Shyakpa

Ingredients

• 10½ ozFlourfor the noodle dough
• ¾ cupWatercold, worked into the dough gradually
• 15¾ ozMeatcut into cubes; dried meat (sukuti) also possible
• 6⅓ ozPotatoesroughly diced
• 5¼ ozcarrotsliced or cut into pieces
• 5¼ ozRadishroughly cut
• 5¼ ozBok choystirred in at the end
• 1Onionsliced or chopped
• 6 clovesGarliccoarsely crushed
• 2 tbspGingergrated or coarsely crushed
• 1 tbspChilicoarsely ground, fresh or as flakes
• 1 tspTurmericground, sautéed with the onions
• 4 tbspOilfor frying and for the dough; ghee or butter as an alternative
• 6⅓ cupsStockmeat or vegetable stock, water as a substitute
• Saltto taste
• 1 bunchcorianderfinely chopped, for sprinkling
• 2spring onionsas garnish (optional)
• 1 tspSichuan pepperground, for seasoning (optional)
• 1 tbspChilli oildrizzled over before serving (optional)
• 7 ozBell pepperdiced, added only at the end (optional)
• 1Tomatodiced, braised along (optional)

Method

1. Make the noodle doughKnead the flour with the cold water and a little oil, adding the water gradually, until you have a smooth, firm dough. Cover it and let it rest while you get everything else ready.
2. Cut the meat and vegetablesCut the meat, potatoes, carrot and radish into pieces of about two centimetres. Roughly chop the bok choy and set it aside separately. Slice or chop the onion, and coarsely crush the garlic and ginger.
3. Fry the aromatics and onionHeat the oil in a large pot and fry the garlic, ginger and chili briefly until fragrant. Add the onion along with the turmeric and cook until soft and translucent.
4. Brown the meatAdd the meat and brown it all over on a good high heat.
5. Fry the root vegetablesStir in the potatoes, carrot and radish and let them fry along for a few minutes.
6. Add stock and simmerPour in the stock, bring to the boil and simmer uncovered until the meat and vegetables are about half cooked, roughly 25 to 35 minutes depending on the meat.
7. Tear in the dough piecesMeanwhile, roll the dough out thinly, cut it into strips and tear off thumb-sized pieces. Drop them into the simmering soup a few at a time and keep the soup simmering for several more minutes, until the dough pieces are cooked through and the meat and vegetables are tender. Then season with salt.
8. Add the bok choyStir in the bok choy just before serving and give it only a few minutes, so it stays green and keeps a bit of bite.
9. Garnish and serveLadle into bowls while hot and serve with chopped coriander, spring onions, a drizzle of chilli oil or a pinch of ground Sichuan pepper.

Tips and variations

For a crisper version, fry the meat separately in plenty of oil with ginger and garlic until crisp and stir it into the soup only at the end. For a meat-free Shyakpa, leave out the meat and cook mushrooms or cabbage in its place, together with spinach and tomato, in vegetable stock. Dried yak meat (sukuti) can take the place of the fresh meat. A thukpa-style version swaps in thin noodles, finely cut vegetables and minced meat, and turns up the heat with considerably more chili and Sichuan pepper. Another way is to cook ready-made wheat noodles separately, divide them between the bowls and pour the soup over, seasoned with cumin, coriander seed and soy sauce and served with lemon wedges. If you're short on time, a stock cube or chicken stock replaces the homemade stock. Bell pepper and tomato also suit the meat version, with the pepper going in only at the end, and a bowl of chilli oil on the table lets everyone set their own heat.