Veg fried rice, veg biriyani! Kerala overhauls school lunch menu

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Education Department has made changes to the state school lunch menu. Education Minister V Sivankutty has instructed us to prepare vegetable fried rice, lemon rice, and vegetarian biryani one day a week. The Minister explained this in a press release issued today.

The menu is being revised as per the report prepared by an expert committee appointed to scientifically examine and revise the school lunch menu in the state. As part of this, while changing the existing menu, other vegetables should be given in place of the vegetables used in curries on a day, the instruction says.

If only leafy vegetables are served as curries, then pulses or lentils should be added to them. It has been instructed to prepare various types of rice dishes (vegetable fried rice, lemon rice, veg biryani) with fortified rice one day a week. Some vegetable curries (side dishes, kuruma) should be served along with these. The Education Minister said that the idea of ​​giving Chutney prepared with mint, ginger, gooseberry and green mango has also been considered.

Understanding the benefits of small grains, children are being given ragi with moderate amounts of jaggery and coconut, leafy vegetables, soaked flattened rice, and Payasams with carrots, milk or ragi has been included in the menu every week, the Minister said.