Ethnosh™ guides you to the most delicious ethnic food in your area, garnished with the stories that bring the flavor to life. Immigrant and locally owned monthly food series!
It’s NoshUp time! That’s right, tomorrow night, Wednesday, September 10 from 6-8pm, is the next Nosh Up at Mami Nora’s in Morrisville. Come get a plate full of some great Peruvian cuisine, sample agua frescas, and meet the Mami Nora’s Family who bring all this goodness to Morrisville.
$5 at the door gets you a tasty platter of signature samplers. Beer, wine and other beverages are available for purchase.
In the meantime, we’ve cooked up our Ethnosh signature story sampler, featuring beautiful images from Felecia Perry and a flavorful writeup by Cece and Meg of Food Diary of a City Girl! Check out the full serving on Facebook and enjoy the taste below. See you tomorrow, Wednesday, September 10th!
- What: Ethnosh
- When: September 10, 6-8pm
- Where: Mami Nora’s, 9575 Chapel Hill Road, Cary, NC 27560
- Cost: $5
Who’s You Mami?
What do Peru, Morrisville & rotisserie chicken have in common? Mami Nora’s Peruvian Restaurant located in Morrisville, North Carolina, of course! It all started with the Palma family, husband Julio of Peru, and wife Nora of El Salvador, after whom the business was named.
Prior to calling The Triangle home, the couple and their family lived in Maryland, but they became acquainted with North Carolina when visiting family members that reside in Durham. The family always embraced the Tar Heel State’s quality of life and reasonable cost of living so much so, they decided the hustle and bustle and high cost of living in Maryland was no longer a good fit for their family. The growing foodie scene was especially enticing to the family, who at the time had started toying with the idea of having a family restaurant.
Around this time, son Ranbir, finished serving in the Army and decided to go to culinary school. Once he graduated, his parents developed the idea of starting a family restaurant. Everyone was on board and Mami Nora’s Peruvian restaurant was soon to be born. Drawing from their heritage, the concept of “Pollo a la Brasa” (rotisserie chicken spinning over charcoal) was a natural fit for their restaurant. In Lima, Peru, you will find many Pollerias (restaurants specializing in chicken). The concept is also quite popular in New York and Maryland. The family knew they would offer a concept that was new to the area and that was a risk, however, they also knew that people in the Triangle are receptive to new and different cuisines. Especially DELICIOUS ones!
So how does Mami Nora’s rotisserie chicken differ from standard rotisserie chicken? Mami Nora’s uses Natural Wood Charcoal. These are larger chunks of hardwood that are burned. This type of charcoal burns hotter and lasts longer and has no preservatives that you may find in other charcoals. The chicken is a secret family recipe that has been passed down and tweaked over the years. We tried to get it! But it’s in the VAULT!! What we did find out was that the chicken goes through a marinating process. Once that is complete, it takes over an hour for the chicken to cook on the rotisserie. As it cooks and the fat melts & drips onto the charcoal, the liquid turns into smoke which infuses into the chicken for additional flavor. Now that’s different than any rotisserie chicken we’ve ever had. How about you?
Rotisserie chicken is not the only hot item on Mami Nora’s menu. In Peru, the most popular sides rotisserie chicken is paired with are French fries and a salad. Mami Nora’s rotisserie chicken comes with two regular sides. The assortment of sides include white rice, black beans, house salad, hand cut fries, cole slaw, chicken soup and yellow corn. Their premium sides include yucca fries and maduros (fried sweet ripened plantains). Off the menu, you can order tostones. These are plantains (not ripened) that are sliced, fried, mashed, fried a second time and sprinkled with garlic salt. Are you feeling adventurous? Give it a whirl Triangle foodies!
Mami Nora’s (Morrisville)
9575 Chapel Hill Road
Cary, NC 27560
Ethnosh will be a traveling series with one event every month at a different locally owned, independent and ethnically owned restaurant! If you’re interested in being a food blogger for one of these events or recommending a location for this Ethnosh event, contact Stacey Sprenz or Jennifer Martin today!