The Authentic Vikram Vij

By C. G. Scott

As thinker Edward de Bono said, “There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.” The owner of Vancouver’s Vij’s restaurant, celebrated chef and certified sommelier Vikram Vij, has both known the spark of creativity, and caused measurable progress by unflaggingly applying himself to putting that creativity into practice. This, of course, partly refers to how his original 14-seat restaurant of 1994 has grown and moved and added on a brother establishment (Rangoli), and, while winning many awards since its inception, has most recently clinched Vancouver Magazine’s Gold Award for Best Indian 2010 restaurant (Rangoli won Silver), and Honorable Mention for the competition’s Restaurant of the Year 2010 Award. And it partly refers to how Vikram’s first book with his wife Meeru became an award-winning bestseller. But, perhaps more than any awards or lauded praise, Vikram’s creative progress can be measured in how his cuisine has become a celebrated facet of West Coast culinary delight. Certainly, on a journey spanning three continents, from being born in India, growing up in Amritsar and Mumbai, to studying hotel management in Austria and to operating a gem of a Vancouver restaurant, Vikram has learned to put the creative passion of cooking love learned in childhood to work on a career of impressive magnitude, where he has created a cuisine distinctly unique in the world.

Fusion Confusion

Vikram is adamant that his cuisine not be constrained by the “fusion” label. Sure, his establishments adapt traditional flavour so as to make modern taste buds salivate. But, as any potential guest of Vij’s or Rangoli reading this in the modern world can easily and instantly determine for themselves with something like Google, the term “fusion cooking” is defined by multiple dictionaries as “cooking that combines ingredients and techniques and seasonings from different cuisines.” Which Vikram’s cuisine certainly does not do. For one thing, at Vij’s, the Punjabi kitchen team under Vikram’s wife and fellow chef Meeru Dhalwala only uses traditional spices that adhere to knowledge of regional place-cuisine in India. The traditional and the authentic are key components that beat at the heart of Vij’s much more strongly than in any predictably-Westernized, identical, run-of-the-mill Indian-style restaurant where the butter chicken could easily have been ordered in from another like location. Vikram’s restaurant is just simply not a part of the theme-restaurant franchise—nor is it just another one of those trendy but increasingly-predictable “fusion” places: the establishment is unique because the cuisine has a deep knowledge of the basics of tradition, and carries the Westernized and South Asian palates to places it has not yet imagined.

A Cuisine of Equality

As food theorist and author Michael Pollan comments in his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma,

Taste in [a] more cultivated sense brings people together, not only in small groups at the table but as communities. For a community’s food preferences—the strikingly short list of foods and preparations it regards as good to eat and think—represent one of the strongest social glues we have. (295)

Though speaking in response to generalized, over-arching, Americanized imperatives about and discourses on our preoccupation with the food we eat, the essential warmth and love of community in Pollan’s above thoughts just happen to echo a core philosophy that informs Vikram’s cuisine: that is, the understanding and practice of communal equality.
 In terms of the latter, as one enters Vij’s, one is greeted and immediately absorbed into the collective enjoying an anticipation for a unique dining experience that is stoked by occasionally tasters being circulated, and by the atmospheric conditions initiated by the senses: one smells the preparation and unveiling of foodstuffs, hears both the mutual anticipation and the enjoyment that follows, visually witnesses these aspects as well as visually interacts with others witnessing the same, and experiences the tactile sensation of physically being in that anticipatory moment, in the room, touching the experience with one’s senses.
 The experience is of everyone being on the same level. No guest enters and is seated before those waiting, because no reservations are available. Even as Vikram circulates and chats with individuals and with groups, he does so not just as the proprietor, but one sharing in their anticipation. For this is why he loves what he does. This is why he is passionate about his cuisine. Creating anticipation in his guests inspires them to be passionate about their experience.
 In this community formed each evening approaching 5:30 pm, and on into the unfolding taste of each night, every person at Vij’s has a role that adds cohesion to that “strongest social glue” of which Michael Pollan speaks. Each server caters to all the tables: whether taking drink orders, or clearing plates, or bringing fresh water, each server completes the community by offering their undivided attention to their important task. Meeru has the kitchen with her team of chefs. Vikram holds court on the floor. Food and wine flow together. And the guest is left to enjoy the experience of the cuisine that Vikram has developed in Vancouver for nearly two decades.  

Authoring More Than Just Cuisine

As mentioned above, Vikram and Meeru are also bestselling, award-winning authors on cuisine. Vij’s: Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine won both the Cordon d’Or Gold Ribbon International Cookbook Award and the Canadian Culinary Book Award, as well as others. In fact, they have another book coming out this September through Douglas & McIntyre: Vij’s at Home: Relax, Honey: The Warmth and Ease of Indian Cooking.
 But their authorial contribution has been made in more ways than just literature, in more ways than in the kitchen or at the table. It has been made as a component of making Indian culture more accessible to this Western world. And this has been done with their own distinct style.
 As Vikram notes, the advent of a restaurant like Vij’s has single-handedly altered the way attentive West Coast diners think about Indian cuisine. Since opening in 1994, the establishment has set the bar for Vancouver’s Indian palate, brought it towards a more modern style that is mainstream and thus more accessible. And now that Vancouver is both a city increasingly visited by international travellers, as well as a city blessed by innovative chefs and appreciative palates, Vij’s has come into its own with its unique style of engaging with the world of diners searching out a new experience.
 But Vikram broke down the barriers and met his clientele halfway by both demystifying Indian cuisine through name changes and yet retaining an essential integrity through use of traditional spices. Vikram’s metaphor for this process is that cuisine is comparable to water. Thus, he says, the changing future of consumer knowledge about Indian cuisine is with the chefs and owners now catering to this young international city of Vancouver. For, like the changes Vikram has wrought from its inception until now in Vancouver, the future of Indian cuisine on the West Coast will not flourish by becoming stagnant.

Embracing a Sustainable Future

Change in cuisine, as in lifestyle and culture, is only possible if the environment in which one lives is able to viably support a future that is itself capable of enabling change. In this way, throughout the seventeen-year process of change that Vikram has initiated in the appreciation of traditional Indian cuisine on the West Coast, he has maintained support for sustainable practices in selecting produce, fish, meats, and wines. Hence, his restaurants use mostly local products. In the same way, technically his restaurant’s adherence to a use of traditional spices in an altered style accomplishes a parallel sustainability of technique from which to draw inspiration for new cuisine. Vij’s interaction with British Columbia and area products, and Vikram’s sustainable re-invention of traditional cuisine, speak for themselves in terms of a sustainable aesthetic—even if Vikram had not already admitted to a predilection for embracing sustainability.
 As Vikram points out, British Columbia as a community has come a long way in the last while in terms of embracing sustainable practices for ensuring the continuation of local food and wine sources. We, as a communal area, seem to enjoy this sense of engaging with our future by addressing it through the present. But, while we have come a long way, Vikram believes we have a ways to go. As a provincial and area community, restauranteurs and customer base alike, we need to recognize our good foods and wines. To both protect our land and support our farmers—to sustain the future in that sense so that our children are able to enjoy a bounty when we are gone.
 This understanding of sustainability is that which is central to Vikram’s philosophy of cuisine. His restaurant is not only interested in its engagement with retaining and invigorating aspects of the local, but in ensuring that the local invests in an uncompromising engagement with sustaining itself. That is, an essential component to promoting community is a direct interaction with one’s community, and, equally, the community’s direct interaction with the components that make it unique. So, just as Vij’s has been essential to building change within Indian cuisine within the West Coast, so has the West Coast enjoyer of Indian cuisine been essential to growing with Vij’s and appreciating their essential role in ensuring the cuisine’s future. And Vikram is passionately determined to provide others with entry points into sustainably embracing this cuisine—just look at the approachability of his and his wife’s literature on their food.   

A Passionate Philosophy

When asked if he has any other strong convictions—like sustainability—that inform his cuisine, Vikram’s immediate response is “cooking with passion, love.” Passion and love of food—of every aspect from the theory of a dish to its plating in front of a guest, from fresh ingredients to fresh concepts—inform every aspect of how Vikram and Meeru approach their cuisine. Like his analogy of cuisine being comparable to water, Vikram refers to the complexity of cuisine being comparable to music, where musical style begins with a strong understanding of basics, then gains complexity and innovation after that understanding is unshakable. So is the knowledge of traditional flavour deep at the core of the food Vikram’s imagination has lovingly wrought.
 But like any truly deep and passionately, complexly-loved thing, Vikram’s cuisine style should not be compared to other styles. It is a product of knowledge and experiences from the old world sensibilities loyal to traditional India, through world-class lessons of cuisine in venues such as Salzburg, Austria, and the Banff Springs Hotel, to nearly two decades exploring the boundaries and frontiers of South Asian culinary thought here on the West Coast with another chef equally passionate about exploring further permutations of complexity. And, just as their love for their cuisine is deep and complex, so is their love pure and simple. Simply put, tasty food can start simple, and can go a long way. Whether at Vij’s, or Rangoli, or from the pages of their literature on cuisine, Vikram and Meeru are passionate about sharing their love with others. It’s amazing how something so complex can render itself into such simple terms: love of cuisine, love of self, love of community, and love of place.

Progress in Place

By remaining as establishments that use only traditional spices and local products, and incorporate their knowledge of regional place-cuisine in India, Vij’s and Rangoli avoid the “fusion” cuisine designation, and maintain that authenticity inherent to the preparation of the traditional dish in India. Moreover, again by choosing fresh, local, and sustainable products, and by eschewing the run-of-the-mill, same-menu-everywhere North American approach to Indian dishes, Vikram’s cuisine also adheres to a very contemporary, local attitude about cuisine and lifestyle currently being embraced by the West Coast in many areas—that is, sustainability and creative re-invention of cuisine and lifestyle that trademarks the West Coast as unique. Thus, by adhering to the traditional, Vikram’s life work adopts a distinct sensibility of Indian place that paradoxically speaks to the contemporary aesthetic of West Coast Canadian place in an old, but kind of self-adopted adage—“buy local, eat fresh”—that spans the diasporic gap and truly heightens the aesthetic level of Indian cuisine to a place above where Vikram imagined it when he first arrived in Vancouver: that is, beyond prevalence and acceptance in a community to a cherished and celebrated integral facet of higher West Coast culture.
 However, beyond these essential victories, beyond this progress, Vikram wishes that some other person as passionate about Indian cuisine would take up the unique baton he carved out of local and traditional values—he wishes another chef would show the people the passion involved in this, his life’s work, his ongoing love-affair with Indian cuisine. When he and Meeru are gone, Vancouver—or may we hope, Canada—needs another South Asian chef to do something different, to embrace the uniqueness that is essential to living in Canadian place while loving one’s traditional values, one’s heritage. For, a new country that we really are, to grow we must embrace the fluidity of change, we must learn to appreciate how our environment adapts those age-old tastes that flow with urgency through our veins: we must learn to appreciate our ability to change ourselves—a lesson of personal authenticity that we can learn from something as simple and enjoyable as embracing Vikram’s cuisine.

10 Questions with Vikram Vij

1. What is your favourite food?
I have no favourite food...I enjoy every kind of cuisine—especially if passion and love are put into the work. That’s very important.

2. If you could dine with anyone, who would you dine with?
Mahatma Gandhi.

3. What is a must-have ingredient for you?
Tea. An essential ingredient to any meal.

4. In your opinion, what is the most important aspect of a good meal?
Food cooked with love, passion, and integrity, and served with wine.

5. What is your favourite feature of your restaurant?
My favourite aspect is still the seating—not taking reservations. This allows all concerned to be on an equal level, one to the other.
 
6. Are your wife and you planning any more books?
Yes, we have another coming out in September. Vij’s at Home: Relax, Honey: The Warmth and Ease of Indian Cooking, published by Douglas & McIntyre.

7. What are you reading at the moment?
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. But I am always reading cookbooks, books about cuisine.

8. If you were to go back in time and had to choose a different career path, what would you choose?
I would be a Bollywood actor.

9. In a different publication, you quoted John Bishop as a mentor, does this still hold true? If so, why?
Yes, John Bishop…John was my mentor and taught me about finesse. When I was at Bishops ( I saw how much of a gentleman he was, seeing how he interacted with guests, his mannerisms, and how comfortable and caring he was…he became a real inspiration.

10. Where does your love of food and cooking come from?
From my grandfathers and grandmothers who loved to cook and eat.

DARPAN’s BOOKSHELF

Excerpt from the Publisher
Vij’s: Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine was published in 2006 by Douglas and McIntyre. Our aim with the cookbook was to explain our cuisine at Vij’s, and translate the recipes into home-friendly cooking. We sifted through years of recipes and spent many hours recreating and adapting dishes as the specific measurements had never been recorded, but rather, the dishes had always been cooked to taste.

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 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, raita, and other sides, staples, vegetables, and desserts allow readers to prepare an Indian feast from beginning to end.

RECIPES
MARINATED LAMB POPSICLES WITH FENUGREEK CREAM CURRY



Serves 6
Ingredients:
For the popsicles:
2-3 French cut racks of lamb (with the bone cleaned down to the chop)
¼ cup white wine
¼ cup grainy yellow mustard
¼ teaspoon salt

For the Curry Cream:
2 tbsp. crushed garlic
3 tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp. turmeric
1 litre whipping cream
1 tbsp. dried green fenugreek flakes (known as 'kasoori methi')
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ tsp. paprika

Cut the racks of lamb into the 'popsicles' by slicing the chops in between the bones. Mix the white wine, mustard and salt together in a large bowl, then add the popsicles, turning to coat them on all sides. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
In a separate bowl, mix together the whipping cream, salt, paprika, cayenne, fenugreek flakes and lemon juice. In a medium-sized, heavy pot, sauté the crushed garlic in the canola oil. Once the garlic is golden in colour, add the turmeric, stir and heat for one minute. Add the whipping cream mixture, stir and heat on low to medium heat for a few minutes. (the water in the whipping cream will evaporate, thickening the sauce. If your heat is too high, the cream will separate.) If making the sauce a day ahead, let the garlic mixture cool completely, then add to the cream mixture and refrigerate. Thicken the sauce close to serving time by heating gently.
Grill the popsicles just before you are ready to serve your meal. You can either pour the cream curry over the grilled popsicles or use it as a dipping curry for them.
(Vikram serves them over some sliced, cooked potatoes that have been lightly sauteed in oil, with a couple of handfuls of washed spinach thrown in just until the spinach wilts slightly.)

PRAWNS IN COCONUT MASALA


This recipe can be served as an appetizer or passed around with drinks. On its own, the masala goes well with naan or rice.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
30 prawns, shelled and deveined
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp ghee or canola oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 large onions, chopped
3 large ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
2 Tbsp coconut milk, stirred
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp chopped green chilies
3 bunches green onions, white and green parts, chopped

Place prawns in a colander and rinse under cold water. Allow excess water to drain. In a bowl, combine prawns and 1 tsp of the salt. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in the refrigerator while you are making the coconut masala.
In a large frying pan, melt ghee on medium-high heat (or heat oil for 1 minute). Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle for 30 seconds. Add onions and sauté 5 to 8 minutes, or until dark brown but not burned. Stir in tomatoes, coconut milk, vinegar, chilies and the remaining 1 tsp of salt. Cook for 5 minutes, or until tomatoes are cooked through. Add green onions and stir well. Add prawns, stirring constantly until they become pinkish-orange. This will take about 3 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat.
To Serve: Place 5 prawns on each of six small shallow plates. Top each serving with one-sixth of the coconut masala. Alternatively, divide the coconut masala evenly among six small shallow plates, then top with 5 prawns per plate.

JACKFRUIT IN BLACK CARDAMOM AND CUMIN MASALA


Serves 6
Ingredients:
3 cans (20 oz each) young or raw green jackfruit
6 black cardamom pods
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 Tbsp cumin seeds
1 cup finely chopped onions (1 large)
1 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
6 to 8 large whole dried red chilies, broken in half, with seeds
2 cups crushed tomatoes
1/2 Tbsp ground black mustard seeds
1 tsp ground fenugreek seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp Mexican chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp salt
1 cup water
6 cups oil for deep frying

Line 2 baking trays with clean, dry tea towels. Drain canned jackfruit and lay out pieces in a single layer on the tea towels to absorb any excess water. Set aside for about half an hour (if you leave it out too long, the jackfruit will become too dry).
Break open cardamom pods and remove the seeds. Discard the pods. Set aside the seeds.
Heat oil in a pan on medium-high heat for about 1 minute. Add cumin seeds and cook for about 30 seconds or until they begin to sizzle. Add onions and saute 8 to 10 minutes, or until brown. Add garlic and dried chiles, including their seeds, and saute for about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and add cardamom seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek, turmeric, chili powder, paprika, ground cumin, coriander and salt. Stir well and reduce the heat to medium.
Cook this masala, stirring regularly, for about 10 minutes or until the oil separates from the tomatoes and the masala glistens. Stir in water, turn off the heat and set aside.
Line a baking tray with paper towels. Preheat a deep fryer to high heat or heat oil in a large heavy pan on high heat for 5 minutes. Drop a small piece of jackfruit into the oil. It should immediately float to the top and sizzle. Once the oil is hot enough, place jackfruit in the pan and fry for about five minutes, or until very light brown. Keep your face at a distance, as the jackfruit can spatter a bit. Using tongs, transfer fried jackfruit to the paper towels to drain any excess oil. Turn off the deep fryer. Cool jackfruit for 15 minutes.
Carefully stir jackfruit into the masala so the pieces don't break, then turn the heat on to medium. Once the masala starts to boil and the jackfruit is well mixed into the spices, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the lid after 5 minutes so the jackfruit does not overcook. Spoon piping hot jackfruit curry onto six plates and serve with basmati rice.

THE RISE OF INDIAN WINERIES/WINES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

KALALA WINERY
Founder and President Karnail Singh Sidhu, resides in the Okanagan Valley. Since 1993 he has been busy with over 10 years as Manager of Canada's largest certified organic vineyard. In addition to these projects, Karnail has continued his education and is now trained as an organic inspector. He founded Kalala Agriculture in 1997 and now Kalala Organic Estate Winery is the culmination of his experiences and pursuit of harmony.
Check out Kalala Riesling 2008: full of intense fruit aromas with a crisp, long-lasting finish. Apple and lime aromas predominate with more citrus opening up on the palate. Serve very chilled with Indian appetizers and spicy seafood curries.
Gold Medal - 2010 New World International Wine Awards
Silver Medal - 17th Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2010
Bronze Medal - 2010 NorthWest Wine Summit

SANDUZ ESTATE WINERY
Sanduz Estate Winery owned by Dave and Neeta Sandhu is located in Richmond. The winery offers a range of fruit and grape wines that awaken the palate. Committed to perfection and harvesting great fruits and berries is evident in the delicious, well-balanced table and dessert wines. All wines are put through a slow cool fermentation process that brings out the natural flavours, whether it is grapes, blueberries or even raspberries.
Check out Sanduz Estate Wines BC, N/V BlueberryWine, (Soft Fruit Dry). This gorgeous wine opens with aromas of ripe blueberry jam, raspberries, violets and even a hint of chocolate. It is a perfect wine to pair with tandoori chicken or lamb seekh kabob.
Double Gold Medal – 2010

DESERT HILLS ESTATE WINERY
The Desert Hills estate was purchased by the Toor family in 1988 and the planting of Vitis Vineifera was introduced in 1995. Today the vineyard is in full production with planting of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Gamay, Malbec, Merlot and Pinot Gris. The family hand selected this gentle east to west sloping property for is natural attributes to potentially deliver some of Canada’s finest grapes. The area is notorious for its long hot summer days that concentrate the flavors in the grapes, and its gentle cool evenings that round the complexity of each variety.
Check out the Desert Hills Estate Winery, 2009 Gamay. The wine has accents of black cherry, vanilla and spice. Excellent with pork, tomato based dishes, and spicy food. Placed Silver in the 2010 International Wine Competition

CHANDRA ESTATE WINERY
Chandra Estate Winery is family owned and operated, specializing in creating a tantalizing selection of beautifully crafted organic wines. A 10-acre, 12 year old vineyard in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley offering full-bodied, yet delicate wines engaged with hints of fruit and spice. Their name was inspired by the South Okanagan's moonlit summer nights, and a mythical tale reflecting Indian culture and philosophy.
Check out Isis 2006 BLAUFRANKISCH. Versatile enough to be enjoyed with many foods, it refreshes the palate; light bodied, and dry finish. Excellent with seafood and spicy dishes.

VOLCANIC HILL WINERY
Volcanic Hills Estate Winery is the newest winery in West Kelowna. The winery, whose name pays homage to the 60 million-year-old volcano that is now known as Mount Boucherie. Teaming up with long time Okanagan Winemaker, Elias Phiniotis, the Gidda Family has crafted wines with layers of complexity that will erupt your taste buds.
The winery site includes a beautifully designed post and beam building which houses a bright and expansive wine shop and tasting room that has been influenced and inspired by those found in Napa Valley, California.
Check out 2008 Volcanic Hills Pinot Gris, with a crisp, refreshing taste that has some pepper and arugula notes, this wine is a perfect complement to creamy sauces and barbeque dishes.