Method
- Wearing gloves, rinse the stinging nettle thoroughly. Once cooked the sting is destroyed, but raw nettle requires careful handling. Trim away tough stems; keep the leaves and tender shoots.
- Heat mustard oil in a heavy pot until just smoking. Add fenugreek seeds and jimbu; sizzle 30 seconds.
- Add ginger, garlic and slit chilies; fry 60 seconds. Add ground turmeric and ground timur; stir 30 seconds.
- Add the nettle leaves; they will reduce dramatically. Stir 90 seconds until the leaves wilt and turn from prickly green to soft cooked dark green.
- Pour in water. Bring to a simmer. Cook 8 minutes uncovered.
- Whisk rice flour with 60ml cold water; stream into the soup while stirring. The soup thickens slightly. Cook 4 more minutes. Add salt. Off the heat, stir in lemon juice. Serve hot in bowls. Some Nepali households blend the soup smooth before serving; others leave it textured. Eat with rice or as a standalone soup.
Common questions
Can Sisnu Soup be made ahead?
Sisnu Soup is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 25 minutes.
Is Sisnu Soup spicy?
Sisnu Soup as written is mild to mildly warming — the heat comes from aromatics rather than chili. Add fresh sliced chili or chili oil at the end if you'd like to push it spicier.
Is Sisnu Soup vegetarian or gluten-free?
Sisnu Soup is suitable for vegetarian (and vegan if dairy is omitted) diets.
How hard is Sisnu Soup to make at home?
Sisnu Soup is approachable for a home cook with basic stove skills — total time about 40 minutes, no special technique required.
Can Sisnu Soup be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 4 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
Cultural Note
Sisnu (Urtica dioica, stinging nettle) is one of the foraged hill foods of Nepal ? abundant in the wild, free for the gathering, and nutritionally dense. Hill-region grandmothers cook sisnu soup as a wellness food, particularly for new mothers and children with weak constitutions. Traditional Nepali medicinal lore credits sisnu with iron, calcium and protein in higher doses than spinach. Modern Kathmandu chefs have rediscovered sisnu and put it on upscale menus.
