"At Vij's I have single-handedly changed the way people eat. If a couple comes, I make a joke, 'You've been married for twenty years and you don't want to share a plate?'" -- Vikram Vij



A Conversation with Vikram Vij and Meeru Dhalwala
Interview and Photo by Tara Lee
Vij's: Elegant & Inspired Indian Cooking, by Vikram Vij and Meeru Dhalwala,
Douglas & McInyre 2006, $40



In 1994, Vikram Vij opened a fourteen-seat café on West Broadway in the hopes of realising his grandfather’s dream of owning the “finest restaurant in the world.� Eleven years later, people from all over the world flock to Vij’s restaurant and the next door Rangoli on West 11th to sample fabulous Indian culinary creations. The long awaited Vij’s: Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine (Douglas & McIntyre) features such menu favourites as the famed lamb popsicles in fenugreek cream curry, as well as a host of other tantalising dishes. Vij’s is of course, about the food but it is equally about the restaurant, its loyal staff, and most importantly, the evolving relationship between Vij and his life and kitchen partner, Meeru Dhalwala. Together, they invite you to savour the stories and recipes that have created Vij’s restaurant.



CityFood: What prompted you to open your kitchen and your recipe book to the public?

Vikram Vij: Ten years had gone by, and we had some awesome recipes that were really solid and had fantastic flavours. I felt that we should share that with people. Over the years, people have been asking me for recipes and I have always thought, “I should give you the recipe.� I have never been afraid of sharing the wealth with people.


CF: What is the philosophy behind this book?

VV: Meeru and I didn’t just want a cookbook with recipes in it. This book is a story about Vij’s restaurant and the evolution of the kitchen and of the making of the food. It’s also about how Vikram Vij came to this country, how he accomplished what he wanted to do, and how he met his wife.


CF: How did you decide which recipes to include?

VV: Meeru and I sat down with a list of all the recipes that we had done in the past. We went through past menus and said things like, “I think this recipe would be a good idea,� or, “That was really popular,� and came up with 90 recipes. The book includes dishes, like the lamb curry and chicken curry, that were the first recipes that I used to do at our West Broadway restaurant. There are also recipes that are a little more complicated, like the venison and the beef short ribs.


CF: Meeru, you joined the restaurant in February 1995 after moving to Vancouver in 1994 for your “arranged love marriage� to Vikram. How big a role has the kitchen played in your relationship?

Meeru Dhalwala: When I moved here, I didn’t have a work permit and my joining the restaurant naturally happened. It was just something that I would do so that I could hang out with Vikram. Eventually, I got myself a job. Without the kitchen, we wouldn’t have a relationship since we wouldn’t have any private time to be by ourselves.


CF: You mention in the book that many of your initial fights occurred in the restaurant. What were particular points of contention?

MD: Our biggest arguments were when I made something and he would say, “I just can’t serve that. It doesn’t look appetizing.� And then I would say, “What do you mean it doesn’t look good?!�
VV: However, over the years, we’ve learned how mutually to respect one another. When something tastes good, somehow we figure out a way to make it look good as well.


CF: You introduce many of your recipes with the memories associated with them. Any recipes that are particularly memorable?

VV: The original lamb curry brings back memories of my mother and father bringing that dish from Richmond, where we lived, to the first restaurant on West Broadway.
MD: The ginger and lemon drink was the very first recipe that I ever did for the kitchen. I was bored and at that time, we didn’t have a liquor license. Vikram was serving Jones Soda and he would complain that the fizziness and sweetness didn’t really match Indian food. It was my secret little project and I showed it to Vikram before we gave it to the customers, who really liked it.


CF: Did you have particular readers in mind when you were writing?

VV: This book is for the customers and the friends who have been coming to Vij’s over the years. Novice cooks can say, “I’ve had the beef short ribs at Vij’s so many times. I have a girlfriend coming over and I’m going to cook this dish for her.� It’s also written for friends of mine who are chefs, like David Hawksworth, since it was very important to me that my peers really like my book.


CF: Do you hope that this sharing of recipes will change the way that other chefs cook?

VV: I think that the spices have already spread to other kitchens. There are chefs in the city who are using a little of the garam masala and the roasted cumin instead of just using the traditional French style of cooking. A fusion of ideas has already happened.


CF: Spices are a vital part of Indian cooking. For those new to Indian cuisine, what recommendations would you make?

VV: Whatever spices that you have, store them in airtight containers, away from the direct sunlight where it is cooler and drier. Use them as frequently as possible since year-old spices won’t do the flavours justice.
MD: Make the effort to grind them. Keep whole cumin and coriander and roast them and grind them as you need them.


CF: You write that when you first opened eleven years ago,...“it was an underlying ambition of mine to increase the awareness of the cuisine, culture and country from which I came.� Did you encounter much resistance to your project?

VV: I never met any resistance to the mission. What I found was that there was a stereotype of Indian food. Everyone expected butter chicken, tandoori chicken, and naan on an Indian menu. Most people only knew northern Indian cooking. I wanted to demystify the idea that those dishes were the only Indian food possible.


CF: In the book, you write that “we have also come up with our own interpretation of Indian cuisine, which combines the spices and foods used in the different regions of India.� What made you decide to adopt a more “pan-Indian� approach to Indian cuisine?

VV: I felt that we Indians didn’t represent Indian food as vastly as India is. I grew up in multicultural and amalgamated Bombay. My friends who were from south India used to make north Indian dishes at home. My mother from north India used to make dosas which are from south India. That kind of cross-cultural, fusion cooking has been happening in Bombay for years and years. It’s that kaleidoscope of flavours that I’m representing.


CF: How does the west coast inflect your cooking and the type of ingredients that you use?

VV: I use the best quality local ingredients which are bountiful up here, whether it is halibut or fresh produce, and combine it with the flavours that come from India. Why would I want to buy a fish from India and bring it frozen over here just so that I can call it an Indian fish? I try to be as local as possible instead.


CF: How would you respond to criticisms of your dishes not being authentic?

VV: I [Vij's] am the most authentic Indian restaurant that you can get. It’s Indian spices, Indian cooks, and it’s made with a lot of love and passion. How more authentic could you get? If I called anything on the menu “butter chicken� and then fused it or changed it, then I wouldn’t be doing justice to the dish “butter chicken.� I’m not hiding behind any names.


CF: Your name has become synonymous with Indian dining in Vancouver. Why do you think that you have yet to be unseated?

VV: When I started ten years ago, there were a lot of famous Indian restaurants that were really good at the time. I never went in with the attitude that I wanted to beat them. I hope that one day, I will be able to give this baton of mine that I have carried for the last ten years to another Indian person.


CF: Meeru, you have a master’s in Developmental Studies and have worked with numerous international non-profit organizations. How has your background affected your work in the kitchen?

MD: We have immigrant women working for us who don’t come from the most wealthy of backgrounds. We’ve worked hard so that everyone has a sense of empowerment and is compensated fairly. I have a chance to practise what I’ve always tried to do in other countries.


CF: In the book, you highlight your participation in the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise program.

MD: That hasn’t been easy because the demand for seafood really outweighs the supply. We try hard to use wild, free-range, and local ingredients. We really support sustainable farming. We feel it’s our responsibility to bring food issues to our customers.


CF: You say that in the beginning, “even if there was only one table seated at Vij’s, I wanted to be out front, talking to my customers and selling my food.� How would you recommend your cookbook readers bring the Vij spirit of hospitality to their homes?

VV: I learned hosting from John Bishop, with his attention to making every table feel special and welcomed. When you cook for people at home from the book, make sure that they are comfortable. Give them a glass of Champagne right away and make sure there are nibbles where they sit. Plan the meal as you would like to be treated at someone else’s house.


CF: How would you recommend serving the dishes in the book?

VV: All the recipes are made for six people. When you serve, everyone gets a plate and the food is put in the middle and everyone shares. At Vij’s, I have a single-handedly changed the way people eat. If a couple comes, I make a joke, “You’ve been married for twenty years and you don’t want to share a plate?�


CF: In the book, you recommend a simple, yet elegant presentation of your dishes.

VV: Initially when I opened the restaurant on West Broadway, it was important to me to show that Indian food could be presented beautifully, with a sprig of this, a flower of that. Now over the last four or five years, we’ve become more comfortable and serve the food simply, without too much interference.
MD: It shouldn’t be, “Oh, look at the beautiful pink flowers on the lamb.� It should be, “That lamb looks so tasty.� The dishes should just accentuate the food itself.


CF: You include wine pairings for each of your recipes. However, most people don’t associate Indian restaurants with strong wine lists.

VV: I’ve been in the business long enough to know which wines go really well with Indian food. Normally, Indians have whisky or beer before their meal and have water with their meal. However, because we live in North America, it was really important for us to pair a white or a red with the food. We live in a region that provides really great whites, the Pinot Blancs, the Pinot Gris, that have really worked with our style of food.


CF: If there are line-ups for this book, do you foresee taking reservations?

VV: We hope the first run is well received. We wanted to write a book about ourselves and if in the process, it becomes a well-established book, great.
MD: I’d be so happy if there were line-ups for this book. I hope these books are filthy dirty with turmeric and tomato splotches, and moisture all over the sides. I hope they’re used like crazy.




Tara Lee lives in Vancouver and writes the blog Literary and Culinary Rambles.