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Balay
بلے (balay): Baltistan's thick hand-pulled wheat noodles in a mutton and vegetable broth
Skardu sits at almost 2,500 metres, and through its long, dry winters Balti households lean on balay, a sturdy soup of thick wheat noodles pinched and pulled by hand into a mutton broth with turnip, potato, carrot and greens. It is the Balti cousin of Tibetan thukpa, eaten for supper in deep bowls, often with a hot green chilli on the side and salty butter tea to follow. The noodles are fat, chewy and irregular, and they thicken the broth slightly as they cook, which is exactly right. Rolling the dough too thin is a common slip; balay noodles should be the thickness of a pencil so they stay springy. Chef's tip: let the dough rest a full 20 minutes before pulling it, because a rested dough stretches without tearing and gives silkier noodles.
- Total time
- 100 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the broth
- 1 ⅛ lb mutton or lamb on the bonecut into small pieces
- 7 ½ cups water
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onionsliced
- 3 cloves garliccrushed
- 2 cm piece fresh gingergrated
- 1 tomatochopped
- 1 turnipdiced
- 1 potatodiced
- 1 carrotsliced
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 3 ½ oz spinach or turnip greenschopped
For the noodles
- 9 oz plain flour
- 1 /2 tsp salt
- ½ cup waterroughly
To serve
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander (optional)chopped
- 2 green chillies (optional)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 9 oz plain flour and 1 /2 tsp salt with enough ½ cup water to make a firm but pliable dough. Knead for 6–8 minutes until smooth, cover and rest for 20 minutes.
10 minStep 2: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large pot over a medium heat and fry 1 onion for 5 minutes until soft, then add 3 cloves garlic, 2 cm piece fresh ginger and 1 ⅛ lb mutton or lamb on the bone and fry for 3 minutes until the meat is sealed.
8 minStep 5: Roll the dough into ropes the thickness of a pencil, then pinch off 4–5 cm pieces, pressing each flat with your thumb, and drop them straight into the simmering broth.
8 minStep 6: Simmer for 7–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the noodles are cooked through and chewy and the broth has thickened slightly.
8 minStep 7: Stir in 3 ½ oz spinach or turnip greens and 1 tsp ground black pepper and cook for 2 minutes until wilted.
2 minStep 8: Serve in deep bowls, scattered with 2 tbsp fresh coriander, with 2 green chillies on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 27 g
- Carbs
- 56 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does balay take?
- About 100 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 70 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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