Arunachal Pradesh -- Thukpa (Vegetarian Noodle Soup)

Blogging Marathon# 39 - Indian States: Day 2
State: Arunachal Pradesh
Dish: Thukpa (Vegetarian Noodle Soup)

Arunachal Pradesh is in the North eastern part of India. It is one of the seven states from the north eastern India that are referred to as ' The Seven Sister States'. Arunachal Pradesh means the 'land of the dawn-lit mountains' or the 'land of the rising sun' as it is located in such a geographic position that the sun hits it before spreading its rays to the other states or regions of India.
Cuisine: Cuisine of Arunachal Pradesh varies by the region as there is a lot of tribal influence on their food. Each major tribe consists of number of sub-tribes and each sub-tribe has different food habits and life styles. The ethnic cuisine of Arunachal Pradesh is simple to cook with lots of nutrient values and is scrumptious to consume. Non-vegetarian is preferred and minimum spices are used making the dishes mild to taste.
Tribes: Apatanis, Chuki, Nishi, Monpa etc.
Staple Food/ Drink: Rice, Fish, Meat and Leafy vegetables/ Apang (Rice Beer)
Specialties: Thukpa, Dre-Thuk (prepared from noodles, minced meat and soup), Zan (preparation of millet or flour and boiling water), Bak-tza (prepared from flat rectangular shaped dough, minced meat and soup).

Today's Dish: Thukpa is a Tibetan noodle soup that inspired from the Chinese cuisine. It is quite popular in the north-eastern Indian states as well. This is a slightly modified version with few of my own additions to spice up the soup. As mentioned before spices are sparingly used in Arunachal Pradesh, but I added some to make it little more flavorful. So feel free to use whatever veggies you like and add/ omit spices as per your personal preferences.

I made this soup in the dead of winter when we had a snow storm and you can see the snow in the background in the below pic. It is a very hearty and comforting soup for chilly weather.

Recipe adapted: Asha @ Foodies Hope.

Ingredients: Serves 2

Noodles (I used thin spaghetti) - fistful
Green Onions - 6, chopped
Carrot - 1 small, sliced
Potato - 1 medium, chopped
Broccoli - 1 cup, florets
Spinach - 2cups, chopped
Ginger - 1" piece, grated
Garlic - 2 cloves, grated
Green chilies - 1~2, finely chopped
Vegetable Stock - 3~4 cups
Whole Spices (3 Cloves/ 3 Cardamom pods/ 3 Peppercorns) - optional
Turmeric - ½tsp
Ground Coriander - 1tsp
Red Chili powder - 1tsp
Soy sauce - 2tbsp
Salt & Pepper - to taste

Method:

• Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Heat 1tbsp mustard oil in a saucepan; add cloves, cardamom and peppercorns. Cook for 30 seconds. Add grated ginger, garlic, green onions and chilies. Cook till onions are tender.
• Next add carrots, potatoes and cook on medium flame until veggies are lightly browned around the edges. Add turmeric, red chili powder, ground coriander, salt and pepper. Mix well and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and add spinach. Simmer the soup until the veggies are tender.
• Add cooked noodles, soy sauce and cook till heated through. Garnish with chopped green onions and serve immediately.

Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 39.

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