Tokmach
Tokmach (токмач): Tatar clear chicken broth with thin hand-cut egg noodles
RussianTatar grandmothers in Kazan roll the noodle dough for this soup so thin you can read through it, then cut it into fine ribbons and dry them on a cloth. The broth is simple and golden: chicken legs, onion, a bay leaf, a little black pepper. It is the soup made for guests, for a sick child and for the morning after a wedding, and in Tatarstan it is often eaten with a slice of bread and a pot of black tea. Where most people go wrong is cooking the noodles in the clear broth straight from the board: they shed flour and cloud it, so shake off the excess first. Chef's tip: let the cut noodles dry for 20 minutes, they hold their shape in the hot broth and stay silky rather than gummy.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the broth
- 1 ¾ lb chicken legs (thigh and drumstick)skin on
- 8 ¼ cups cold water
- 1 onionpeeled, left whole
- 1 carrothalved
- 1 ½ tsp salt
For the noodles
- 5 ½ oz plain flourplus extra for dusting
- 1 egg
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp water
To serve
- ⅓ oz fresh dill (optional)chopped
- 2 spring onion (optional)sliced
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put the 1 ¾ lb chicken legs (thigh and drumstick) in a large pan with the cold 8 ¼ cups cold water and bring slowly to a simmer over a medium heat. Skim off the grey foam for the first 5 minutes until the surface is clear.
15 minStep 2: Add the 1 onion, 1 carrot, 2 bay leaves, 6 black peppercorns and 1 ½ tsp salt and simmer gently, barely bubbling, for 40 minutes, until the meat pulls easily from the bone and reaches 165°F next to the bone.
40 minStep 3: While the broth cooks, mix the 5 ½ oz plain flour, 1 egg, ¼ tsp salt and 2 tbsp water into a stiff dough and knead for 5 minutes until smooth. Wrap and rest for 15 minutes.
20 minStep 4: Roll the dough on a floured board as thin as you can, about 1 mm, dust with flour, roll it up loosely and cut across into 3 mm ribbons. Shake them out and leave to dry on a cloth for 20 minutes.
25 minStep 5: Lift out the chicken and vegetables. Pull the meat into bite-sized pieces and discard skin and bones; strain the broth back into the pan.
5 minStep 6: Shake loose flour off the noodles, bring the broth to a boil and drop them in. Cook for 3–4 minutes, until they float and are tender with no chalky core.
4 minStep 7: Return the chicken to the pan, heat through for 1 minute, taste for salt and serve with ⅓ oz fresh dill and 2 spring onion on top.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tokmach take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 45 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 carrot?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
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