Thiruvananthapuram – A heartfelt request from a little boy named Shanku has sparked a delicious transformation in Kerala’s Anganwadi kitchens. In a major upgrade to the state’s child nutrition program, the Women and Child Development Department has introduced a revamped, state-wide unified food menu featuring kid-favorite dishes like biryani, pulao, and nutriladdus — making Anganwadi meals more nutritious and appetizing.
The change comes after a viral video showed Shanku expressing his desire for biryani instead of upma, prompting Minister Veena George to promise a review. True to her word, the department has now launched the “Model Food Menu,” rolled out during the state-level Anganwadi reopening celebrations in Pathanamthitta.
The new plan not only enhances flavor but also boosts protein and calorie intake, with milk and eggs served three times a week (up from two). Meals now feature balanced combinations such as egg biryani, vegetable pulao, raita, soy dry fry, kadala mithai, and even payasam, aiming to promote children’s growth without compromising on taste.
Each day brings variety:
- Monday: Milk, puttu, kozhukatta/elayada, rice with green gram curry, leafy vegetable curry, and payasam.
- Tuesday: Nutriladdus, egg biryani or egg pulao with fruit cup, and ragi ada.
- Wednesday: Milk, puttu, kozhukatta/elayada, kadala mithai, rice gruel, veg curry, soy fry, idli, sambar, puttu with green peas curry.
- Thursday: Ragi, rice ada/elayappam, rice with sprouted green gram, amaranth stir fry, sambar, egg omelette, poha with jaggery and banana.
- Friday: Milk, kozhukatta, rice with green gram curry, aviyal, leafy curry, wheat broken pulao.
- Saturday: Nutriladdus, vegetable pulao with egg, raita, and cereal payasam.
Detailed nutritional values and ingredients are also part of the plan, ensuring transparency and consistency. This flavorful initiative is more than a menu change — it’s a child-focused step toward a healthier, happier generation. And for Shanku and thousands like him, the dream of biryani at school is now a joyful reality.
