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Shyakpa
Hand-torn dough and yak stew
स्याक्पा (shyakpa): Sherpa stew of hand-torn dough, yak or beef, potato and radish
In the stone lodges of Namche Bazaar and the villages of Solukhumbu, shyakpa is what a Sherpa family cooks on the hearth when the wind comes down off the glaciers: a thick, peppery stew of yak meat, potato and white radish, with pieces of fresh dough pinched straight off a ball and dropped into the pot to cook like chunky noodles. It is eaten from big bowls at the end of a long day's trekking, often with a spoonful of fiery tomato and chilli achar. Yak is rare outside the Himalaya, so beef or lamb is the usual swap, and a vegetables-only shyakpa with extra potato, radish and greens is just as common. Many cooks drop all the dough in at once, which clumps it into a stodgy mass; add it in batches and stir. Chef's tip: let the dough rest for 15 minutes so it stretches thin without tearing.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dough
- 7 oz plain flour
- ½ cup water
- 1 /4 tsp salt
For the stew
- 14 oz yak, beef or lamb (stewing cut)cut into 1.5 cm pieces
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 onionchopped
- 4 cloves garliccrushed
- 3 cm piece fresh gingergrated
- 2 tomatoeschopped
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 /2 tsp timur (Sichuan pepper), ground
- 2 potatoespeeled and cut into 2 cm pieces
- 7 oz white radish (mooli)peeled and cut into half-moons
- 5 ¾ cups water
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 3 ½ oz spinach or mustard greenschopped
- 2 spring onions (optional)sliced
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 7 oz plain flour, 1 /4 tsp salt and ½ cup water into a firm dough, knead for 3–4 minutes until smooth, cover and rest for 15 minutes.
5 minStep 2: Heat 2 tbsp neutral oil in a large pot over a medium-high heat and fry 14 oz yak, beef or lamb (stewing cut) for 5–6 minutes until browned all over.
6 minStep 3: Add 1 onion, 4 cloves garlic and 3 cm piece fresh ginger and fry for 4–5 minutes until the onion softens.
5 minStep 4: Stir in 2 tomatoes, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric and 1 /2 tsp timur (Sichuan pepper), ground and cook for 3–4 minutes until the tomato breaks down.
4 minStep 5: Add 5 ¾ cups water and 1 ½ tsp salt, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 25 minutes (45–60 minutes for yak or tougher beef) until the meat is tender.
25 minStep 6: Add 2 potatoes and 7 oz white radish (mooli) and simmer for 10 minutes until nearly soft.
10 minStep 7: Roll the dough into a rope and flatten it; pinch off thumbnail-size pieces, stretching each thin, and drop them into the simmering stew a handful at a time, stirring. Cook for 6–8 minutes until the dough pieces float and are cooked through.
8 minStep 8: Stir in 3 ½ oz spinach or mustard greens and cook for 2 minutes until wilted. Scatter with 2 spring onions and serve in deep bowls.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 28 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does shyakpa take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 40 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 plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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