Chicken thukpa: A quick and easy recipe

Our trip to Little Tibet Restaurant at Varkala had us craving and dreaming of a hot bowl of thukpa much, much after the visit. And that is clearly the mark of great food. So we decided to try recreating Chicken Thukpa at home, however possible.

Ingredients

(2 servings)

• Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp
• Chicken thighs (with skin preferable) - 4
• Mushrooms - 5 to 6
• Celery with leaves - 2 stalks
• Coriander seeds, partially crushed - 5 to 6
• Coriander leaves - a handful
• Onion - 1
• Carrot - 1
• Spring onions - 2
• Garlic - 6 cloves
• Ginger - 3 cm in length
• Noodles (egg noodles or any noodles of your choice)
• Water - 4 to 5 cups
• Pepper - ½ tsp

The measurements here need not be followed so stringently. The joy of making your own broth is its simplicity and how effortlessly it can be made. The measurements I have arrived at work for me.

Instructions

There are two ways to go about making the broth:

Method 1: The Easy Way

1. Put all your ingredients into a large pot and boil with enough water for about 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Let it simmer for another 1 hour.
3. Strain the broth; tear up the chicken into the clear broth and serve as mentioned below with noodles.

Method 2: The Flavourful Way

Step 1: Build the Base

1. Fire up your stove and into a large pot, pour vegetable oil.
2. Once it is hot enough, add in the chicken. Keep them long enough to brown on all sides.
3. Add in the mushrooms and celery, along with the coriander seeds and pepper.
4. Add in the onions, carrots, spring onions, ginger and garlic as well.
5. Sauté all of this till the mushrooms lose their water. The vegetables should appear soft and wilted at this point.

Step 2: Simmer the Broth

1. Add in your water, add in the coriander leaves, sufficient salt and bring to a boil.

2. Once boiled, put it on simmer and let it sit for a good 1 hour, allowing it enough time to slowly bring out all the flavours. Ideally, you are required to let it simmer for 2 hours and the more days it lasts in your fridge, the more the flavours intensify.
3. You’ll notice the kitchen is quiet except for the soft bubbling of the broth.

Step 3: Cook the Noodles

1. After the time is up, let the broth sit for 5 to 10 minutes, while you cook the noodles.
2. Boil a pot of water and add your noodles. Make sure to not overcook. We used egg noodles by Fruitoman’s or even Kim’s egg/veg noodles which cook pretty quickly, but you can use whatever kind of noodles you prefer.
3. Be careful as you salt the water, considering the broth is salted.

Step 4: Assemble

1. Sieve both the noodles and the broth.
2. Separate the chicken thighs and tear them apart from the bone. Add them to your broth.
3. The vegetables can be discarded if you wish. However, I like chopping up the mushrooms and carrots and adding them to the broth.

Step 5: Plate and Serve

1. Into a deep bowl, add in your cooked noodles and ladle out two (or more!) huge scoops of the broth onto this.
2. Make sure you have poured in enough chicken and veggies.
3. Garnish with coriander leaves and spring onions and serve with lime wedges and soy sauce on the side.

Tips

• Your first bite can be simply to taste the wonderful broth you’ve made. On your second bite, squeeze in some of that fresh lime juice; this takes the dish to a whole other level as the flavours are enhanced. Similarly, try a spoon with soy sauce as well. This way you’ll know how you like your thukpa.
• Both methods guarantee yummy flavours. Method 1 is so much simpler, however.
• Make sure to taste the broth and see that it is seasoned well. This recipe gets better the more you make it. And you’ll realise how easy it is to get a warm, flavourful homemade broth.