Vij's: Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine [Paperback]

Meeru Dhalwala (Author), Vikram Vij (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 7, 2006

At Vij's, one of North America’s most innovative Indian restaurants, owner Vikram Vij and his wife Meeru 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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre; 1 edition (September 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1553651847
• ISBN-13: 978-1553651840
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,279 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Asian > Indian

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!!, November 10, 2006

By 

A. R. Tupper (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Vij's: Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine (Paperback)

Vij's restaurant (Vancouver B.C.) has been one of my favorite placed to eat for some time now. For the money, you'd be hard pressed to find better food anywhere. Having said that, I was admittedly a bit nervous about trying to recreate any of these dishes in my own kitchen. I'd rate my self as a moderately skilled chef at best, and didn't know the first thing about preparing Indian food.

Anyways, I couldn't resist the temptation to try. My first effort was a cilantro-mint chicken curry. I must say it was incredible. The whole house smelled amazing while I was cooking. I invited my parents over to try the results and they couldn't stop commenting on how delicious the dish was.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes Indian food and wants to try preparing it for themselves, or would like to add a few incredible recipes to their repertoire.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great tastes and easy recipes, November 20, 2006

By 

C. Sanders "T. T." (K.C., Kansas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Vij's: Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine (Paperback)

I *love* Vij's restaurant, so I had pre-ordered this cookbook for myself and a friend. I find the recipes in this book very easy to follow, and they do not use a bunch of hard-to-find ingredients. I'm very pleased.

One warning - the recpie for "Goat or Lamb Curry" on pg. 80 calles for WAY TOO MUCH salt (2 TABLEspoons)!! Cut that in half or less when you make it. This must have been a misprint - maybe they meant 2 TEAspoons? Even that would be a lot. There is no way that much salt in correct, but I followed the recipe. If you could ignore the salt, the taste of the (lamb) curry was delicious.

I have also made one of the rice and cauliflower dishes - that was good, but then I like the taste of cumin.

The one I am really looking forward to making is the short-ribs dish. Vij told me that in the restaurant they cook the ribs at 200 degrees for something like 6 HOURS. The book calls for a more moderate time, like 3 hours. I'm sure it will be delicious.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific cookbook, February 25, 2007

By 

Karthik R (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Vij's: Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine (Paperback)

I don't usually write reviews [for cookbooks] but I just had to write one for Vij's book. I read a lot of cookbooks but I have never once been inspired or impressed with any book on Indian cuisine (except perhaps Chilis to Chutneys). This is the first one that really caught my attention and here's why: Vij's philosophy, much like early California cuisine, emphasizes the use of fresh local [north American] ingredients (many of which aren't normally used in Indian cooking). When cooked with fresh Indian spices, the results are just spectacular. I never thought Arugula, Kale and Butternut Squash would taste so good in an Indian curry. Even if you're vegetarian, many of the sauces [in the meat/poultry/fish sections] work just as well with Tofu or Paneer. The Seared venison medallions in a pomegranate curry, Striped bass in a sour cream curry, sauteed brussel sprouts and coconut chick pea flour curry are such wonderful treats for your senses.
The book is well-written with lots of pictures and clear concise instructions. I recommend keeping a good stock of fresh spices (especially Cumin, Coriander and black mustard seeds) before cooking with this book. I first read about this restaurant in the NYT last year and have been looking for a book since then. I am not the slightest bit disappointed.