In a screen grab from a video shared on September 23 by Union Minister Smriti Irani on Twitter, 13-year-old Ayim Imchen from Dimapur is seen cooking a traditional dish from Nagaland. (@smritiirani / Twitter)
Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 23
A simple ‘nutritious recipe’ by Ayim Imchen, a ‘budding’ 13-year-old chef from Dimapur, seems to have greatly impressed Union Minister Smriti Irani, who took it to Twitter on Wednesday noting that it is “just the tip of the huge iceberg called Indian cuisine.”
“13-year-old budding Chef Ayim Imchen from Dimapur has learnt a traditional dish from her Grandmother. This simple nutritious recipe from Nagaland is just the tip of the huge iceberg called Indian cuisine,” the Minister of Textiles and Women & Child Development posted, sharing the recipe video on Twitter.
“Share your traditional family dish: https://innovate.mygov.in/poshanrecipe #Local4Poshan,” she added.
In the video, Imchen shared that it was a naga traditional dish she learnt to cook from her grandmother, who got the knowledge from her great-grandmother - the recipe has passed down from generation to generation.
The ingredients of Imchen’s traditional recipe include yam, mustard leaves, tomatoes, ginger and chillies.
It must be noted here that yam (taro root) is a staple food among the Nagas, often serving as a substitute for potato as well as a standalone breakfast food.
It is cooked both as a vegetarian as non-vegetarian dish. For the former, Nagas often use traditional herbs as seasoning while for the latter, both dried and fresh meat as well as fishes are used.
Meanwhile, the linked shared by Irani indicated that it was part of series of activities conducted under the National Nutrition month or ‘Poshan Maah’ celebrated throughout September.
One of the activities is POSHAN Abhiyan ‘Recipe Contest’ aimed at bringing the nutrition discussion to the grassroots level.
This WCD Ministry and MyGov organised contest allows “citizens to come forward, share nutritional recipes and contribute towards creating a healthier India.”
The contest opened on September 7 and will close on September 30.
POSHAN Abhiyaan or National Nutrition Mission, the Prime Minister’s “Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition,” is a Government of India’s flagship programme to improve nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers launched on March 8, 2018.
