In the area of Hauz Khas, one dinner option seemed more unusual than the rest. Rosang was the first place I had read about that specialised in North Indian cooking. Specifically the food is from the 8 North East states and the owner from specifically Manipur where India borders China and Burma. As a result the owner looks what I'd call Asian rather than Indian. Similarly she thought I might be from North India. How quaint.
Two types of homemade sauces with experimental recipes were served for dipping. The vibrant colours and flavours contrasted each other well. My favourite was the red sauce made from ghost chilli and tomato. It had a smokey characteristic that I wrongly guessed was from paprika. It imparted a sweetness overall. The dark sauce was an unusual combination of black mustard leaf, gooseberry juice and chilli. It had a sourness overall.
- Sougri-Mahi - a sour red type of tea made from a flower ground into powder with jaggery and green chilli. Unusual;
- Pork Spare Ribs (marinated in house special blended herbs & spices accompanied with raja mircha chutney) - looked red and vibrant. The outer shell was crispy but unfortunately it and the meat lacked seasoning. It was also a very very fatty rib meaning most of it was wasted as bone and fat;
- Iromba Insang (assorted seasonal vegetables curry with fish paste) - Fish paste, potato and seasonal vegetables combined to be similar to a basic fish-based soup. A thumb-sized ghost chilli segment made this the spiciest dish on the menu and wow it had intense painful tongue-burning capacity;
- Ngatok (no oil fish curry with indigenous spices & aromatic herbs from the region) - ghost chilli, fish with a lot of bones, tomato and North-Eastern flowers and spices that don't have English names. I was assured the yellow colour was not from turmeric;
- Chaak Hao (Manipuri red rice)
The food was much closer to Asian as well with hints of basic homestyle Chinese and South East flavours. It was a complete change to the 2 weeks of butter, ghee, cream and curries. Overall the food wasn't as incredible as I hoped for but it was a different experience at least and made me curious to try this cuisine again.
The host was exceptionally nice. She sat for 20-30mins for a chat and explaining how she has been highly recommended and reviewed, selected to cook for festivals and in hotels, is finally going on a holiday now that her children are older, and will hopefully expand one day to USA. I wish her the best of luck.