Award-winning recipe sparks cultural revival
When 41-year-old Rinchin Jomba’s millet momo won the Millet Recipe Contest organised by Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in 2023, the achievement went far beyond culinary recognition. It became a moment of pride for the Monpa community, bringing renewed attention to their indigenous food traditions during the International Year of Millets 2023 celebrations in Chug Valley, located in Arunachal Pradesh’s West Kameng district.
Jomba’s recipe reimagined the popular momo by replacing refined flour with kongpu (finger millet) for the wrapper and filling it with boiled locally sourced potatoes and onion greens. Her aim was simple yet powerful — to reintroduce a traditional grain once central to Monpa diets and make it appealing to younger generations.
From contest dish to local favourite
Within a year, the millet momo has grown in popularity among both locals and tourists travelling the West Kameng–Tawang circuit, where momo and thukpa are widely associated with Monpa cuisine. Ironically, many of these dishes today rely on refined flour, despite traditionally being prepared with barley, millet and buckwheat.
Historically, festive dumplings were wrapped in bong (barley) and filled with vegetables, herbs, pork or yak meat. Thukpa, often perceived as a noodle soup, was once a roasted maize-based dish with dried radish, local beans, yak meat and subtle seasoning.
How wheat replaced traditional grains
The shift away from indigenous grains began in the mid-1960s, when permanent Indian Army bases were set up in Arunachal Pradesh. Wheat flour, rice and other essentials entered local households through army supplies and fair-price shops.
“Our father used to bring home atta from the barracks — that’s how we first learnt to make roti,” Jomba recalls. Over time, the availability of subsidised grains reduced the cultivation of labour-intensive crops like millet and buckwheat, altering food habits across the region.
Damu’s Heritage Dine and forgotten flavours
Determined to reclaim these traditions, Jomba and seven other women now run Damu’s Heritage Dine in Chug Valley. Supported by WWF-India, the diner offers seven- to eight-course meals prepared using homegrown produce and foraged forest ingredients.
The menu features dishes such as buckwheat noodles, millet tacos with native fillings, gunchung thukpa, pumpkin stews, yak ghee-based preparations and berry chutneys, all rooted in Monpa culinary knowledge.
Food as livelihood and conservation
According to WWF-India, the initiative provides alternative livelihoods while encouraging forest conservation and the revival of native crops. The eatery is now motivating local farmers to resume cultivating finger millet and buckwheat, ensuring that lost flavours return not just to plates, but to fields as well