Tribal cuisine is unique owing to its deep connection to the environment. Indigenous communities using ingredients that are naturally available in their surroundings.
They also have traditional cooking techniques like steaming, fermenting, and roasting.
Samvaad is an all-India tribal enclave, begun in 2014 by the Tata Steel Foundation, commemorating legendary freedom fighter Bir Birsa Munda's birth anniversary.
Tribal cuisine was introduced in 2017 as a key thematic element of Samvaad and the cuisine emerged from a simple realisation: Food is more than sustenance -- it is memory, medicine, history and community.
Every tribal group carries a distinctive culinary legacy shaped by local ecology, seasonal rhythms and sustainable living practices. For generations, these time-honoured practices were nurtured within homes and passed down quietly.
Through this exercise to showcase their cuisine, the Tata Steel Foundation brings these flavours to prominent hospitality spaces, reaffirming its commitment to cultural dignity, economic empowerment and the celebration of India's living tribal heritage.
Laxmi Hansda, an emerging Jharkhand home cook and entrepreneur from Sarjamda, East Singbhum, who has been associated with Samvaad since 2019, introduces Adrika Anand to her Leto recipe.
A hearty, restorative one-pot dish made with semi-ground arwa (broken) rice and tender pieces of chicken or mutton, similar to a khichdi, it is moist, mildly-spiced and nourishing. The most authentic version is cooked over firewood and is celebrated for its aroma and wholesome taste.
In the Santhal community, Leto is not an everyday dish, buts prepared mainly on special cultural and agricultural occasions, when food is meant to be shared communally and symbolises bountifulness.
The Dal Pitha recipe comes from home cook Neelam Usha Minj. Originally a teacher, today, she is committed to promoting environmentally-friendly food rituals rooted in the ecological knowledge of the Asur people.
Prepared from rice flour and chana dal (Bengal gram), Dal Pitha is shaped into soft dumplings and steamed. It can also be enjoyed at breakfast or as an evening snack.
It carries deep cultural meaning and is closely connected to post-harvest rituals.
Gratitude. Abundance. Community togetherness. These are the various emotions tied up in a plate of Dal Pitha.
After the paddy harvest is completed and the grains are brought to the threshing floor, a small portion of rice is intentionally left behind in the field. This remaining grain the Asur folks later collect through a ceremonial procession, remembering nature and the spirits believed to protect the harvest. On this auspicious day, Dal Pitha is prepared to mark the harvest's completion.
Leto
Recipe by Laxmi Hansda
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
- 2 cups arwa or semi-ground rice
- 500 gm chicken or mutton, cut into small pieces
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- ½ tsp haldi or turmeric powder
- ½ tsp red chilly powder
- ½ tsp jeera or cumin powder
- Salt to taste, about 1 tsp
- 4 cups water
Method
- Heat the mustard oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or a kadhai over medium heat.
Add in the chopped onion and sauté until golden brown.
Next add the ginger paste, garlic paste, chopped green chillies.
Sauté for about a minute until aromatic.
Stir in the turmeric powder, red chilly powder, cumin powder and saute briefly to release the spice flavours.
Now add in the chicken or mutton pieces and cook over medium heat until the meat is lightly browned.
Add in the semi-ground arwa rice and mix well so the rice is evenly coated with the spices and the meat.
Pour in the water, add the salt and stir gently.
Cover and cook over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the rice is soft and the meat is fully tender, and it has a thick, moist consistency. - Serve hot, accompanied by fresh green chutney or a simple salad.
Dal Pitha
Recipe by Usha Minj
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
- 250 gm arwa or semi-ground rice
- 150 gm chana dal or Bengal gram
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 2 red chillies, finely chopped or crushed
- Salt to taste, about 1 tsp
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tbsp jeera or cumin seeds
- Dash oil or a tsp butter + extra oil for greasing the steamer
Method
- Soak the arwa rice overnight.
- Soak the chana dal overnight in a separate bowl.
- Finely grind the soaked arwa rice into a smooth paste.
Semi-grind the soaked chana dal so it retains a slightly coarse texture.
For the dal stuffing:
- Heat mustard oil in a saucepan or a kadhai.
Add in the cumin seeds and let splutter.
Add the red chillies, ginger-garlic paste and sauté until aromatic.
Now add the semi-ground chana dal and cook over medium heat, stirring well.
Add the salt and cook until the dal mixture is dry and well-cooked.
Keep aside and cool slightly.
For the rice dough:
- In another saucepan, cook the ground arwa rice paste over low to medium heat.
Stir continuously for about 10 minutes until it thickens and cooks.
Once cooked, add in the oil/butter and mix well.
The consistency should be firm enough to knead into a smooth dough.
Take a small portion of the slightly-cooled rice dough and shape it into like a bowl using your fingers.
Fill with the prepared chana dal stuffing.
Carefully seal and shape it into a round or oval dumpling.
Steaming:
- Grease an idli steamer or momo steamer lightly.
Arrange the prepared Dal Pithas in it without overcrowding.
Steam for 20 minutes until fully cooked. - Serve Dal Pitha, hot or cold with green chutney, tomato chutney or mustard chutney.
© 2026