coriander, spring onions and also add one egg cook this for 2 minutes.
To serve:
Put some noodles in a bowl, pour the hot soup on the top. Serve it hot!
There’s a hot chilli chutney that is usually served in Arunachal Pradesh with the Thukpa which I yet haven’t been able to concoct to perfection but as soon as I do, you will get to know! Till then, enjoy this hot bowl of easy-to-cook Thukpa with lots of warm love from my end! Muah! Much Love.
Finicky lady next door 