by Vikram Vij & Meeru Dhalwala
This is our current favourite cookbook. My Mom bought it for us right when it came out, because Vij is our favourite restaurant in Vancouver and she knew we’d love it.
The great thing about these recipes is that they are, for the most part, cheap to make. We had to stock up on a bunch of spices we didn’t previously keep around, but they were all the kind that come in big plastic pouches for about 79 cents. Then we were set.
Two things to watch out for. The recipes are HUGE — the ones we’ve made would easily serve eight, and needed some mighty big pots. And a few have instructions that end with “…and then simmer for four hours,” so they’re no good for making on a whim.
A couple to start with: the Vij Family Chicken Curry is quickly becoming a house favourite. It doesn’t take all that much longer than a Patak’s curry does, assuming you’ve already made or bought some garam masala. The Tomato-Ginger Soup is likewise excellent and pretty quick to make (I cheat and use a tin of pureed tomatoes instead of fresh ones).
OK, now I’m hungry.