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Recipes · Winter · Cooking Abroad

Thukpa: The Nepali Noodle Soup That Beats Any Winter Cold

Name: Nepali Thukpa
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2-3 servings
Cuisine: Nepali

Nepal's Himalayan noodle broth — warming, deeply savoury, and ready in 45 minutes using ingredients from any Australian supermarket.

May 2026 · 7 min read · NepaliFoodGPT

न

A Nepali in Australia

Founder · NepaliFoodGPT · 20 years in Australian IT · lifelong Nepali cook

When winter hits and you want something that warms you from the inside — not just a hot drink, but a real meal that actually makes you feel better — thukpa is the answer.

It's Nepal's Himalayan noodle soup. Born in the mountains where winters are brutal and fuel is scarce, thukpa is everything you need in one bowl: carbs, protein, vegetables, warm spiced broth. Sherpa families ate it before summit attempts. Trekkers order it at every teahouse above 3,000 metres. And Nepalis abroad make it when they're cold, tired, and missing home.

The good news: everything you need is at Woolworths or Coles.

What Is Thukpa?

Thukpa (थुक्पा) is a noodle soup eaten across Nepal, Tibet, and the Himalayan belt. The word comes from Tibetan. Unlike ramen or pho, it's built around a tempered spice base — onion, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander and chilli fried in oil before the stock goes in. That tempering is what gives thukpa its distinctive depth.

There's no single "correct" thukpa. Every household has their version. The Sherpa version uses yak or beef. The Kathmandu street version uses chicken. The vegetarian version skips meat entirely and leans harder on the vegetables. What stays constant is the broth: spiced, savoury, clear but complex.

Thukpa vs Pho vs Ramen — what's the difference?

Pho is about the long-simmered bone broth. Ramen is about the tare (flavour concentrate) and the fat. Thukpa is about the tempered spice base — the onion-garlic-ginger-cumin fry that happens before the liquid goes in. That's the technique that makes it distinctly Nepali.

Nutrition — One Big Bowl

420

Calories

28g

Protein

48g

Carbs

10g

Fat

Based on chicken thukpa with egg noodles, 2 cups broth, mixed vegetables. Numbers vary with protein choice and noodle quantity.

Thukpa is remarkably well-balanced for a one-pot meal. The protein is high (chicken + egg noodles), carbs are moderate (one serve of noodles), fat is low (minimal oil), and the vegetable content means you're getting fibre, vitamin C, and iron in the same bowl. On a cold winter night it's hard to find a better single meal.

The Recipe — Australian Supermarket Version

This is the chicken thukpa version. For vegetarian, swap chicken for tofu or just add more vegetables. Everything below is available at Woolworths, Coles, or any Asian grocery store.

The Broth Base

Chicken thighs, boneless Woolworths300g

Chicken stock Woolworths1 litre

Brown or white onion Woolworths1 large

Garlic cloves Woolworths4 cloves

Fresh ginger Woolworths1 tbsp grated

Tomato Woolworths1 medium

The Spice Temper (Tarka)

Vegetable oil or mustard oil Woolworths2 tbsp

Ground cumin Woolworths1 tsp

Ground coriander Woolworths1 tsp

Turmeric Woolworths½ tsp

Chilli flakes or fresh chilli Woolworthsto taste

Salt and black pepper Woolworthsto taste

Noodles & Vegetables

Egg noodles or ramen noodles Woolworths150g dried

Carrot Woolworths1, julienned

Bok choy or spinach Woolworths2 cups

Spring onions Woolworths3 stalks

Soy sauce Woolworths1 tbsp

Lime or lemon juice Woolworthshalf a lime

Fresh coriander to serve Woolworthshandful

Noodle tip: Wai Wai (Nepali instant noodles) from an Asian grocery makes the most authentic thukpa. If you can find it, use it. Otherwise, any egg noodle or even spaghetti works — the broth is the flavour.

Method

Prep the chicken

Slice chicken thighs into thin strips, about 1cm wide. Season with a pinch of salt, turmeric, and black pepper. Set aside. Finely dice the onion, mince the garlic, grate the ginger, and chop the tomato.

Build the spice base (this is the key step)

Heat oil in a deep pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and fry for 5–6 minutes until golden — don't rush this, the colour matters. Add garlic and ginger, fry 1 minute until fragrant. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, and chilli. Stir for 30 seconds. Add chopped tomato and cook another 3 minutes until it breaks down into the oil.

Cook the chicken

Add the seasoned chicken strips to the spice base. Stir to coat well and cook for 3–4 minutes until the chicken is sealed on all sides.

Add the stock and simmer

Pour in the chicken stock. Add soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 12–15 minutes. Taste the broth and adjust salt. The broth should be savoury with a clear warmth from the spices — not heavy or thick, but definitely flavoured.

Cook the noodles in the broth

Add the egg noodles directly to the simmering broth. Cook according to packet time (usually 3–4 minutes for dried noodles). In the last 2 minutes, add carrot and bok choy. They should be just cooked — still with a little bite.

Finish and serve

Squeeze in lime juice. Ladle into deep bowls. Top with sliced spring onions, fresh coriander, and a drizzle of chilli oil if you have it. Serve immediately — thukpa waits for no one.

Broth tip: If you have time, use bone-in chicken pieces to make the stock from scratch. Simmer for 45 minutes before straining. The flavour difference is significant — thicker, richer, more gelatinous. But the stock-from-a-carton version still tastes excellent.

Variations Worth Knowing

🥕 Vegetable Thukpa

Skip the chicken. Add more vegetables — mushrooms, capsicum, corn, baby spinach. Use vegetable stock. The spice base and technique are identical. Just as warming, and ready in under 30 minutes.

🥚 Egg Thukpa

A popular Kathmandu street version. No meat, just two eggs poached or scrambled directly into the broth in the last few minutes. Simple, filling, and very quick — the protein comes from the eggs rather than chicken.

🦐 Prawn Thukpa

Not traditional but works beautifully. Add raw prawns in the last 3 minutes of cooking (they overcook fast). The sweetness of the prawns plays well against the spiced broth.

🍜 Thentuk (Hand-pulled flat noodles)

The traditional version uses hand-torn flat dough pieces instead of noodles — mix flour and water into a firm dough, rest 20 minutes, then tear off small flat pieces and drop them straight into the simmering broth. Takes more effort but it's the real Sherpa version.

Why Thukpa Works in Australian Winter

Australian winters are mild by Himalayan standards, but the cold still gets to you — especially in Melbourne, Canberra, and the Blue Mountains. Thukpa works for Australian winter for a few reasons:

It's fast. 45 minutes total, most of it is just simmering. Faster than ordering delivery on a cold night.
Everything is at the supermarket. No specialty ingredients required — the whole spice list is standard pantry items.
It scales easily. Double the batch and it reheats perfectly the next day. The broth actually gets better overnight.
It's adaptable. Use whatever vegetables are in the fridge. Thukpa is forgiving — the spice base carries everything.

Leftovers tip

Store noodles and broth separately if possible — noodles absorb the broth overnight and go soft. Refrigerate the broth and reheat it, then cook fresh noodles and add them. The broth lasts 3–4 days in the fridge and freezes well.

What to Serve With Thukpa

Thukpa is a complete meal on its own. But if you want to extend it:

Achar — a spoon of tomato achar stirred into the broth adds another dimension of heat and sourness
Papad — a plain roasted papad on the side for crunch
Butter bread — in the mountains, thukpa is often served with Tibetan butter bread (tsampa bread). In Australia, sourdough works

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