Nepali Chicken Thukpa

📝 Ingredients

• 250 g dried wheat noodles
• 500 g chicken breast (about 3 fillets)
• 1 brown onion (about 100 g)
• 3 garlic cloves + 20 g fresh ginger
• 2 tomatoes (about 120 g each)
• 1 tsp ground cumin + 1 tsp garam masala + ½ tsp turmeric
• 2 carrots (about 100 g each)
• 200 g white cabbage
• 3 spring onions
• 2 chicken stock cubes + 1.5 l hot water
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 fresh red chilli (served on the side)

🍴 Utensils

• Large stockpot
• Saucepan
• Colander
• Chopping board
• Ladle

📖 Steps

1. Prepare all the ingredients before turning on the heat: slice the onion, chop the garlic, grate the peeled ginger, cut the carrots into thin half-moons, the cabbage into thin strips and the tomatoes into small dice. Slice the spring onions, keeping the white and green parts separate.
2. Cut the chicken into thin strips about 5 mm wide: the thinner they are, the more tender they stay. For easier slicing, put the fillets in the freezer for 15 minutes just before cutting.
3. Heat the oil in the casserole over a medium heat and fry the onion for 4 to 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic, ginger and the white parts of the spring onions, stir for 1 minute, then add the spices and stir for 30 seconds: they should smell fragrant without burning.
4. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, crushing them with the spoon, until they break down into a pulp. Pour in the hot water, crumble in the stock cubes, add the soy sauce and carrots, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add the chicken and cabbage to the broth and cook at a gentle simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, until the chicken is white all the way through and the cabbage tender but still slightly crunchy. Avoid a rolling boil, which dries out the meat.
6. Meanwhile, cook the noodles separately in a pan of boiling water for the time given on the packet (usually 3 to 5 minutes), then drain. Cooked separately, they don't cloud the broth or go too soft.
7. Taste the broth: the stock cubes and soy sauce are usually enough to season it. Divide the noodles between four large bowls, then ladle over the broth, chicken and vegetables. Sprinkle with the green parts of the spring onions.
8. Finely slice the chilli and serve it in a separate small dish: everyone adds as much as they like. Without chilli, thukpa stays mild and fragrant, ideal for children.