Tofu and Vegetable Thukpa

Name: Tofu and Vegetable Thukpa
Yield: 2 (one large bowl each)
Cuisine: Sikkim and the Himalayan region
Ingredients: 80 g whole-wheat noodles, dry · 200 g firm tofu, in 2 cm cubes; 250 g vegetables: cabbage, carrot, beans, spinach, mushrooms, spring onion · 80 g tomato, chopped; 10 g garlic and 15 g ginger, finely chopped · 2 green chillies · ¼ tsp timur or Sichuan pepper, crushed (or black pepper); 10 ml soy sauce · 8 g groundnut oil · 900 ml water or vegetable stock · coriander · lemon wedges

DinnerVegetarianHigh proteinD11

The noodle soup of Sikkim and the Himalayan belt: whole-wheat noodles, vegetables and seared tofu in a ginger-garlic broth, warmed with timur (Sichuan pepper) and green chilli.

Region: Sikkim and the Himalayan region
Status: Adaptation — tofu as the protein; whole-wheat noodles
Diet label: Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
Time: Prep 15 min · Cook 15 min · Total 30 min
Serves: 2 (one large bowl each)
Difficulty: Easy
Good for: Quick one-pot dinner, cold evenings
Tags: High protein · Quick · Dairy-free · Whey-free · No added sugar
Allergens: Soy, gluten (wheat noodles, soy sauce)

Nutrition (estimated)

Calories: 375 kcal
Protein: 23 g
Carbs: 36 g
Fat: 14 g
Fibre: 10 g

Headline values are per serving, as written.

	kcal	Protein	Carbs	Fat	Sat fat	Fibre	Total sugars	Protein per 100 kcal
Thukpa (complete one-bowl meal)	375	23 g	36 g	14 g	2 g	10 g	4 g	6.5 g

High protein. Noodle and tofu values from typical labels — verify against the brands used. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.

Ingredients

80 g whole-wheat noodles, dry · 200 g firm tofu, in 2 cm cubes
250 g vegetables: cabbage, carrot, beans, spinach, mushrooms, spring onion · 80 g tomato, chopped
10 g garlic and 15 g ginger, finely chopped · 2 green chillies · ¼ tsp timur or Sichuan pepper, crushed (or black pepper)
10 ml soy sauce · 8 g groundnut oil · 900 ml water or vegetable stock · coriander · lemon wedges

Method

Cook noodles to packet instructions, about 1 minute short. Drain and rinse in cold water.
Sear tofu in 4 g oil in a non-stick pan until golden, 5–6 minutes. Remove.
In a pot, heat the remaining oil; add garlic, ginger and chillies for 30 seconds. Add tomato and cook 3 minutes until soft.
Add water, soy sauce and timur. Boil, then add the firmer vegetables (carrot, beans, cabbage) for 4 minutes and the mushrooms and spinach for 1 minute.
Divide noodles and tofu between two bowls; ladle the hot broth and vegetables over. Finish with spring onion, coriander and lemon.

Protein optimisation

Tofu supplies 15 g per serving; whole-wheat noodles 5 g; vegetables 2 g.
Boost: add 1 soft-boiled egg per bowl for an egg-inclusive version (+6 g protein, +72 kcal), or increase tofu to 300 g (+7.5 g protein, +70 kcal per serving).

Variations, serving and storage

Regional: Ladakhi thenthuk — replace noodles with hand-pulled flat pieces of whole-wheat dough cooked in the broth.
Substitution: rice noodles and tamari for a gluten-free version.
Storage: keep broth, noodles and tofu separately, 2 days refrigerated.
Food safety: reheat broth until boiling before pouring over.
Meal prep: good — broth base keeps 2 days.

Nutrition values are estimates calculated from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR-NIN) and typical product labels. They have not been laboratory-analysed and will vary with your ingredients, brands and cooking. Recipes are for healthy adults and are general information only, not a substitute for advice from a doctor or qualified dietitian. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, cooking for children, have food allergies, or live with kidney disease, diabetes or any other medical condition, please take professional advice about your diet. From the collection Protein-Rich India by Dr. Shantanu Deshpande · drshantanudeshpande.com