Ranchi: Batches of Jirhul , a local flower sourced from the jungles of Saranda , have made it to Ranchi’s fine dining platter in a curry made with locally available fresh water prawns, thanks to Aruna Tirkey. An MBA, Tirkey is the woman behind Ajam Emba (Kudukh term for great taste) — an eatery promoting indigenous cuisine of Jharkhand Tirkey has not only set a new trend in the city’s fine dining industry with its innovative approach to tribal cooking, but she is also empowering women from rural pockets of Ranchi by training them in culinary arts. And it is not just Jirhul on the menu, but an entire panorama of forgotten raw material that represent the true taste of Jharkhand’s tribal hinterland.“Growing up in a tribal household, I experienced a rich cuisine that was based on ingredients locally available around Jharkhand. They were healthy and delicious. Over the years, such recipes have vanished from the kitchens of tribal families due to rapid urbanization. With Ajam Emba, I am working towards revival of the same,” said Tirkey.In her words, her restaurant serves ‘Slow Food’ as opposed to the ‘Fast Food’ options available in the market. The idea came to Tirkey after she won a cooking competition organized on World Indigenous Day in 2016. In March 2017, she launched Ajam Emba.“Initially, I was catering only for events. Soon I built a team of eight rural women who have knowledge of tribal food , but needed training in presenting them with a modern touch and expanded the project into a themed dine-in restaurant. All items on our menu are inspired from tribal cuisines of Jharkhand,” she added.The menu for each day is dependent on the items available — from local produce to fish — all of which is hand-picked from haats and village mandis by Tirkey herself. “Staples like brown rice, chawal chai (a healthy caffeine-free alternative to tea), Dumbu rice balls with molten jaggery) and ragi momos are prepared daily, the other items are listed as per availability. We have kept the ambience and the decor homely; and the food is served on traditional leaf plates to keep an authentic touch. I plan to bring at least 100 women under the banner of Ajam Emba and train them to help revive the traditional cuisine of the state within a year,” Tirkey said.Over the last two years, Tirkey, who has been working in the rural development sector in various capacities on issues like Forest Rights Act and organic produce , has also participated in a large number of events to promote the local cuisine of Jharkhand.Narrating her experience of serving Jharkhand’s own cuisine to people around the world, Tirkey said: “I also participated in the International Film Festival of India in Goa this year where Jharkhand was the partner state. My food stall set up at the Jharkhand Pavilion was appreciated by many and it has further strengthened my belief that curation and protection of the ancient tribal recipes of Jharkhand can become a source of employment for many.”

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