New Delhi, March 28 -- On a cold December evening, my husband and I left the comfort of our Jagdalpur hotel and drove some 10km south-east to the village of Kurandi, inhabited by the Bhatra tribe. Gurwari Baghel welcomed us into her home, a mud structure painted bright blue and topped by a terracotta-tiled roof. A single light bulb illuminated her kitchen where she proceeded to show us how chaprah chutney is made. Earlier that morning, at the buzzing haat (market) in Mardum (50km west of Jagdalpur), we had seen sal-leaf bowls brimming with an airy, brownish mass speckled with tiny white nodules-chaprah or the nests and eggs of red weaver ants, which is a staple in Bastar's tribal kitchens.

Chaprah has had a glow-up in the past couple of ...