Does eating an electric plant sound shocking?

Would you devour a plant that stung you if you touched it? Sounds shocking? Make sure you try Sishnu (name of the dish as well as the plant), on your trip to Lachen in North Sikkim. If you touch the plant when it is alive, be prepared to get a shock or a sting. The Lepchas there as well as people in Nepal and Uttaranchal use these leaves to make fibre for clothes, but locals also make delicious dal, sabzi or soup from it. 
Called stinging nettle, apart from Lachen, you’ll also find it in the forests of Sikkim. Locals usually pluck the leaves when they go farming. Traditionally young and tender leaves and shoots are plucked with bamboo tools, which protect them from being stung. For the dal, the bright green leaves are soaked in water and then pressure-cooked. They are then cut in small pieces to which spices are added. When cooked, the dark green dal tastes delicious, but not too spicy. Typically eaten with rice, it may taste exotic to the unknown palate because of the local spices used. It may also remind some of the dry, Rajasthani dal tadka. It is generally prepared at homestays, but if you’re lucky, you might just find it in smaller restaurants.
To prepare the stinging nettle soup, the leaves are boiled in water for about 10 minutes and once it turns a bit sticky, salt, garlic and butter are added to it. This spinach-looking soup is easy to prepare and is also eaten with rice. So if you’re travelling to Sikkim between April and September (the best time to eat it), make sure you try it out. And don’t worry, once cooked, it won’t sting your tongue! 
@AvrilBraganza
With inputs from Shiva Gurung and Piraan Elavia