Meet THE Salad of Summer: The Poriyal.

You’ve never had a better bowl of greens. The key? Heat.

I had a salad the other night. This might seem like quite an ordinary statement, but this was no ordinary salad. All these years I thought I knew salad—Greek, Caesar, Nicoise; bowls filled with frilly Little Gems, slender Tardivo or ruffled Castelfranco, adorned with carefully arranged vegetables, toasted seeds, soft cheeses, pickled shallots, dressed in perfect vinaigrettes. So, yeah, I thought I knew salads. But then, at dinner at Semma this week, I had a salad called Poriyal, and everything changed. 

Semma, if you haven’t been yet, is owned by Roni Mazumdar and Chef Chintan Pandya of Unapologetic Foods; the team behind the cult favorites Dhamaka, Masalawala & Sons, and Rowdy Rooster (they will unveil a Filipino concept next). 

Located on Greenwich Ave, near Perry Street, Semma is the jewel of the family, the most ambitious and glamorous of the Unapologetic kids; it’s been named a Top Ten New Restaurant of the Year by Bon Appetit, one of the Top 50 Restaurants of the Year by The New York Times, and earned a Michelin star, making it the only Indian restaurant in the United States with this honor. 

Chintan, Vijay, and Roni after winning their Michelin Star!

All the praise is totally worth it. The food is fabulous—all of it—it’s bold and badass, flashy and fun; it practically vibrates with energy and soul. At dinner the other night with Diana and Steven we had Peconic snails that were sautéd with tamarind and ginger and served with little puffy blini; a crispy, delicate dosa in the shape of a hamantaschen filled with soft potato and served with sambar and coconut chutney which I’d gladly eat for the rest of my days. There were tender high-heat lamb ribs rubbed in cardamom and tellicherry pepper, a luscious whole sea bass wrapped in banana leaves and steamed with ginger and herbs, and huge tiger shrimp, succulent and juicy, blanketed in curry leaves and green chiles. 

All of it was divine. And yet it was an unassuming bowl of bright green vegetables—a flurry of snow peas, snap peas, pea leaves, and English peas, tossed with chopped shallots, fresh shredded coconut, mustard seeds and whole red chilies—that blew my mind. So, what’s all the fuss? Let me try to explain. 

The full name of this salad, Uzhavar Santhai Poriyal, translates roughly to “stir-fried seasonal vegetables” from the Tamil language. And that’s what the chef, and partner Vijay Kumar, does, however briefly, before he plates the salad. He gives the ingredients just a quick hit in the sizzle of a frying pan, so everything gets a little warm, but still remains crisp and fresh. That flash of heat sharpens the flavors, from fuzzy and blurry into clear focus. And those flavors and textures are dazzling: the summery sweetness of fresh snappy peas in every iteration, matched with the heat of chiles and mustard seeds, and the soft nuttiness of coconut. It is everything, everywhere, all at once: crunchy, spicy, refreshing, fiery, and bright. 

The breezy, beautiful bar at Semma.

Vijay, who has the sweet unbridled energy of a puppy, explained that Poriyal is a dish from deep in the memory banks of his childhood, which he spent in the small town near Madurai, in the Southern part of India. There, he and his mom and grandmother farmed their land, planting, picking, harvesting  and cooking, a set of chores that led him to follow a career in the kitchen. “I have so many amazing memories of helping my mom pick vegetables from our farm. Those memories come back every time I make the dish.” 

The other thing that’s kind of fun about this salad is that its unusual combination of heat – both temperature and spice level – actually helps to keep you cool in summer. So your salad has a little inner cooling mechanism, it’s like having your own internal a/c. And, well, it’s also delicious. 

I loved it so much, I kept spooning more and more from its clay bowl to my plate. Lucky for us, it’s one of Vijay’s most beloved dishes to prepare so you’ll find it on his menu all year long in different combinations; this winter he made it with a solid marriage of mustard greens, red beets, and butternut squash. And his summer version is just perfect for these sweltering days.

Semma can be a tough table to get, but the bar is reserved for walk-ins and it's a sure thing you’ll get a seat. Make a plan and go. I’d love to know what you think of the Poriyal when you do!