Straight from the kitchens of Ladakh

Here's a continuation from my last post, and this comes straight from the kitchens of an army battalion posted in Ladakh! I had the privilege of trying these dishes when I was visiting them last year, and can promise you that they are finger licking good.

Before I share the recipes with you, a couple of things to note:

• Usually Tibetans do not use any spice powders, but coriander, turmeric and red chili powder as well as ready made meat-masala powders can be added as per choice and taste. 
• These are very basic and easy to cook recipes, and have actually been written by a Tibetan cook. Once you start preparing it, you may need to adjust certain proportions as per your liking. Increase or decrease the quantity of water depending on the consistency you want.
• You can also use your choice of meat for these recipes. What I had was Yak meat but it can easily be substituted with either mutton, lamb or even chicken.
• A vegetarian version of the Thukpa can be made by just omitting the mutton from it, the rest of the process remains same.
• Most of these recipes have 'ajinomoto' or mono sodium glutamate listed in the ingredients. There are certain health scares related to the use of this flavouring, although there are certain groups that would disagree. However, in case you want to avoid using it just substitute it with either Oyster sauce or Worcester sauce. 

Bon Appétit!