Customer Reviews

Vij's: Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I have to say that I appreciate this book and that it's well done, however I find the dishes to be more eclectic and individualistic interpretations of this kind of cooking than things I find I'd rush to make at home. For example Vij's features very liberal use of ghee as opposed to moderate amounts of oil in the tadkas; homage to alu gobhi is a pate of the vegetables baked and pureed with heavy cream (similar to mashed potatoes); and so on. That said the recipes I've tried out have been very nice ("alu gobhi" pate included), and the information provided has been well presented, instructive and useful.

One think I really like about this book: Paradoxically, their recipe for garam masala is a very usable blend that is very predominantly cumin seed, so it's not as wild-and-crazy shahi/restaurant-style a taste, but rather it lends itself to more liberal use and for a final product that is more reminiscent of homestyle flavors.

Certainly this book fills a niche, and it is nice. It's just not the most home-cook-useful book I've ever used. I'm glad I have it, but I don't find myself relying on it often. I say this as one who has never had the opportunity to experience the Vij restaurants--I'm just examining the book on it's own merits. My 2 cents... hope it helps someone!

This is a brilliant book. I have been cooking Indian food for over 30 years, and this book has totally changed the way I think about Indian cooking. Where many Indian cookbooks have a long list of ingredients, this one tends to have fewer ingredients, but they are absolutely the *right* ingredients, and not in stinting quantities. The result is flavors that are crisp and bright.

Because of the clear instructions and illustrations, I am now making my own paneer (cheese) at home. It's far superior to anything available in the stores and is much cheaper (less than $2 a pound if you get milk on sale).

I originally hesitated to buy this book because I'm vegetarian and many of the recipes are for meat and seafood, but I'm very glad I got it. The non vegetarian recipes can often easily be adapted for meatless use. And there are quite a few meatless recipes.

There are some editorial anomalies. For example in the recipe titled "Sautéed Arugula and Spinach with Paneer and Roasted Cashews," the arugula and spinach is in fact never sautéed. It is added to the liquid curry at the very end and cooked until wilted and heated through. Go figure. (Great recipe by the way, but reduce water to one cup from three.)

I also found that the authors tend to use more liquid than I would. If you are an experienced cook and you feel that a recipe calls for too much liquid, trust your instinct and go with less to start with. You can always add additional if you need it. The only time this was a problem for me was when I made a lentil rice pilaf, using the quantity called for - it was one of the first recipes I made. There was so much liquid I had to cook it down much longer than I would have liked and the result was mushy. The flavor, however, was superb. I'll make it again often, but with much less liquid. (In this recipe, the problem could simply be a difference in the rice and lentils these cooks use compared to what I'm using, although at least two other reviewers have mentioned the same problem.) I have often also significantly reduced the amount of salt called for.

Despite these quirks I'm giving the book a full five stars. It's a beautiful book and the food is magnificent.

I've tried a few recipes out of this book. It is definitely clear and the outcome is quite excellent. There are a few recipes that can be done fairly quickly and easily, and many that are more complicated.

In addition to the content, the book is also quite aesthetically pleasing.

I have bought several indian food cookbooks, hoping to find some recipes that weren't comprised of ingredients that either I couldn't pronouce or couldn't find. I have found it! I have made many of the recipes from this book and they were really easy! I can't wait until they come out with the next one!

i am fortunate to live in vancouver and have had the opportunity to enjoy Vij's restaurant in person, so i jumped at the chance to know some of these secrets for home. The coconut curried vegetable dish is fantastic and i can't wait to try the lamb popsicles, just like the restaurant serves, but i started with the pork tenderloin w/ spinach and fig and came away disappointed. i followed this recipe to the T, but it was soupy, not thick, and the figs have no chance at being stars in this one. there must be mistakes in this recipe, but will try again with others.

My husband gave me this book after I asked him for a cookbook of Indian food. At first I was a little disappointed because it didn't seem like food you find in a traditional Indian restaurant but then I started making a few of the recipes. Everything I've made from it has been wonderful! My favorites are the chicken curry and the salmon potato cakes. Oh wait, I also love the yellow lentil curry and make it about once a month. Gosh! I guess I have several favorites!
The one downside to this book is that many of the recipes take a lot of time. I literally spent an entire afternoon preparing one of the chicken dishes for me and my husband recently--but it was divine! (It was a marinated, then grilled chicken served with rice, a tomato curry and a garlic/cashew mixture sprinkled on top.)
I think I'll ask for the other Vij cookbook for my next gift.

This is my first review on amazon in ages (if ever). I felt the need to say that if anyone is hesitating to buy this book because they think it may be advanced, i can assure you it isn't. I had(ve) relatively no experience with cooking indian cuisine, but i love eating it. This cook book is one of the easiest to follow i've seen and everything i've cooked from it has come out amazingly. buy it you won't be disappointed, the lamb popsicle recipe alone is worth the price of the book. buy and enjoy!