WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27 , 2021. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ EE E3
found all the reassurance I
needed that the long journey
had been worth it,” Chauhan
writes. “When I lived in New
York Cit y, where the winters
can be brutal, there was
nothing my husband, Vivek,
and I loved more than tucking
into a bowl of this Guwahati
comfort food.”
Besides chicken and rice
noodles, thukpa is fragrant
with garlic, ginger, green chiles
and cumin seeds. Carrots, bell
peppers, green beans, and
cabbage fortify it and give it
lots of color. It can look as
bright as a rainbow in a bowl.
Keep it in mind this winter, or
whenever you need a bowl of
something cozy and warming.
[email protected]This is from our Eat Voraciously
newsletter, which delivers a quick
dinner recipe four days a week,
Monday through Thursday. Sign up
at http://wapo.st/evnewsletter.Thukpa
6 to 8 servings (makes 12 cups)
“Thukpa is essentially the chicken noodle soup of Tibet,” Maneet
Chauhan writes in “Chaat,” her book of recipes from markets and
kitchens across India, “but with a fiery twist.” The heat comes from
ginger and serrano chiles; use fewer if you’d like a milder broth. Peeling
the dry skin off ginger root with a spoon preserves more of its flesh and
allows you to get into the nooks, but you can also use a peeler or paring
knife. Fragrant and thick with vegetables and noodles, the soup can be
made without meat, too.
Active time: 30 mins; Total time: 45 mins
MAKE AHEAD: The tomato-ginger-chile base may be made up to
2 days in advance.
Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. The noodles will
absorb much of the broth after a few days. The soup, without noodles,
can be frozen for 2 months.
Adapted from “Chaat: Recipes from the Kitchens, Markets, and
Railways of India” by Maneet Chauhan and Jody Eddy (Clarkson Potter,
2020).Ingredients
l2 medium tomatoes (10
ounces total), roughly
chopped
lOne (1-inch) piece fresh
ginger, peeled
l4 cloves garlicl2 to 3 serrano chiles, stemmed
l2 tablespoons vegetable oil or
another neutral oil
l2 teaspoons cumin seeds
l1 pound boneless, skinless
chicken thighs
l2 qua rts low-sodium chickenstock
l2 red bell peppers, seeded and
coarsely chopped
l1 large carrot (6 ounces),
scrubbed and coarsely
chopped
l1 cup (5 ounces) coarsely
chopped green beans
l1 cup (3 ounces) shredded
green cabbage
l6 ounces thin rice noodles or
spagh ettini
lJuice of 1 larg e lem on (3 to 4
tablespoons)
lSalt
lSliced scallions and fresh
cilantro sprigs, for garnishSteps
lIn a f ood processor, combine
the tomatoes, ginger, garlic,
serranos, oil and cumin seeds
and process until smooth.
Transfer the puree to a l arge,
lidded heavy-bottomed pot or
Dutch oven set over medium-
high he at, add the chicken and
cook, stirring occasionally,u ntil aromatic, 3 to 4 m inutes.
Add the stock, increase the
heat to high and bring to a boil.
lReduce the heat to medium
and add the bell peppers, car-
rot, beans and cabbage. Cover
the pot half way and simmer
until the vegetables are tender
and the chicken is cooked
through, 20 to 25 minutes.
lAdd the noodles and lemon
juice and simmer until the
noodles are tender, 4 to 6 m in-
utes. Taste the broth and sea-
son with salt. Using your spoon
or two forks, tear the chicken
up into smaller pieces, if
d esired.
lSpoon the thukpa into bowls,
garnish with scallions and
c ilantro and serve very hot.
Nutrition | Per serving (2 cups, based on 6):
220 calories, 14 g protein, 26 g
carbohydrates, 6 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 47
mg cholesterol, 262 mg sodium, 3 g
dietary fiber, 4 g sugar
Recipe tested by G. Daniela Galarza and
Jim Webster; email questions to
[email protected]“I didn ’t know I
needed the
Himalayan
chicken noodle
soup thukpa in
my life until I
arrived at the
Guwahati
Junction railway
station, India’s
first train station
to be entirely
powered by solar electricity, in
the remote northeastern state
of Assam,” the Nashville-based
chef Maneet Chauhan writes in
her glorious cookbook “Chaat:
Recipes From the Kitchens,
Markets, and Railways of
India.”
Exhausted after traveling by
rail for thousands of miles,
through the snowy mountains
of Tibet and Bhutan, Chauhan
remembers how a steaming
bowl of thukpa — “ essentially
the chicken noodle soup of
Tibet” — w armed her frigid
fingers and revived her spirit.
Assam is best known for its
tea trade, but its food is an
intriguing mélange, thanks to
its unique geography and long
histor y. Situated beneath
Bhutan and above Bangladesh,
Assam has welcomed pilgrims
seeking refuge in its ancient
Hindu temples for centuries.
Located on the Brahmaputra
River, Guwahati is its largest
city, and the oldest city in
northeastern India, having
survived 17 invasions by the
Mughals over many centuries.
Today, the food of Assam is
heavily influenced by Nepalese,
Bhutanese, Burmese and
Tibetan cooking traditions.
Thukpa, which is originally
from eastern Tibet, was
adopted into northeastern
Indian cuisine after the
Chinese occupation of Tibet in
the 1950s. Thousands of
Tibetan refugees settled in
Assam and started adapting
their cuisine to local tastes and
customs. Weary tr avelers like
Chauhan often discover this
soup in railway stations, where
it’s kept simmering in large
pots and served in metal bowls.
In restaurants in Guwahati,
it’s often served with a fork, for
pulling out the noodles and
vegetables, and a large soup
spoon, for sipping the broth.
“In that single bowl of soup I
G. Daniela
Galarza
EAT
VORACIOUSLY
Wherever in the world you find yourself, there’s comfort in a bowl of chicken soup
REY LOPEZ FOR THE WASHINGTON POST; FOOD STYLING BY LISA CHERKASKY FOR THE WASHINGTON POSTFREEESTIMATESCall Now! 87 7-445-LONGLongRoofing.comFor over7decades, Long has been helpinghomeowners bring quality and beauty to theirhomes. Protect your home and family today!ie DePaola,GenerationLicensed, Bonded, Insured. MHIC 51346, VA 2705048183A, DC 67006785. Expires 12/1/21. Valid initial visit only. Min. purchase required. Cannot be combined
with other offers. Subject to credit approval. Interest is billed during the promotional period but all interest is waived if the purchase amount is paid in full within 12 months. There are no required minimum
monthly payments during the promotional period. Financing for GreenSky consumer loan programs is provided by federally insured, equal opportunity lender banks. NMLS #1416362WINDOWS g DOORS g BATHSKati4 thYoucan trust us to replace your roofthe right way – TheLong Way!FOR1YEAR!PAYMENTSNO INTEREST
Evenatiny leak in yourroof can causethousands of dollarsin structural damageand create hazardous mold! Youdon’twant this in yourhome!