Tukpa: Tibetan Noodle Soup

I know the subtitle of this blog says "cooking and eating normal food" but this *is* normal food for my family

One of our relatives was once married to a Tibetan, and one time she made soup for us. It was so good, I tried to recreate it soon thereafter, and succeeded well enough that it has become one of my kids' favorite suppers. The recipe I based mine on has been around the internet, though everyone credits the original as coming from The Kopan Cookbook by Betty Jung. Her version was vegetarian; mine has beef, as our relative's did.

[BTW, our relative subsequently forgot what she made us, and has asked me for my recipe. :-> Here it is:]

Tibetan Noodle Soup (Tukpa)

Serves 4

1/4 C. butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh ginger root, minced, or use half as much grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh garlic, minced
1/2 lb thin strips of top round or flank steak
1 c. red onion, diced
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. commercial garam masala
1 c. potato, parboiled and cubed
1 c. fresh tomatoes, chopped, or substitute about 3/4 cup canned
1 quart beef broth
1 cup water
1/4 lb. fresh flat egg noodles (or use a 9-oz. plastic pkg. egg linguine)
1-2 c. sliced bok choy
1-2 Tbsp. soy-free Worcestershire sauce [original had soy sauce]
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper


1. Melt butter in a dutch oven over medium heat.

2. Add ginger, garlic, and red onion. Stir-fry over medium to medium-high heat for l minute.

3. Add beef and stir-fry for another minute.

4. Add turmeric, curry powder, chili powder, and masala. Mix well and stir fry for 1/2 a minute.

5. Add broth and water and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and tomatoes.

6. Add egg noodles and boil for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.

7. Add bok choy and boil for another 1-2 minutes. If soup is too thick, add more water.

8. Season with Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

P.S. [added 20 Dec] My kids call this "Yellow Soup," not because it's yellow, but because if you spill it on your clothes, it stains everything yellow from the turmeric.

SOY-FREE CONSIDERATIONS:
--use Worcestershire sauce or liquid Maggie seasoning instead of soy sauce.