ASIA • NEPAL THUKPA Nepalese noodle soup SERVES 4 PREPARE 15 minutes COOKING about 15 minutes ingredients Here at Exodus, we know that travel can change your perspective 3tbsp vegetable oil on life. Frequent travellers Derek and Carol Darke found that out 1 red onion, peeled after a few weeks holiday with Exodus to Kerala and then Ladakh. and thinly sliced Their trip was such a success that when they returned home they 1 tomato, sliced gave up their jobs and set off on a 13 month adventure to explore Sri Lanka, India and Nepal. 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks “We first encountered this soup on holiday in Tibet, and were thrilled 3 cloves of garlic, peeled to discover its popularity in Nepal. One evening we left our guest and finely chopped house in Kathmandu and discovered a cafe down a small bustling 1tbsp grated root ginger side street where the locals ate. We were served bowls of a steaming 1 litre of boiling water clear soup with vegetables and noodles which we recognised straightaway as the Thukpa we had enjoyed so much previously. ½tsp salt 200g pak choi, “We were so impressed with the freshness of the ingredients and roughly chopped the abundance of spices in Asia that on our return to the UK, after 100g dried egg noodles much experimentation, we launched our own spice company!” Soy sauce, to taste method Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion, tomato, carrot, garlic and ginger, and fry for 5 minutes until the vegetables soften. Pour the boiling water into the pan, add the salt and bring back to the boil. Add the pak choi and noodles and simmer until the noodles are soft. Add soy sauce to taste and serve ladled into bowls. “Having experimented with many recipes and enjoyed meals prepared with our own freshly prepared spices, our company Go Spice Mixes Ltd was born. Our aim is to create as many spice blends based on cuisines from as many countries around the world as we can. We currently have 20 different blends, with others coming soon!” – Derek Darke. You can visit their site at www.gospice.co.uk 92 Asia • Dishes .