Keemaya’s story:
I want to have a bowl of NICE hot Thukpa. It will complement the monsoon weather perfectly!
Last time I had in the chilling December of Delhi. I had sneaked to Delhi to meet my guy. We met at Delhi Hatt.
This is the first time I feel emotionally invested in a relationship. Other relationships were only thrilling for me. We talk every day; we tell each other what we had for lunch and dinner, but it’s been 5 months since I met him or shared a meal with him. I am a stoic person; I never thought I could miss someone. I have missed places, food, weather, cities but missing someone’s companionship is new to me.
The pandemic is making life difficult. I feel like we are living in rectangular boxes (of our mobile screens). If I had the option of pausing life for a while and reliving one day, I would go back to 1st August, to our Delhi Haat date. I would nestle in the warmth of Thukpa and him; it will help me go on for a few more months.
My experience cooking, eating and feeding Thukpa
- Keemaya got sentimental while telling me the story of her Thukpa and ended up making some for herself. I saved the photo she sent me. It felt like we had shared this Thukpa and story over a tiny cafe table.
- I love Thukpa. I love the fusion of tastes and aromas carried by something as light as water. I knew I loved Thukpa, I just hadn’t known it consciously.
- I cannot eat much (think half a plate of Biryani) in one sitting, but this I could eat all day.
- I shared my Thukpa with R, who had gotten her periods and was in pain. The room felt cozier for having a Thukpa in it. I think the concept of comfort food is finally dawning on me.
I struggle with romantic relationships. My abandonment colored glasses, make it tough to look at them positively. Imagine putting in solid, permanent words, something so fleeting. It would even make me anxious to share a Netflix account with my partner. Imagine losing a partner and your Netflix on the same day! But I am working on it, slowly, one shared Audible account at a time.
Recipe
Ingredients
1 onion
1 tsp ginger, chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 carrot, chopped into sticks
Mushrooms (count it with your heart)
Coriander
Salt
Pepper
Soya Sauce
Egg Noodles
Any other vegetable you feel like sticking in a broth
Steps
- Saute the onion and carrots till they feel soft-ish. We don’t want to mash them.
- Add garlic and ginger. Stir and let cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Put the chopped mushrooms in. When it starts to ooze water, put in the salt, pepper and soya sauce (this I always put in lesser than I think is needed, it’s easy to add later)
- Add 250ml water
- Add some chopped coriander to this and cover. Let cook for 10 minutes.
- Add egg noodles and let boil for 5-7 minutes. Taste a noodle to check if it is cooked.
- Garnish with coriander (This step is not to be taken lightly. It adds so much flavor to the Thukpa)
This is it! You may have to add more water to it; I had to.
Optional
Some recipes I read add a tiny amount of honey to the Thukpa.