Chef Takes Rural TN Delicacies to Solely South Indian Michelin Star Restaurant
Semma, which is a colloquial Tamil phrase for superior or very good, most likely greatest describes the temper on this New York Metropolis restaurant that acquired its first Michelin star this week. Located within the West Village, Semma is presently the one Michelin-starred South Indian restaurant within the metropolis, as per Bon Appetit.
The Michelin information introduced the checklist for 2022 on October 6. The year-old restaurant is run by hospitality group Unapologetic Meals Roni Mazumdar and chef Chintan Patel. It’s headed by Chef Vijay Kumar, who specialises in regional, rural South Indian delicacies.
Semma celebrates South Indian delicacies with delicacies like kudal varuval (goat intestines), meen pollichathu (fish), nandu masala (crab), nathai pirattal (snail), and naturally, Dindigul biryani, dosas and pesarattu.
These dishes are one thing that Kumar grew up consuming in Natham, Dindigul. It additionally makes use of Ponni rice, which is grown in Tamil Nadu.
The Nathai pirattal is a tribute to Kumar’s grandmother.
“We’ve loads of rice farms [back home]. We might go to her through the holidays in her village (close to Madurai) and would go looking or foraging for snails within the fields — that was our leisure. My grandmother used to make such a tremendous gravy out of snails. That was a singular dish,” mentioned Kumar to Mint.
Talking about his restaurant enterprise overseas, Kumar instructed the New York Instances, “We’re fully specializing in true southern Indian meals, precisely how we grew up consuming it again dwelling.”
They purpose to really symbolize Indian delicacies.
“Although there have been some good Indian eating places right here, there’s nothing that’s actually consultant of our delicacies’s regionality and depth. We’re right here to inform the actual story of India. Lots of these recipes are being forgotten, even in India,” mentioned Roni to the Hindu.
Edited by Yoshita Rao
Sources
‘This ls the Full Record of NYC Eating places That Stored, Earned, or Misplaced Michelin Stars in 2022’ by Nico Avalle for Bon Appetit, Revealed on 06 October 2022
‘South Indian Meals That Goes Again to Its Roots, at Semma’ by Pete Wells for The New York Instances, Revealed on 10 January 2022
‘Manhattan tastes rural Tamil delicacies’ by Shonali Muthalaly for The Hindu, Revealed on 10 November 2021
‘How a South Indian restaurant in New York honours its roots’ by Preeti Zachariah for Mint Lounge, Revealed on 31 January 2022