With increasing globalisation and availability of all kinds of cuisines at the comfort of your home, it is not surprising to find a Lebanese, Mexican, or Italian restaurant in many parts of the national Capital. Moreover, regional foods like Gujarati, Maharashtrian, and South Indian are also easy to find. However, the Northeast remains one of the regions in the country, which has still not been explored much, at least in terms of food.

Also Read: After Tea, Can North-East Ace The Coffee Cultivation?

Making an effort to change that concept is this soul-food community - located in Gurugram’s Galleria Market called OMO - run by Chef Vanshika Bhatia. Through this endeavour, she aims to introduce the novel flavours of the region to the people of Delhi every weekend. Recently, the eatery offered a special Northeast-style a la carte menu, and the food was absolutely delicious. Sourcing local ingredients from the ground, the chef travels all the way to these areas to pick and choose fresh produce.

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This vegan-friendly soul-food community offers a range of pure vegetarian, gluten-free and healthy options on its menu. Giving a fusion touch to traditionally used ingredients from the Northeast, the community food space offered an all-encompassing menu. We began with the roasted pumpkin soup, which was topped with char-grilled pumpkins. It was the perfect soul-soothing treat for winters. Next up, we tried their bestseller king oyster mushroom, tingmo. The soft, bun-like bread is a specialty of the region. The king oyster mushrooms are commonly grown in the northeastern states. It’s a chunky and mushy delight.

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Source: Tingmo and King Oyster Mushrooms/OMO

This was followed by black fried rice, which is a specialty from Manipur. The delicious treat was made of black rice sourced from the region, mixed with scallions, kidney beans and a host of spices. The last bit of our mains consisted of a rich, green spinach-based spaghetti that tastes creamy, healthy and tasty. The meal was finished off with the star of the experience, the Assamese tea mousseline and pomelo gel. The dessert was a delicious re-imagination of a filo pastry, where paper-thin layers were sandwiched with a French-style mousseline cream infused with flavours of Assamese tea. Dusted off with powdered sugar, there were hints of pomelo gel, made with a special citrus fruit found in the foothills of the Northeast.

Black Fried Rice/OMO

Amazed by the delicate texture and exquisite flavours of the dessert, we’ve fetched a recipe of the Assamese tea mousseline and pomelo gel for you to try at home. 

Ingredients: 

•    5 filo pastry stacked together 

Method: 

•    Stack the sheets together and bake at 190 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 mins.  

For tea mousseline:  

•    282 ml milk tea  

•    71 gm sugar castor  

•    29 gm corn starch  

•    71 gm butter  

Source: Assamese Tea Mousseline with pomelo gel/OMO

Method:  

•    Boil the milk. Add corn starch and sugar and cook until it thickens. Take off the heat and add the butter. Cool the pastry cream.  

•    Whip the cooled pastry cream with the butter until it reaches a buttercream consistency. 

For pomelo gel: 

•    200 ml pomelo juice  

•    52 gm sugar  

•    4 gm agar  

Method: 

•    Boil the pomelo juice and sugar. Add the agar agar and let it set. 

•    Layer 3 sheets of the baked filo with mousseline cream and pomelo gel.