Vegan Thukpa- Tibetan Noodle Soup

Thukpa is a Tibetan noodle soup.  Basically, any soup or stew combined with noodles can be called Thukpa. Different versions of the Thukpa are also popular in North eastern Indian and Nepal. We are making Vegan Thukpa for this recipe.

Momos and Thukpa are the two Tibetan food items that are very popular in India.  In all my travels around India, I have had several bowls of steaming momos with spicy sauce ladled on top.  But I had never heard of Thukpa until my friend Paritosh told me about it.  Something about a warm bowl of soup with Asian and Indian flavors and noodles immediately caught my attention.  I started researching Thukpa online and this recipe is my vegan version of the Tibetan noodle soup- Thukpa. This Vegan Thukpa recipe has become a regular at our house and is my daughter’s favorite soup. If I forget to make it for a few weeks, she will gently remind me to make it for her.

It can be made gluten free if you use tamari in place of soy sauce and gluten free noodles or rice noodles.

Here are some important ingredients that go in the Vegan Thukpa:

Noodles: I have used regular thin spaghetti in this recipe.  You can make this dish gluten free by using Rice noodles or any or gluten free thin noodles.  Just make sure that the noodles are not over cooked.  When you pour hot soup on the noodles for serving, it will further cook the noodles and over cooked noodles don’t taste good!

Indian spices: I have used Indian spices like turmeric, red chili powder, ground coriander, cumin and garam masala in my version.  These spices are readily available at any Indian stores or even your local supermarkets.  But if you would not like to invest in 5 different bottles of spices, you can substitute all the spices with 1 tablespoon of curry powder. 

Vegetable Broth– It is important to use Vegetable broth or stock for this recipe.  I would not recommend substituting water for the Vegetable Broth as it would compromise on the taste of the final product.  You can use store bought or home-made vegetable broth. There are some really good pre-made vegetable broths on the market and I recommend this brand.

Cilantro– I have used both cilantro stalks and cilantro leaves in the recipe.  We do not realize but cilantro stalks have a lot of flavor in them.  It is just important to chop them finely and add them earlier on in the cooking process.  Chopped cilantro leaves are generally added towards the end of the cooking process. 

Soy sauce– I have used Light soy sauce in this recipe.  But you can substitute it with regular soy sauce, coconut aminos or tamari if gluten free.  You will just have to adjust the quantities accordingly. 

It is very important to taste the soup at the end after it comes to a boil.  Adjust with any additional spices, soy sauce and seasonings as you would like and make it flavorful!

If you like warm soups like the Vegan Thukpa, you may want to try this recipe also:

Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew

Thukpa- Tibetan Noodle Soup

Vegan Tibetan noodle soup with a flavorful broth

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Recipe by Divya Jhaveri

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Course: Soups

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 large Roma tomato, pureed

• 1 small carrot, cut thin in 1 inch long pieces

• 1/2 green pepper, cut thin in 1 inch long pieces

• 2 tablespoons cilantro stalks, finely chopped

• 2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage

• 1 tablespoon grated ginger

• 1 tablespoon grated garlic

• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce

• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari

• 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder

• 1/2 teaspoon Red chili powder

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 quart (4 cups) vegetable broth

• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

• 1 tablespoon any cooking oil (I use avocado oil)

• To serve

• 1/2 lb Thin Spaghtetti

• 1/4 cup Finely sliced green onions

• Lemon wedges

Method

• Cook the spaghetti al dente according to package directions, drain and set aside.
  
• In a large saucepan heat oil. Add pureed tomatoes, garlic and grated ginger and cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes.

  • 

• Add cut green peppers, carrots and cilantro stalks and cook for a minute.
• Add red chili powder, ground coriander, black pepper and cumin and turmeric, stir and cook for 1 minute.

  • 

• Add chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, thinly sliced cabbage, and vegetable stock. Increase the heat to medium- high and bring it to a boil. The cabbage should wilt. Boil for a minute and turn off the heat.

  • 

• Add garam masala, lemon juice and chopped cilantro. Taste and adjust salt and lemon as required.
• To serve:
• Put a handful of spaghetti at the bottom of a soup bowl. Pour 3-4 ladles of soup over. Garnish with green onions and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Recipe Video

Tips

• If you are cooking the noodles in advance, coat them with a bit of oil to avoid sticking.
• To make the recipe gluten free, use rice noodles or any thin gluten free noodles and tamari instead of soy sauce.