One-pot Veg Thukpa for cold evenings

Thukpa comes from the hills of Ladakh, Sikkim and Nepal, where a bowl of hot noodle soup is how every cold day ends. It sits halfway between an Indian and an East Asian kitchen, which makes it very easy to cook in Japan.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tomato, chopped
• ¼ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp cumin powder, ½ tsp garam masala
• 2 cups mixed vegetables: carrot, cabbage, beans, mushrooms
• 5 cups water or vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp green chilli sauce, plus more to serve
• 250 g wheat noodles (fresh ramen or udon), or Maggi atta noodles
• A handful of spinach, spring onions, black pepper, lemon

Method

1. Soften the aromatics

   Heat the oil and fry the onion until soft, then add the ginger-garlic paste for a minute.

2. Add tomato and spices

   Add the tomato, turmeric, cumin and garam masala, and cook until the tomato breaks down.

3. Make the broth

   Add the vegetables (hardest first), the water, soy sauce, chilli sauce and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Cook the noodles

   Add the noodles straight to the pot and cook according to the packet. Stir in the spinach for the last minute.

5. Serve

   Ladle into deep bowls, top with spring onions, black pepper and lemon, and pass round extra chilli sauce.

Make it heartier

Add cubes of tofu or a handful of soya chunks with the vegetables for protein.