For decades, the cuisines of the Himalayas remained distant from the palate of India’s capital — separated by geography and tucked away in remote valleys. But when four Monpa women decided to bring the flavours of Arunachal Pradesh’s Chug Valley to Delhi, thanks to WWF and Anthropie, they brought with them far more than recipes. What arrived was a taste of mountains, memory and resilience, quite literally, identity on a plate.
These women run Damu’s Heritage Dine, a fine-dining initiative housed in a 300-year-old restored heritage home in Chug Valley. Their journey shows that food is not merely sustenance; it is heritage — one that depends on the quiet strength of community for its survival.
“I have always loved cooking,” says Rinchin Jomba, one of the women behind Damu’s. She recalls how hesitant they were in the beginning, unsure whether anyone would want to visit an old house to eat local food. But visitors did come — first a few, then many, and now from across India. “Everything we make in Damu’s is organic,” she adds, reflecting the care embedded in every dish.
True to their word, the menu is filled with dishes deeply rooted in Monpa traditions yet served with a contemporary touch.
A Cuisine with Stories and Science
One of their most remarkable dishes, Phurshing Gombu, is a corn tart filled with oleoresins from the Chinese lacquer tree — an ingredient with a powerful backstory. Extracting the resin is a specialised skill. “Not everyone can extract it,” Rinchin explains. “There is only one man in the village who can collect it. If it’s not done properly, a person can get allergic and break out in hives.”
Another standout is the buckwheat noodles, a staple of Chug Valley crafted through an extensive farm-to-table process. After harvest, the grain is ground in a chuskor (an indigenous watermill). The dough is then pressed through the takto shing (a handcrafted noodle maker). Finally, the noodles are seasoned with maan (garlic roots), dangoma (water celery), and a bold chamin made from fermented soybean paste.
These dishes are not only flavourful; they represent the labour, skill and cultural memory required to keep Monpa culinary traditions alive.
Beyond these signatures, the menu features apple tea, a vibrant and refreshing mountain salad, and millet momos made using Rinchin’s award-winning recipe.
From conservation to cuisine: The Monpa woman redefining rural tourism
The seeds of Damu’s were planted when WWF India, under its initiative to nurture Community Conserved Areas, partnered with the women of Chug Valley. What began as a heritage conservation project soon revived fading culinary traditions — and created a sustainable source of income.
It was at this stage that a market perspective became crucial “The problem with most non-profit training programmes is that they don’t start with the market,” says Nishant Sinha, Coordinator of Community-Based Tourism at WWF. “I first identified a gap—tourists on the Guwahati–Dirang–Tawang circuit had no real food experiences. Traditional thalis are everywhere, so we elevated Monpa cuisine with a fine-dining twist. In a rural setting, that contrast becomes the charm and creates a pleasant surprise for visitors.”
The market-first approach ultimately shaped Damu’s Heritage Dine – and its impact is visible on the ground “After we opened Damu’s Heritage Dine, we have become financially independent,” says Rinchin. “The women in the collective can send their children to better schools and tuition.” The restaurant stands today as tangible proof that safeguarding cultural heritage can also drive economic empowerment — especially for women.
A Taste of the Valley, Now in the Capital
In her native Duhumbi tongue, Leiki Chomu extends a simple, heartfelt invitation:
“I want to invite you to come visit us in Chug Valley and to come to Damu’s.”
For those who follow that invitation, what awaits is far more than food. It is a living story — where tradition meets the plate, where heritage is served with contemporary flair, and where the flavours of a remote Himalayan valley find new life.