Description
A rustic soup using wild 'Stinging Nettle' (Sisnu), eaten since ancient times in Nepal's mountains and rural areas. 'Tiun' means soup/curry. Nettle leaves/stems have 'poisonous stinging hairs' causing severe pain if touched, but boiling eliminates the stings and toxins, turning it into a thickened soup with a lush, wild umami richer than spinach.
Restaurants serving Sisnu ko Tiun (Stinging Nettle Soup)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Sisnu(Young stinging nettle leaves)
- Cornmeal(for thickening)
- Garlic
- Salt
- Water
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- [Harvest & Prep]: Using thick gloves or tongs, pick only tender young Sisnu (nettle) leaves.
- [Boil to Detox]: Put Sisnu in boiling water, boil thoroughly until stinging hairs completely soften.
- [Make Soup]: Finely chop (or paste) boiled Sisnu. Fry garlic and salt in a pot, return Sisnu, add cornmeal (or flour) dissolved in water, and simmer until thickened.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Garlic、Salt(Spices omitted to highlight wild herb flavor)
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Boil and paste JP 'Molokhia' or 'Spinach', thicken with cornstarch
Pairing
Dhido (Buckwheat mash) / White Rice
Trivia
Once seen as a 'weed poor farmers ate to stave off hunger', but recently re-evaluated in Nepal as a 'superfood' abnormally rich in iron/vitamins, now even served in high-end Thakali restaurants in Kathmandu.
Eating tips & etiquette
Tear 'Dhido' (buckwheat mash)—the mountain staple—by hand, dip generously into this thickened Sisnu soup, and swallow without chewing; the ultimate mountain meal.
Allergen
None