Sishnu (nettle) soup
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A thick green soup of young stinging-nettle leaves cooked with cornmeal or rice flour, garlic and chilli.
Region: SikkimOccasion: Everyday meals, especially in spring and winterTime: 30 minServes: 4Vegan
Ingredients
- 4 cups young nettle (sishnu) tops
- 2 tbsp cornmeal or rice flour
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- ½-inch ginger, crushed
- 1 green chilli
- ½ tsp turmeric
- A pinch of timur (Sichuan pepper), optional
- 1 tbsp mustard oil
- 4 cups water
- Salt to taste
Method
- Wearing gloves or using tongs, wash the nettle tops well.
- Boil them in the water for 5 minutes, which removes the sting. Mash or blend roughly with the water.
- Heat mustard oil and fry the garlic, ginger, chilli and timur.
- Add the cornmeal or rice flour and fry for a minute.
- Add the nettle with its water, turmeric and salt. Simmer, stirring, for 10 minutes until thick and smooth.
- Serve hot with rice.
History
Stinging nettle grows wild on field edges and in forests in Sikkim and has long been gathered as a free and nourishing green by hill families.
Significance
Sishnu is valued as a nutritious wild food. It is now also served in homestays and restaurants as a dish of traditional Sikkimese cooking.