For years, New Yorkers who wanted certain flavors from southern India would venture to steam-table restaurants in New Jersey or eastern Queens to find classic items like beef ularthiyathu or fish moilee — dishes found in millions of households around the world but not widespread on New York restaurant menus.

Now, a spate of recent Manhattan openings like Chatti, Kanyakumari and before them Semma , which the New York Times named New York’s best restaurant this week, are having a moment in the city’s dining spotlight.

Their rise marks a turning point for South Asian food in New York, which has been dominated for decades by Mughlai cuisine: the westernized “butter chicken and saag paneer” restaurants in which waves of immigrant entrepreneurs found success serving Americans nationwide.

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