Name: Thenthuk
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour; ½ cup water; About 1½ Tbsp. cooking oil; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 Tbsp. ginger, minced; ½ medium onion (we use red); 1 medium tomato, chopped; 2½ cups water, for soup (if you like a thinner broth, add more water); 1 Tbsp. soy sauce; ⅓ tsp. bouillon (vegetable bouillon if vegetarian version is desired); 2 cups spinach (or as much as you like); ½ cup chopped cilantro and/or 2 stalks of green onion, chopped; ¾ of 1 medium-large daikon (optional); 1 Tbsp. salt, for rinsing the daikon (optional)

Broad noodles with broth garnished with cilantro.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by Lillian Chou

Thenthuk (pronounced roughly like “ten” + “too” + k) is a typical Tibetan noodle soup that keeps the nomads warm during the long Tibetan winters. You can make it either with vegetables or meat—below, you’ll find the vegetable version. In Tibetan, then means “pull” and thuk means “noodles.” You’ll pull the dough in flat pieces and throw them right into the soup pot. Note that the initial cooking of the broth happens quickly, so it’s best to have all your ingredients prepared before you start actually cooking.

Recipe information

Yield
Serves 2

Ingredients

For the Dough

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup water

For the Broth

About 1½ Tbsp. cooking oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. ginger, minced

½ medium onion (we use red)

1 medium tomato, chopped

2½ cups water, for soup (if you like a thinner broth, add more water)

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

⅓ tsp. bouillon (vegetable bouillon if vegetarian version is desired)

2 cups spinach (or as much as you like)

½ cup chopped cilantro and/or 2 stalks of green onion, chopped

¾ of 1 medium-large daikon (optional)

1 Tbsp. salt, for rinsing the daikon (optional)

Preparation

Making the Dough
Step 1
Slowly add about ½ cup of water to 1 cup of all-purpose flour in a bowl.
Step 2
Mix the flour and water very well by hand and keep adding water until you can make a smooth ball of dough. Then knead the dough very well until the dough is flexible, 3–5 minutes. You want it both solid and flexible enough to stretch rather than break when pulled.
Step 3
Roll the dough between your hands to make a thick rope shape, and break that long piece into 4–5 shorter pieces of the same thickness.
Step 4
Put oil on your hand and roll the pieces between your hands again so they won’t stick together.
Step 5
Put the 4–5 pieces of dough in a plastic bag or in a pot and put a lid to cover the dough so it doesn’t dry out. Let rest, covered, for 15–20 minutes, so it can become flexible and easy to pull.
Making the Broth
Step 6
If using daikon, peel and chop it. Cover the chopped daikon with water and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Soak the daikon in this salty water, stirring around with your hand, then rinse well. Tibetans say this takes the strong “radish smell” away.
Step 7
Chop the onion, ginger, garlic, and tomato.
Step 8
Heat 1½ tablespoons of oil on high heat until hot. Turn down heat to medium high and stir fry onion, ginger, and garlic for 2-3 minutes until the edges are a little brown. Raising the heat back up to high, add tomatoes, and cook covered, or about 3 minutes.
Step 9
Add bouillon and soy sauce. At this time, you can add the daikon, and cook, still on high, another 2-3 minutes.
Step 10
Add two and a half cups of water to the pot. Bring the broth to a boil, stirring occasionally. While the soup is cooking, chop ½ cup of cilantro, two green onions, and 2 cups of spinach (or as much as you like).
Making the “Pull” Noodles
Step 11
When the broth starts to boil, you can add the dough. Take a wedge of dough and roll it between your hands so it gets a little longer. Flatten it with your fingers. Then pull the dough off in little flat pieces as long as your thumb and throw them in the pot.
Step 12
When all the noodles are in the pot, cook it for an additional 3–5 minutes to cook the noodles. After that, you can put in the cilantro, green onions, and spinach. They don’t need to cook, really, so you can serve the soup immediately.