TIBETAN FAMILY COOKING at The YAK
with Lodhen Ngui
Lesson 4 – Thenthuk Ngopa with mushrooms and vegetables
PREP TIME
20 m inu t es
COOK TIME
15 m ins
TOTAL TIME
35 m ins
Last lesson we prepared a delicious soup with home-made noodles – this week we’ll see just how
versatile these noodles can be. We’ll be preparing a dish called Tro Menphen, or Tso Menphen or Tenthuk
Ngopa, depending on where you come from. In Tibet it’s well known in the Kumbum and Siling area, but
not so common elsewhere. Outside Tibet, many Tibetans have adopted this regional dish, which is easy
to prepare, flexible, nutritious and, of course, delicious. Pasta fans should definitely try it.
Shopping
Like Momo, the basic noodles are made with plain flour and water. You can add an egg if you like
(particularly if you are preparing the vegetarian version – the egg also makes the noodles firmer, which
you may prefer). At home, Tibetans would make the dish with yak meat, for which you can substitute thin
strips of beef – allow roughly 60 grams per person, marinate in garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and coriander
and fry before making the noodles. As vegetarians, we substitute a variety of mushrooms for the beef –
these don’t need marinating.
Noodle Recipe (thenthuk)
For each person,
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1 cup flour
½ - 1 cup of water
(Optional) 1 egg between two people
Other ingredients
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1 dessertspoon vegetable oil
A small packet of vermicelli – around 40-50 grams per person. *Soak them in warm water for at
least 20 minutes before the meal. You can soak them earlier and pop in the frig to cool down.
½ onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, or 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
½ tspn vegeta stock powder, or ¼ tspn stock powder and ¼ tspn salt
¼ cup of peas – either shelled fresh peas, or frozen peas. *If fresh, quickly boil them for a few
minutes. If frozen, allow to defrost.
½ cup chopped bok choy or pak choy or other leafy vegetable – broccolini is nice, or English
spinach
About ½ cup of dried mushrooms, *soaked in warm water for ½ hour, plus 2-3 fresh mushrooms,
sliced
Chopped fresh coriander
Ground pepper or Szechuan pepper
Dark soy sauce
Chopped spring onion to serve
Method
Prepare the dough for the thenthuk–
Sift the flour into a bowl, make a well in the centre and gradually mix in the egg. Add water to make a soft
dough. Knead it well, flatten it, and slice into strips about 2.5 cm wide. Take a little oil on your palm and
roll the strips so they don’t stick together. Set aside, covered, until you’re ready to cook the pasta.
Bring about a litre of water to the boil in a pot. Take one of the strips of oiled dough, flatten it out with
your fingers and gently pull it till is nice and flat like a long ribbon. Then, starting from one end, break off
square thumb size pieces from the end and throw them one by one into the hot boiling water. Keep your
hands slightly oiled and do not let the steam get to your hand – so literally you have to throw the pasta
into the boiling water. The pasta is cooked when it rises to the top. Scoop out the cooked pasta and then
repeat until you have used all the dough. Set aside while you fry the vegetables.
Assembling the Dish
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Heat a wok with about 2 Tablespoons of oil. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and fry until golden.
Add the mushrooms, a dash of soy sauce and vegeta powder to taste. Saute until the mushroom
is soft.
Add the thenthuk and stir until mixed and warm through.
Add the vermicelli, peas and other greens.
Serve sprinkled with chopped spring onion.