Kerala's Veena George and little Shanku's demand for biryani and ‘poricha kozhi’ (chicken fry).

After video of a toddler requesting biryani instead of upma at his Anganwadi went viral, the Kerala government has revised the food menu at state-run childcare centres to include egg biryani, pulav, dal payasam, soya dry curry, nutri laddus, and more.

Health and Women and Child Development Minister Veena George announced the revised unified menu on Tuesday during the state-level Praveshanotsavam, the reopening ceremony of anganwadis. This marks the first time Kerala has implemented a standardised menu across all its nearly 33,000 anganwadis.

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The trigger for the revision was a widely shared video from January 2025, where three-year-old Trijal S Sundhar, fondly called Shanku, was seen wearing a helmet and telling his mother, “I want biryani and chicken fry at the anganwadi instead of upma.” The video caught public attention and soon reached the minister, who promised to take the child’s plea into account.

The new menu offers more delicious, diverse, and nutritious meals, aiming to improve children’s health by reducing sugar and salt intake while increasing protein-rich content, George was quoted as saying in a PTI report. She also added that milk and eggs will now be served three times a week instead of twice.

The Kerala government introduced a scheme to provide milk and eggs to children in 2022.

The revised menu will include breakfast, lunch, and snacks such as kozhukkatta and elayada. Other items featured are wheat crumb pulav, raita, chickpea curry, and traditional Kerala dishes, ensuring variety and balanced nutrition.

In addition to upgrading the food, the state government is also improving infrastructure under the Smart Anganwadi project, which includes modern kitchens, dining areas, study rooms, and play zones. Kerala also recently revised wages for anganwadi workers, over 95% of whom are women.