Hand-shaped flat noodle pieces simmered in a warming broth with vegetables and yak or pork — the Tibetan-origin winter soup of Sikkim's Bhutia community.
Ingredients
For the noodle dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
Warm water — approximately 2/3 cup to make firm dough
For the broth and additions:
200g pork or yak meat — thinly sliced
1 small onion — thinly sliced
1 tsp ginger — grated
3 garlic cloves — minced
2 tomatoes — roughly chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp oil
4 cups water or stock
Salt to taste
Fresh spring onion and coriander to garnish
Method
Make the dough: combine flour and salt. Add warm water gradually and knead 8 minutes until smooth and firm. Cover and rest 20 minutes.
Cook 2 minutes. Add sliced meat. Brown 3 minutes. Add tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes. Add turmeric, red chilli powder and salt. Add 4 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to medium and simmer 15 minutes.
Shape the noodles (the distinctive thenthuk step): roll the dough into a thick rope about 2 cm diameter.
Pinch off a piece of dough about 2 cm long.
Flatten with your thumb against the work surface and pull it lengthwise — it should form a flat, irregular elongated noodle piece 5 to 7 cm long. Repeat with all the dough.
Drop the hand-shaped noodle pieces directly into the simmering broth one by one.
Cook on medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes until the noodles are cooked through — they should be completely soft with no raw dough inside.
Garnish with spring onion and coriander. Serve hot in deep bowls.