Forgotten Foods: Dhido and Sisno Soup with Akabare Chili (Nepal)

Dhido and Sisno Soup with Akabare Chili
Prepared by Hasina Waiba Tamang
Serchu Baralo Small Farmers Agriculture Cooperative Limited
Nepal

Dhido and Sisno Soup with Akabare Chili is a unique and vividly green soup known for its luxurious smoothness. What sets it apart is the inclusion of stinging nettles (sisno), which demand careful handling to avoid skin irritation, and akabare chili (red cherry pepper), known for its fiery heat. However, despite the risks associated with these ingredients, they offer a wealth of nutrients and contribute to the irresistible appeal of this dish.

Ingredients:

For Dhido:

• Corn flour, 500 g (can also be wheat or buckwheat flour and millet flour)
• Water, 1 liter

For Sisno (stinging nettle) soup:

• Fresh nettle tops, 250 grams
• Salt, as per taste
• Pure mustard oil, 1 tablespoon
• Pure yak ghee, 1 teaspoon
• Water, 1 to 2 cups
• Lemon juice, 1 tablespoon
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Making Dhido

1. Heat water in a deep pan and bring it to a boil. Let the water boil for a few minutes.
2. Add the corn flour (alternatively millet flour or wheat flour) and stir continuously. Do not allow it to form bubbles or knots. Mix the flour with the water very well.
3. Stir continuously and allow it to simmer over medium heat. Do not stop stirring as that might result in making the flour burn at the edges.
4. Stir cook your dhido until the water evaporates and you get a solid chunk at the end. The corn pudding color changes to light brown.
5. To know whether it’s cooked, its smell and stickiness can be hints. The fully cooked dhido should reach a consistency wherein the spatula can be stuck in the pudding and remains where it is.

Making Sisno (stinging nettle) soup

1. 1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and also prepare a large bowl of cool water to blanch the nettles.
   2. Transfer the nettle tops into the boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes. Wear protective gloves when handling stinging nettles.
   3. Use tongs to lift the wilted blanched nettles out of the pot and transfer them to the bowl of ice water to shock them. Strain in a colander and cut away and discard any large stems.
   4. Put a soup pot on a stove and pour the mustard oil.
   5. Roughly chop the blanched nettles and add 3 to 4 cups of the chopped blanched nettles to the pot.
   6. After this, add enough water (1 to 2 cups) to just cover the nettles.
   7. Simmer for 15 minutes until the nettles get tender.
   8. Add salt to taste. Depending on the saltiness of the stock you are using, you may need to add at least a teaspoon or more to the soup.
   9. Add ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.
   10. Add lemon juice.
   11. Serve hot along with the Nepali dhido topped with akabare chili.

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The “Women Ensuring Food Security and Nutrition: Forgotten Foods Cooking Contest” is organized by the consortium Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) and La Via Campesina (LVC) through the Asia-Pacific Farmers’ Program (APFP) – Farmers’ Organizations for Asia (FO4A) and Assuring Resiliency of Family Farmers (ARISE). APFP-FO4A is supported by the European Union (EU) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). ARISE is supported by IFAD.

More info at https://asianfarmers.org/women-ensuring-food-security-and-nutrition-forgotten-foods-cooking-contest/