OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: SEMMA, NEW YORK

 OUR DINING EXPERIENCE; SEMMA,  NEW YO

For me, our recent visit to New York was a food blogger's dream come true! I had the opportunity to dine at Chef Vikas Khanna's Bungalow,  where we were fascinated by the personal charm of Chef Vikas Khanna, apart from the delicious food.

We then dined at Chef Raveesh Kapoor's IndianAccent. This was a unique experience in tasting Indian fusion food presented so very innovatively by Chef Raveesh  Kapoor. 

The third great "foodie" experience for me was dining at Semma, This Indian restaurant is located at 60, Greenwich Avenue in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan. It is presided over by Head Chef Vijay Kumar, who won the prestigious James Beard Award for the Best Chef in New York State in 2025. Foodies the world over often call this Award the "Oscars of the Culinary World". 

The byline for Semma is  Heritage Southern Indian Cuisine! You can make out the food traces its roots back to the earthy, rural foods of the South Indian State of Tamilnadu, India where Chef Vijay Kumar spent his early years. 

Recently Semma ( which I am told means "Fantastic" in Tamil) was named No 41 in North America's 50 Best Restaurants! This is such a huge honor as Semma became the first Indian restaurant to feature in this much coveted list. Moreover, it has been only 5 years since Semma was founded by Vijay Kumar and his friends and partners Roni Mazumdar and Chintan Pandya. Their aim was to provide diners with food that was "unapologetically Indian." The Michelin Guide summed up this approach by describing Semma as "Indian cooking that does not pander to American expectations"! Semma has retained its Michelin Star for several years in a row.

We were naturally very excited to get a dinner reservation through Seven Rooms.com as at times it can take months to get one. It was all the more thrilling when Chef Vijay Kumar took time to chat with us. 

The decor - as one would expect- is traditionally Indian as seen in the pictures below. 

The drinks on offer had both exotic names and ingredients- all named after places in South India. We chose Konkan ( Tequila, Kokum, Coconut Oil, Chilli, Salt) and Chikmagalur ( Whiskey, Filter Coffee, Chicory, Cream). Both were totally delicious!! 

Since we love sea food, we knew what we wanted for appetizers! Our unanimous choice was Eral Thokku: tiger prawns cooked in a gravy of green chillies, fenugreek, and fresh curry leaves. I considered this by far the best dish of the evening.

We next had what is perhaps the most popular dish in Semma in terms of volume! The Gunpowder Dosa, which was our crisp Masala Dosa with a filling of potato masala, served with chutney powder affectionately called "gunpowder", sambar and two chutneys. . 

For the main course, we selected the Meen Pollichathu- a delicacy from Kerala. In this dish, the fish ( they used sea bass here) is well marinated in spices, wrapped tightly in wilted banana leaf and steam or pan cooked with  tomatoes, ginger and shallots. We were served this with hot steamed rice and an accompanying gravy. While it was enjoyable, we would have preferred it to have been more spicy.

We ended the meal with Elaneer Payasam, a dessert made with tender coconut, coconut milk, cashews, raisins and ghee. This was an excellent way to close the evening.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at Semma. We would like to thank Chef Vijay Kumar and his team for the wonderful dining experience. 

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: INDIAN ACCENT, NEW YORK

 OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: INDIAN ACCENT, NEW YORK

Our travels in the United States have delayed my posting in the blog- today I share my experience in Indian Accent in New York nearly two weeks ago! 

Some of you may have had the pleasure of dining at The Indian Accent in New Delhi.  Located in the  Lodhi Hotel, this restaurant for fine dining was voted the No. 1 restaurant in India by Condé Nast Traveller. It has featured since 2015 in Asia's 50 Top Restaurants.  This group has restaurants in Mumbai and New York as well. During our recent visit to New York, I was thrilled to get an opportunity to dine at The Indian Accent there. This is an upscale Manhattan restaurant situated in the larger premise of Thompson Central Park by Hyatt at 123, W 56th Street. 

I had the great pleasure of meeting the very talented Head Chef Raveesh Kapoor. He has worked earlier in Indian Accent in New Delhi.  He was kind enough to make time for me. He explained what they seek to do to set them apart from other Indian restaurants. His goal is to create innovative presentations of Indian cuisine using his experience and creativity. 

We started with a refreshing mocktail.

I was extremely impressed by Chef Raveesh's culinary skills. He  used traditional Indian vegetables, ingredients and dishes to transform them almost magically to superbly crafted high cuisine offerings. Quite amazing! 

Here are a few examples that stay in my mind:-

Let's start with the first introduction to innovation. Look how cute is this!! Pumpkin and Coconut Shorba with Blue Cheese Naan! The shorba was as good as it looks -served in a small cute black cup. The mini-naans were delicious. 

This was definitely eye catching! Here is Paapdi Chaat - the humble yet legendary Indian street food- after it gets an upmarket styling! 

Guess what this is ? An innovative take on Idli Sambar with a Jackfruit Podimas ! Presented like a sandwich. 

Another treat for the eyes- and the palate! As an admirer of food plating, I couldn't take my eyes off Crispy Uttapam with roast onion chutney. Just imagine- our good old Utappam presented as this multi-colour dish.

Picture above is of- if I recall correctly- Dal Kalbelia, made with lentils in a buttery tomato sauce. It's origins are from our Indian State of Rajasthan.

Now look at this! It's a Medu Vada but made with Tofu. Served with Madras gunpowder and sambar cream ! The plating reminds me of a welcoming smiley!! 

Another interesting dish was made with Sweet Potato (Shakarkhandi) garnished with Rajasthani style  crispy okra topped with fresh herbs. 

Picture below is of Potato Kofta, Punjabi Kadhi, Achari Mirch

This superb dish was the Tawa Paneer with Lauki (Bottle Gourd) Curry. Lip smacking!! 

Finally the delectable dessert:  a creative take on a dessert from Tamilnadu: Black Rice Kesari paired with  Coconut Payasam 

Here's a clip I saw in Instagram on Chef Raveesh in On The Clock. 

So signing off with grateful thanks to Chef Raveesh Kapoor, Head Chef at Indian Accent, New York. I promise we will visit again! 

If you happen to be in New York and are looking for some excellent Indian food- served in spectacular style- look no further than Indian Accent! 

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE : BUNGALOW, NEW YORK

 OUR DINING EXPERIENCE : BUNGALOW, NEW YORK 

On May 13, 2026, I was thrilled to tick off one of the top items in my bucket list. My husband, Prem and I were dining at Bungalow, 24, First Avenue, New York! This is a renowned restaurant in which Chef Vikas Khanna - often described as an global ambassador of Indian gastronomy - is a Partner. 

Besides being excited at dining here, we were thankful that we had got a reservation in the first place! Trust me, it is very, very difficult to make a reservation. You have to book 20 days in advance of the day you wish to dine. Guess what? All the slots get grabbed in some insane time like 10 seconds!! The good news is that once you have a reservation and reach Bungalow, you can be assured of a memorable experience. 

We had the privilege of meeting Chef Vikas Khanna, who was recently named in Time mag's 100 Most Influential People of 2026! He makes it a point to greet diners as often as he can. Much to my delight, we spoke of my blog and he remembered my picture. He penned a gracious message in my copy of his book, " Flavours First: An Indian Chef's Journey ".

I reminded him of his praise for the food from our Mangaluru area, where he studied, which he warmly acknowledged. For me, this was the highlight of our conversation. Coming from a Master Chef like him, our Konkani cuisine has got a richly deserved boost in the eyes of the culinary world!! 

We began the dinner with Nilgiri Tandoori Prawns as starters. These jumbo prawns were huge in size  and absolutely delicious! 

For drinks, we went through the list of innovative offerings. I had the Lucky Cheng: clarified green curry infused Gin, Lime, Kewar, and Crispy Green Curry Leaf. Prem chose to have Paan Sour: vodka, Paan chutney, kewar, and dehydrated rose petal dust. 

For the entree, we had the Chicken Amritsari eaten with Butter Tandoori Rotis. The succulent pieces of chicken were richly marinated and served in a thick, creamy sauce made of charred tomato, fenugreek, tandoori spice mix and cashews. 

We decided to have The Mango Three Way for dessert. This was crafted with homemade Mango ice cream, rasberry coulis and candied fruits.

Bungalow has a lovely Indian style decor in keeping with Chef Vikas Khanna's love for his homeland. 

The dinner finally came to an end! We thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience at Bungalow. This memory will stay with us forever. 

"BOLLYWOOD STREET BEATS" COOKING EXPERIENCE WITH CRIMSON KITCHEN

"BOLLYWOOD STREET BEATS" COOKING EXPERIENCE WITH CRIMSON KITCHEN 

Living in San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area, would you like to have some famous Indian snacks such as Vada Pav, Ragda Patties, Frankies, and Mango Lassi? Would you like to have them home cooked rather than having them at a restaurant? If the answer to the two questions is a resounding, "Yes", here comes the third. Would you like to learn how to make these yummy dishes yourself? 

If you wish to do so, I would recommend you to sign up for Bollywood Street Beats: A Bollywood Cooking Experience by Meghna Agarwal of Crimson Kitchen. 

For readers outside of India, who are not familiar with the context, Mumbai, the financial capital of India, was earlier known as Bombay. It is home to the famous Hindi film industry known the world over as Bollywood. Mumbai is equally famous for the plethora of street food loved by millions across a wide spectrum of society. These are available almost everywhere, all through the year, in Mumbai.  

Recently, my husband and I signed up for Meghna's class on making popular street food. This was conducted in her elegant place in the Noe Valley of San Fransisco. It is one of the many classes she offers. Ours was a small group of 5. We first enjoyed a talk on the history of these foods. We then got down to business- making these dishes. 

For those who may not know about these dishes, here's a brief description: 

Vada Pav : one of the most popular street foods, this is made with a deep fried potato dumpling placed in the middle of special kind of bun called 'Pav". Relished with accompanying dips such as Sweet and Spicy Chutney and Green Coriander Chutney.

Ragda patties:- potato pattis/pattice covered with a layer of cooked white peas- eaten with spicy and sweet chutneys

Frankies : a speciality of Mumbai. They are like a wrap with a filling of chicken or assorted veggies. We made ours with chicken. 

Mango Lassi: a delicious smoothie made with mango pulp and curds.

We were delighted to find that Meghna's class was highly participative. She got everyone involved. In our class, instead of assigning a few to make a particular dish, she got us to make all the dishes together. That was really a good team effort! 

Our group identifies different types of Indian spices- many of which we used in today's cooking class. 

Expert and novice work together ! 

Vada Pav, Frankie, and Mango Lassi - which we made- are seen in this picture.  

Our thanks go out to Meghna for making this a fun learning event.  The recipes were given to us in a neatly formatted way which made for easy understanding. We will remember her whenever we make these dishes at home! 

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: MYLAPORE AT SAN RAMON, CA.

 OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: MYLAPORE AT SAN RAMON, CA. 

When you mention "Mylapore" to someone like my husband who knows Chennai ( Madras in the old days) so well, they will speak of the famous locality in that city. Mylapore is one of the oldest localities of Chennai. It is typically traditional and conservative - famous for the  Kapaleeshwarar  Temple built in the 7th century.  

In our current trip to the United States, we were naturally interested to hear that there was a chain of "Mylapore" restaurants in the Bay Area of California. We drove down to the one at San Ramon, the latest in the chain. There are Mylapore restaurants in Fremont, San Jose, Pleasanton, Folsom and Sunnyvale as well.

The one in the San Ramon Valley Boulevard of San Ramon is open from 8.00 am to 10 pm on all days of the week. The food is exclusively vegetarian and is focussed more on South Indian cuisine. 

We were really hungry and opted for their Thali. This was a complete meal in itself. It had a generous portion of hot steamed rice ( with ghee to be sprinkled on it). To go with the rice, we had mulangi (radish) sambar and Udupi Rasam. The side dishes were Keerai Masiyal ( a side dish made with greens- usually spinach), Beetroot Poriyal, Karamani ( black-eyed beans) Sundal. We also had a bowl of the inevitable curd rice.

The usual accompaniments served were papadam, pickle, and two types of chutneys. The sweet at the end of the meal was Kesari Bath. 

We also had on the table button idlis  with two types of chutney and sambar and masala dosa again served with sambar and chutney. 

Over all the food was very good., the thali being really sumptuous! 

Typical of a restaurant of it's type in the US, self-service is the name of the game. You place your order, collect your food, and at the end of the meal, you need to clear up after you. Judging from the number of people at the restaurant that day, it appeared to us that Mylapore is a popular eating place. 

Many people eat here while others order food using the Take Away option -where the food is parceled to be taken home. Orders can be placed online as well. The rates were very reasonable for the quality of the dishes. 

Overall, it was an enjoyable dining experience for us. If you are in that area and crave for South Indian food, you can try out one of the Mylapore restaurants! 

SPROUTED KALA CHANA SALAD

 SPROUTED KALA CHANA SALAD

Today's recipe is for a sprout salad made with sprouted Black Chickpeas called Kala Chana in Hindi. These sprouted chickpeas are highly nutritious being rich in protein and fibre while being of low calorie.

Since Sprouted Kala Chana is an integral ingredient in this salad, here's how you would sprout the Kala Chana. Wash and soak the Kala Chana  overnight or for 8-10 hours. Next morning, drain the water from the Kala Chana, tie the chana in a wet muslin cloth and keep it to sprout. You will find them fully sprouted after a day or so.

These days we are fortunate to get sprouted Kala Chana ready for use in online platforms or departmental stores. This saves us a lot of time and effort. I only use the store-bought Sprouted Kala Chana these days. 

I prefer to steam cook the sprouted Kala Chana as they become more easy to digest. 

This healthy salad can be served as a protein boosting supplement to your main meal. 

Ingredients:

• Sprouted Kala Chana (Black Chickpeas), 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups
• Onion, 1
• Tomato, 1
• Cucumber, 1/2 
• Green Chillies, 2
• Coriander Leaves, 2 tbsp
• Lemon Juice, 2 tsp 
• Chaat Masala, 1 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Chilli Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Roasted Peanuts, 2 tbsp 

Method:

Wash and soak the Kala Chana  overnight or for 8-10 hours. Next morning, drain the water from the Kala Chana, tie the chana in a wet muslin cloth and keep it to sprout. You will find them fully sprouted after a day or so.

Steam cook the sprouted Kala Chana for about 10 minutes. Allow this to cool

Peel and finely chop the onion

Wash and chop the tomato and cucumber 

Finely chop the green chillies and coriander leaves

In a salad bowl, mix together the cooled sprouted Kala Chana, chopped onion, tomato, cucumber, green chillies and roasted peanuts

To this add the salt, chaat masala, chilli powder and lemon juice

Mix everything well and garnish with coriander leaves

Serve immediately

CELEBRATING 13 YEARS OF BLOGGING !

 CELEBRATING 13 YEARS OF BLOGGING ! 

March 21 will always be a special day for me! It was on this day 13 years ago that I started my food blog, "Cooking With Shobana".  As they say, " Another Year! Another Great Reason to Celebrate! " 

Since our start in 2013, we have come a long, long way.  When I started this blog, encouraged by my husband and partner in this venture, I never imagined that it would still be going strong beyond a decade. I am happy to say it now has close to 1100 posts- mostly recipes. Over time it has had over 5.3 million page views. 

Nothing escapes AI these days- not even cooking blogs! A friend shared with me an AI overview that she had come across. It said, '(the blog) focusses on home style Indian cuisine, providing detailed steps, tips and personal culinary experiences.It is known for its extensive collection of traditional vegetarian dishes and curated recipes."  It concluded with : " The blog is highly regarded for it's authentic, simple approach to daily Indian cooking! " 

That, for me, is really gratifying! 

My sincere thanks go out to my family, friends and followers who have always been a source of encouragement and support. 

If you are a new follower of "Cooking With Shobana", I would like to remind you that you can also catch us on Instagram  or on our Facebook Page .

Thanks once again! I look forward to your feedback and comments.