Jamshedpur, Jharkhand
Lakhiya Tudu ladled out food on a dona, or bowl made of broad leaves. She and her companions, clad in similar green sarees with red borders, explained to the visitors the recipe and nutritional value of each dish — simjeel peetha, marhva laddu, mahua kheer, duska, hav chatni, rokoj — they served at a tribal festival organised last month in Gopal maidan.
The women from the Santhal tribal community had come from their village Pramothnagar in East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. They are part of a self help group (SHG) called Sagun Mahila Samiti, which is into catering business since 2016.
Its members — 12 women between the ages of 30 and 45 years — cook and serve their indigenous fare at village fairs, in festivals and other functions organised in the state and elsewhere. They came to Bistupur in Jamshedpur to participate in the annual tribal conclave Samvaad by Tata Steel Foundation. Since February this year, the Foundation is also helping the tribal women with online sales of their foods through Zomato, an Indian multinational restaurant aggregator and food delivery company.
The Sagun Mahila Samiti started as a group to help other women in need and then branched out into catering business to popularise tribal cuisine, which is fast disappearing. Its members specialise in Santhal and Oraon tribe foods are also learning new dishes from other tribal communities such as the Munda and Ho.
“To begin with, each member of the samooh contributed money depending on their spending power. The contribution goes towards helping the really needy tribal families in times of birth, marriage, illness or death. So far, we have helped about 100 families,” Chura Mani Mardi, president of Sagun Mahila Samiti, told Gaon Connection.
The women who serve up these treats are also tweaking their traditional recipes to appeal to a larger audience.
“In order to earn some money, we decided to set up food stalls at village fairs as it did not require heavy investment and promised an income in return,” she added.
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With the money from the SHG, the women purchased raw materials required for their traditional dishes and began turning out sim jil peetha, marhva laddu, mahua kheer, duska, hav chatni, rokoj and so on, that soon found a fan following even outside of their tribes.
The preparations are healthy, claimed Vishwasi Soy, secretary of the SHG. “Many of the ingredients we use control diabetes and blood pressure. The food is usually cooked in very little oil or is boiled in earthen pots, which is good,” she said.
Members of the SHG counted several health benefits of the food they cooked. For instance, the marhva laddoos are made of ragi, ghee and jaggery, and they are rich in iron and prevent anaemia.
The more famous hav chatni is made from a small species of ants called hav, found on trees in the forest. The chatni is beneficial for colds and coughs and even said to help in times of fever and malaria. It can be made and preserved for six months, said the tribal women.
A delicacy rokoj is made with water snails after they are deshelled. “The snails are marinated in a paste of onion, ginger, garlic, chilli and salt, left for an hour to soak in all the flavours before they are cooked in earthen pots. The snails are packed into sal leaves and steamed in an earthen vessel with a little oil only,” Basanti Murmu, another SHG member, explained to Gaon Connection.
It is believed this dish is beneficial for improving eyesight. The snails can also be skewered and grilled, Basanti added.
A delicacy rokoj is made with water snails after they are deshelled. It is believed this dish is beneficial for improving eyesight.
Chura Mani Mardi said that the women also make a tribal version of momos that are very popular online too. “We sell nearly 120 plates of momos in a day,” she said with pride.
The women who serve up these treats are also tweaking their traditional recipes to appeal to a larger audience. “We make momos with ragi flour instead of maida, and use the freshest chicken or organic vegetables to stuff inside and then steam, making it a delectable and healthy dish,” said Sonia Soren, a member of the Sagun Mahila Samiti.
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Festivals and Foods
Like it is in other parts of the country, there are special dishes earmarked for different tribal festivals. Dumbuk Peetha is prepared on Dhaan Uthav (last day of harvesting), Sim Jil Peetha on Gomha (Raksha Bandhan) and Gud Peetha on Sakrat (Makar Sankranti).
“Simjeel Peetha is made during Gomha. It is prepared with red rice flour. Small pieces of chicken marinated in onion, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chilli and salt paste are covered with plaited rice flour, packed into saal leaves and cooked in an earthen pot with a few drops of oil,” said Sonia Soren.
Another popular tribal dessert is the Mahua kheer made with the flour of mahua flower. After the Mahua are washed and dried, they are ground and roasted in an earthen pot along with ghee. Milk and jaggery is added to the mixture and it is cooked slowly.
When the stalls are put up, each member who is cooking and serving there, gets paid equally from the profits the stalls make, said Samiti member Dumni Murmu. “But, before that, 30 per cent of the profit is kept aside to help needy families in our community and for future investments when we put up more food stalls,” she added.
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According to Parvati Hansda, the Samiti treasurer, “Our members take loans from the Samiti and return it with an interest of anything between three to ten per cent interest. Those who are very poor are charged three per cent interest while others who are better off pay about 10 per cent,” she explained. The Samiti has been associated with Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society since 2017.
If any of its members want to take a loan to start a business, the Samiti gives that loan at an interest rate of five per cent, said Parvati Hansda.
The next plan of the women’s group is to start a brick and mortar tribal food outlet in Jamshedpur city. Between 14th and 20th of every month, these women put up their stall at Johar Haat Canteen in the Kadma area of the city, which is managed by Tata Steel Foundation.
Food from their stalls can be ordered online while it is also served straight to those who visit the canteen. There are plans now to put up their food stall in Jhargram district, West Bengal from January 5 to 7, early next year.
