Vij's Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine [Paperback]

From Vancouver’s acclaimed Vij’s Indian restaurant comes Vij’s: elegant and inspired Indian Cuisine, written by the restaurant’s owners, Vikram Viz and Meeru Dhalwala. It is published by Douglas & McIntyre and it is a beautiful and useful cookbook executed with the same attention to detail one finds at the restaurant. The cooking isn’t traditional Indian fare, and can’t really be traced to any of the subcontinent’s regional cuisines. What it is, is fabulous food, created by fusing contemporary food preparation techniques and materials with one of the world’s most complex cuisines. The book also gives up the recipes to several of the restaurant’s signature dishes, one of which (so you’ll know what you’re dealing with here) calls for a rack of lamb and four cups of whipping cream. I was so taken by this book that I stopped reading it to cook one of its easier dishes. It was easily the best Indian dish I’ve ever prepared, and one of the best I’ve ever eaten. This is the book that’s going to end up dog-eared and much loved in my kitchen.
Brian Fawcett (Books in Canada)

"[The recipes are] made all the easier by clear instructions and an excellent introductory section called 'In the Indian Kitchen' that elucidates both technique and ingredients." (Focus Magazine 20070201)

"Filled with incredible recipes, creative, thoughtful technique, and delightful stories, Vij's invites the home cook into the bustling kitchen of what has been called one of the finest Indian restaurants in the world." (Cookbook Digest 20070301)

"Admit it. You get cravings for Indian food. But it's time to look beyond takeout standards like butter chicken. These days, Indian-inspired menus mix and match cultures and tastes. Invite friends for a buffet full of flavour and spicy aromas, and rent a Bollywood movie. Go Indian -- it's a memorable way to entertain." (Style at Home Magazine 20070530)

"From the twin kitchens of their wildly successful restaurants, Vij's and Rangoli, and now in the pages of their cookbook Vij's: Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine, Vikram Vij and Meeru Dhalwala have changed the way we experience Indian food." (Eat Magazine )

At Vij's, one of North America's most innovative Indian restaurants, owner Vikram Vij and his wife, Meeru Dhalwalla, use the freshest local ingredients and original ideas to create exciting new takes on the cuisines of India. Though far from traditional, the dishes remain true to one glorious hallmark of Indian cooking: fabulous spicing. Among the luscious offerings included here are yogurt and tamarind marinated grilled chicken, seared venison medallions with fig and roasted pomegranate khoa, and marinated lamb popsicles in fenugreek curry. Vegetarian selections abound, with dishes like portobello mushrooms in porcini cream curry, coconut curried vegetables, and jackfruit with cayenne and black cardamom. Recipes for naan, chapattis, raiti, and other sides, staples, vegetables, and desserts allow readers to prepare an Indian feast from beginning to end. As beautiful and sumptuous as the recipes it contains, Vij's is a delicious manifesto for a new style of Indian cooking.

(20070701)

Vikram Vij was born in India and grew up in Amritsar and Mumbai. He studied hotel management in Salzburg, Austria, before moving to Canada to work at the Banff Springs Hotel. He opened the original 14-seat Vij's Restaurant in Vancouver in 1994.

Meeru Dhalwala was born in India but moved to Washington, D.C., at a young age. Prior to moving to Canada, she worked on human rights and international development projects. She and Vikram live in Vancouver.