Chug Valley
The Chug Valley is about 10 Kms from Dirang and offers an unique experience of Monpa culture and its culinary practices. Once we reached there, we were greeted by Lekyi, a Monpa woman from a neighbouring village who took us around the fields and the valley. We first went to see a Chuskor which is an indigenous technique of Monpa community 
to grind millets and grains by using flowing water to run a wooden turbine. We then got to know about making Mon Shugu which is a traditional handmade paper used in Monasteries and prayer wheels. All around were fields where we could see oranges, kiwis and other seasonal fruits being grown.
We then went up to the Village Gompa. In the Center of the fields was an impressive sitting statue of Guru Rinpoche or Padmasambhava, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism.
After walking through the fields, we went up to the old village. Enroute, we met some locals who were dry roasting corn to make it into a snack (Kakung) and we stopped to watch and taste it.
The old village was a quaint collection of original Monpa houses. We were led to a 100 year old house for lunch and it was an unique fusion dining experience blending traditional Monpa cuisine with contemporary culinary techniques. Run by a group of ladies from the village, this curated experience turned out to be one of the top highlights of our trip.
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| Phursung Gombu |
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| Takto Khazi |
The lunch spread included the below dishes:Phursing Gombu - A standout dish which contains a Maize flour dough shaped like a bowl with oleoresins, slowly roasted with yak ghee over a pan of burning charcoal. The resin for the dish is from the seeds and fruits of Phur Shing tree commonly known as Chinese lacquer tree. The roasting is continued until the oil melts and takes a deep black color. Locals believe this dish is beneficial for muscular pain.
Takto Khazi - buckwheat noodles  |
| Tsa Tsa Thukpa |
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| Millet Momos |
seasoned with maan (garlic roots) and dangoma (water celery) and mixed with a pungent chamin (chutney) of fermented soybean paste and solu (chillies).
Millet momos filled with chicken/potatoes and seasonal local greens
Tsa Tsa Thukpa, a brothy soup of boiled corn, with tangy fish-mint
Millet tacos stuffed with local greens and churra (Yak Cheese)
Sweet Dish - Rice fried in yak ghee with crushed walnuts and jaggery
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| Sweet Dish |
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| Millet Tacos |
All the dishes were of outstanding quality and taste. The food was made in the kitchen nearby by a group of ladies and the lady managing it Rinchin Jomba talked to me about how they get up early in the morning, gather the raw materials and start preparing lunch for guests coming for the day. I also took a peek at the Kitchen and the ladies were glad to show me around.
After this spectacular lunch, we left for Tawang. Along the way I reflected on our experience. Tribes like the Monpas have a rich ethnobotanical knowledge of plants and their uses for food and medicine. As the next generation gets educated and move out of the villages, there is a huge risk of all this knowledge being lost to history. This knowledge therefore needs to be preserved before it disappears due to socio-economic changes. Hopefully, the ladies of Chug have made a small beginning.
Bishum Phudung
On the way back from Tawang to Guwahati, we spent a few days in Dirang and it was then that we explored another set of villages near Chug called Bishum-Phudung.
To go to Bishum, we need to go to the end of Sangti valley, park our vehicles and cross over a wooden bridge. Phudung is a village close to Bishum where maize is cultivated apart from foraging wild plants. Nearby, there is an isolated stream and a great place to spend the day by the banks.
Our guide Lopsang who has got a Zoology and Wild Life science masters does local Flora and trekking tours and has 20 people from the upstream villages working for him to promote Eco tourism in this area.
Our village walks, eating the local food and understanding how the Monpas use natural plants for food and medicine gave us an unique perspective. If you are a curious traveller, this is one experience that cannot be missed in Arunachal.
The Chug Valley is about 10 Kms from Dirang and offers an unique experience of Monpa culture and its culinary practices. Once we reached there, we were greeted by Lekyi, a Monpa woman from a neighbouring village who took us around the fields and the valley. 
to grind millets and grains by using flowing water to run a wooden turbine. We then got to know about making Mon Shugu which is a traditional handmade paper used in Monasteries and prayer wheels. All around were fields where we could see oranges, kiwis and other seasonal fruits being grown. 
