Thukpa is one among the popular noodle soups in India. Thukpa is actually a Tibetan Noodle Soup and according to Wiki, “It originated in the eastern part of Tibet. The dish became popular in Nepal, Bhutan, and the states of Sikkim, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India. It is also popular in the Ladakh region and the state of Himachal Pradesh.”
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Soups are an easy one-pot meal which are perfect for weekday dinner or lunch. With the onset of monsoon, here is a perfect soup recipe which is a complete meal on its own. As wiki says, there are numerous varieties of Thukpa. Wiki had the link to the recipe from show me the curry and also we found this and this recipe.
Basically, thukpa is a spicy noodle soup prepared with veggies or meat. As Vaandu loves soups, I wanted to try kids friendly version with less spice and also wanted to prepare it as a complete meal perfect for lunch box. I always love to play with soups. Even in this soup, instead of plain water, I used 1 cup of dal water. Soup is a perfect dish to sneak in veggies and some protein. So this is what I tried to make it kids friendly,
- I didn’t use any green chilies and also ginger. Instead of red chilly powder and green chilies, I used sweet chili sauce.
- Added 2 tsps of light sodium sauce for the additional flavor like in veg manchow soup.
- Added about ¼ tsp of garam masala and added about 1 tsp of cumin powder.
- I added the entire pack of noodles to make it semi-solid filling soup which makes it perfect for lunch boxes.
- As the tomatoes that I had in stock was bit sour, I didn’t add any. But 1 or 2 tomatoes would add more flavor.
Ingredients:
- Veggie Hakka Noodles – 1 packet (150gms / 5.3 oz packet)
- Chopped Onion – ¼ cup
- String Beans – 5 to 6
- Carrot – 1
- Chopped Cabbage – ¼ cup
- Spring onions – 2 + for garnishing
- Cilantro – 2 tbsps
- Sweet Chilli Sauce – 3 tbsps
- Garlic cloves – 2
- Soy Sauce – 2 tsps
- Vegetable broth – 4 cups
- Dal Water – 1 cup (Optional, regular water can be added instead)
- Oil – 2 tsps
- cumin powder – ½ tsp
- Garam Masala – ¼ tsp
- Salt – 1.5 tsps
Prep- work:
- Cook the noodles as per the instruction and set aside. Make sure the noodles are al-dente.
- Chop the vegetables and set aside.
Steps:
- Heat a wok or pan and add oil. (Basically wide pan)
- Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and garlic.
- Once the onion turns translucent, add the other chopped veggies (beans, carrots, cabbage, and green onions) and salt.
- Mix them well and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Now add garam masala, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce and mix well.
- Add the dal water and vegetable broth. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, add the chopped cilantro and mix well and simmer it again for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Finally, add the cooked noodles and cumin powder. Mix them well and let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Check for salt and spice at this stage and adjust accordingly. (Instead of adding chili sauce, pepper powder can be added)
That’s it. Turn off the heat and thukpa is ready. :-) Serve hot with green onion garnishings.
Notes:
- Any noodles variety can be used. Egg noodles, rice noodles, flat noodles can be used instead of the Hakka noodles.
- I went with store-bought vegetable broth. You can use home made or veggie cubes or any other favorite broth of your choice. To be honest, plain water is also sufficient for this recipe.
- Dal water is completely optional. I had a reserve of 1 cup dal water and instead of using it my rasam, I used it in the soup.
- Adjust the salt and spices according to your preference.
- If the soup thickens, (noodles will absorb all the water content) add more water, salt, and pepper powder and simmer it again before serving.
📖 Recipe
Thukpa | Vegetable Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- Veggie Hakka Noodles - 1 packet 150gms / 5.3 oz packet
- Chopped Onion - ¼ cup
- String Beans - 5 to 6
- Carrot - 1
- Chopped Cabbage - ¼ cup
- Spring onions - 2 + for garnishing
- Cilantro - 2 tbsps
- Sweet Chilli Sauce - 3 tbsps
- Garlic cloves - 2
- Soy Sauce - 2 tsps
- Vegetable broth - 4 cups
- Dal Water - 1 cup Optional, regular water can be added instead
- Oil - 2 tsps
- cumin powder - ½ tsp
- Garam Masala - ¼ tsp
- Salt - 1.5 tsps
Instructions
Prep- work
- Cook the noodles as per the instruction and set aside. Make sure the noodles are al-dente.
- Chop the vegetables and set aside.
Steps
- Heat a wok or pan and add oil. (Basically wide pan)
- Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and garlic.
- Once the onion turns translucent, add the other chopped veggies (beans, carrots, cabbage and green onions) and salt.
- Mix them well and cook for couple of minutes.
- Now add garam masala, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce and mix well.
- Add the dal water and vegetable broth. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, add the chopped cilantro and mix well and simmer it again for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Finally add the cooked noodles and cumin powder. Mix them well and let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Check for salt and spice at this stage and adjust accordingly. (Instead adding chili sauce, pepper powder can be added)
- That’s it. Turn off the heat and thukpa is ready. :-) Serve hot with green onion garnishing.
Notes
I went with store bought vegetable broth. You can use home made or veggie cubes or any other favorite broth of your choice. To be honest, plain water is also sufficient for this recipe.
Dal water is completely optional. I had a reserve of 1 cup dal water and instead of using it my rasam, I used it in soup.
Adjust the salt and spices according to your preference.
If the soup thickens, (noodles will absorb all the water content) add more water, salt and pepper powder and simmer it again before serving.
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Yay! Thanks for this recipe! I was looking for a vegetarian option for this soup so that my husband can also have it!
:-) Oh great.. Let me know how it turned out. Thanks R..
The soup is too sweet need to reduce the sweet chilli sauce!!
Thanks for the feedback. At that time as my son was not preferring spicy food I went with this measure and as I mentioned on the post I didn’t use green chilies and chili powder. I hope you try it again with your preferred spice measure. Thanks so much.
That is one veggie loaded soup Vidhya. So filling and delicious. Thank you for sending it over to Kid’s Delight event.
Thanks Pavani.. Glad you liked it.
I totally loved this soup when made it couple of years ago as part of Indian States mega BM. Your versions looks great!!
Thanks a lot Usha..
Such a filling and satisfying soup, who will say no to this soup.
:-) Yes. Thanks Priya.
I love this soup and your version looks amazing!!
Thanks a lot.
Thanks for a beautiful blog on my favourite dish ?
Thanks a lot and welcome here. :-)
This soup looks so delicious..
Thanks Swati and welcome here.
Great post Sri, Noodle soup looks delicious!
Thanks a lot pa.
Absolutely delicious and comfy bowl of noodle veggies goodness. Who would say NO to this yumminess? AWESOME share, Sricidhya! :)
Thanks a ton Anu :-)
You know what I love about this noodles soup… khake piyo; pikey khaoo (खाके पीयू, पिके खाओ )??
Delicious share dear vidhya.?
ha ha love that ad.. :-) Thankooo
Love that soup bowl. Recipe is so flavorful and YUM Sri :-)
Thanks :-)
would like to try this out soon…thanx for sharing it
Thanks Amrita.. :-)
Priya @asmallbite
Perfect soup for this climate here in Bangalore,love the clicks.
Thanks Priya.
Delicious noodle soup, I love to taste it.
Thanks Swathi. Come over here.. will prepare it again. :-)
Love any variety of soupy noodles :)
yup me too. Thanks
Love it stunning pics as well
http://www.mumbaitomelbourne.com/food-and-health-blog-posts/tortiglioni-in-salsa-di-pomodoro-e-basilico-tortiglioni-in-tomato-and-basil-sauce
Thanks :-)
I used to have thukpa when I was studying in Gangtok. This post makes me nostalgic. Will definitely make this at home. Thanks for sharing :)
Glad it bought back good old memories.. Please do try and thanks.