Tenzin, a nun assisting her, pours the hot thuksing into traditional cups decorated with dragons—a cultural emblem of power—and delivers them to the temple, a few steps away. The monks remove wooden spoons from the folds of their robes, and begin to eat.

Back in the kitchen, we sample our first sip. The soup is smooth like velvet, delicate in its flavours, with a subtle nuttiness from the barley flour and a mellow sweetness. 

Tea and Sweets

Meanwhile, the nuns begin on chakhanda, a pink salt (butter) tea that is served through the day. 

Tashi, another nun, grabs a long, cylindrical wooden tool with a hollow centre, known as the donmo. She grinds butter in the donmo, as Samphel boils water on the stove, and simultaneously, steeps tea leaves and adds milk. After the butter is ground, the tea gains a subtle pink hue. Samphel then combines the tea with butter using a pakor, adding a dash of salt before to finish the drink. This is the region’s chaza or butter tea.