Tibetan Veg Thukpa

Good for cold nights and tastes best with yak butter, but good luck finding it anywhere else other than Tibet...


3 TB butter or margarine
1 TB garlic, chopped
1 TB ginger, grated
1/2 cup shallots, diced
1 tsp. kopan masala (refer to bottom of post for Kopan Masala recepie)
1 tsp. roasted chili powder
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 cup potato, small dice
1 cup tomatoes, diced
4 cups vegetable stock
4 oz. fresh wide egg noodles, chopped into 2-3" lengths
1/2 cup chopped spinach
1 TB soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter or margarine in pan and saute ginger, garlic, and onions for 1-2 minutes or until slightly translucent. Add spices and cook for one more minute. Add potatoes, tomatoes, and stock and bring to boil. Add egg noodles and cook for 5 more minutes or until tender. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about one minute. Make sure potatoes are tender, add soy sauce and salt/pepper to taste, and serve.

Kopan Masala:
4 TB coriander seed
4 TB cumin seed
20 cardamom pods, outer husk removed
20 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp. black peppercorns
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

Add all spices (except nutmeg) to pan and toast over low heat until aromatic. Be careful not to brown the spices too much, just a slight toasting to release the flavors. Remove spices from pan, add nutmeg, and grind in a spice grinder or coffee mill.