Rosang Cafe is back with chef Mary lalboi introducing an array of herbs that we didn’t know existed. By Surabhi Jajodia
From the unique lanterns to the organic northeastern herbs used in the food, everything is more rooted and cultural at Rosang Café. Being the first restaurant to bring the food of all eight northeastern states under one roof, it has reopened after four months, reviving ancient wisdom, garden-freshness and earthy flavours in a bigger and better sprawl.
Owner and chef Mary lalboi chose a rain-washed day to announce her comeback. Warm with dim lights and simple furniture, the ambience was ethnic, down to the native crockery. When we ordered lemon Assamese tea, the waiter came with mini kettles on a tray which could be disengaged to reveal a dainty cup below.
“This relaunch is special because this time I have my son as the manager here. He is a good football player but could not get selected to the national squad because he has flat feet. So, he has taken on the family business. All the spices are organic and sourced from homes in Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Meghalaya. None of our ingredients is picked up from commercial markets,” lalboi told us. Rosang, which means God’s gift, uses a succulent bamboo shoot that is filled with a unique kind of liquid from the remotest part of Nagaland. “Also, the soil in the northeast is blessed and fertile. We do not need to use any fertilisers. Eighty per cent of the food here is cooked without oil and spices. Yet the food is rich in flavours because of the organic herbs we add into it”, she said.
The first dish was a one-flower beverage which is called “Tinga mora” in Assamese. It is rarely available and its sour leaves are often used to bake fish. As northeastern cuisine doesn’t have many appetisers, lalboi used the leaf with a dash of tamarind to make a cola-coloured drink that was a great combination of sweet, sour and spicy. It sort of primed all our tastebuds.
Heading on to starters, there were the familiar momos, stuffed with sautéed chicken and herbs, all moist and bursting in their thin skins, made with the famous Manipuri spice hadcora, which gave it a lemony tang. Maroi Bora, also known as Manipuri pakoras, came deep-fried but hardly left an oily tint on our fingers. A perfect combination of softness and crispiness. Also, the chilli dip served with the platter complemented it perfectly.
But what surprised us more than pleasantly was the special fish dish from Arunachal Pradesh called Nga Thongba. Steamed in banana leaf and topped with sauteed vegetables and herbs, it broke the stereotype that a healthy bite could not make the grab-grub menu. Though lalboi tweaked it for urban tastes, back home this is basically a preparation for which the fish is cut into bite-sized pieces and intentionally mashed a bit so that it disintegrates and can be even had in a soupy avatar with potatoes, cumin and chilli.
The main course had some surprises in store. like the Manipuri special red rice which was non-sticky and grainy and could be a healthy alternative for the refined variety we are used to. It married perfectly with the chicken and mutton dishes, both an expert take with ginger and herbs that did not feel bland at all.
Another unique curry was the Manipuri Yellow Pea one which had the chef’s special green peppers. The Mizo vegetarian stew was a discovery too and broke the myth that northeastern broths were all about meats. laced with vibrant green chilli slices, this one was so simple yet rounded that you did not feel like adding a sauce or tempering it with anything else.
The dessert was Wild Red Rice Tea, a hot beverage made with wild rice served with home-made jaggery and lemon. It gave a sense of fullfilment to our mind and bellies. And there was no heaviness at all by the end of it. Chef lalboi is clearly committed to her kind of food and has been successful in breaking through the cosmopolitan palate in a metro.
