/ Master Chef

by Geeta Wahab

Master Chef

Jan 24, 2014

Renowned chef Vikram Vij shares with us his favourite recipes set to keep us warm through winter.

Star chef Vikram Vij was born in India and travelled to Austria to study at the age of 20. After receiving his chef certificate from the Salzburg Hotel Management School, he moved to Canada to work at the Banff Springs Hotel near Calgary in 1989. Five years later, Vij opened his first restaurant, Vij’s Restaurant, in Vancouver. A decade later, he and his wife, Meeru Dhalwala, opened Vij’s Rangoli, his second restaurant that doubles as a fresh market. There, they also sell Vij’s at Home, the couple’s line of fresh and locally made curry sauces, spices, packaged meals and cookbooks.

In June 2012, Vij got his Vij’s Railway Express food truck onto the streets of Vancouver, taking his renowned Indian flavours all over the city. The menu changes every day to reflect a different Indian territory and flavour palette. Not only has Vij made ANOKHI’s Prestige List, but he’s also been a guest judge on Top Chef Canada and is scheduled to appear as a guest judge on Chopped Canada. Also in store for Vij is the opening of his newest restaurant, My Shanti, in 2014, moving to a bigger home and a secret new food endeavour.

Geeta Wahab: What inspires you in the kitchen?
Vikram Vij: I first get inspired shopping the markets for ingredients. Then when I get home, I open up a great bottle of wine and use the spices in my masala dhabba as my inspirational palette in order to create a delicious dish.

GW: What inspired you to become a chef?
VV: My grandfather inspired me to become a chef. He loved to drink, and at an early age, he said he wanted me to start my own restaurant so he could sit, drink and visit with me. This is the reason I named our first restaurant Vij’s — not because it is my last name, but because it was his.

GW: Tell me a bit about these recipes.
VV: [Prawns in Coconut Masala] is a great and quick dish that can be served as an appetizer or passed around with drinks.

[Vij Family’s Chicken Curry] was the original chicken curry that my mum used to make when Vij’s first opened. As we had issues with the ventilation when we first opened, my mother used to make a batch at home in Richmond and bring it on the bus to the restaurant every day to serve. It is based on a family recipe and is very special to me.

[Marinated Lamb Popsicles with Fenugreek Cream Curry] is our signature dish at Vij’s and our most popular. Meeru was going to call it lamb chops, but I thought it would be fun to call them popsicles, and the name stuck. They are served with a creamy fenugreek sauce.

Prawns in Coconut Masala

(Meeru Dhalwala and Vikram Vij)

On its own, the masala goes well with naan or rice. You can substitute canola oil for the ghee in this recipe, but remember that you will lose some flavour. Don’t substitute with butter because it’s difficult to cook cumin seeds alone in butter, as you need to keep the heat relatively high and the butter ends up burning and sticking to the bottom of your pot. Also, use a good quality coconut milk. You don’t use very much, but you want to be able to taste it in your recipe. Adding a larger quantity of a low quality coconut milk just makes this dish runny.

If we can’t source any wild prawns, we use prawns farmed in the United States, specifically California, rather than Asian-farmed tiger prawns. The farming practices of many tiger prawn farms in Asia are considered highly questionable by organizations monitoring healthy or sustainable seafoods. Prawns cook very quickly — two to three minutes on average — so watch them closely to avoid overcooking them.

Serves 6

Ingredients

30 prawns, shelled and deveined
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp ghee or canola oil
½ tbsp 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 chillies
3 bunches green onions, white and green parts chopped

Preparation

Place prawns in a colander and rinse under cold water. Allow excess water to drain. In a bowl, combine prawns and 1 tsp of salt. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in refrigerator while you make the coconut masala.

In a large frying pan, melt ghee on medium-high heat (or heat canola oil for one minute). Add cumin seeds and allow to sizzle for 30 seconds. Add onions and sauté for five to eight minutes, or until dark brown but not burnt. Stir in tomatoes, coconut milk, vinegar, chillies and remaining 1 tsp of salt. Cook for five minutes, or until tomatoes cook through. Add green onions and stir well.

Add prawns, stirring constantly until they become pinkish-orange. This will take about three minutes. Immediately remove from heat.

To serve: Place five prawns on each of six small, shallow plates. Top each serving with one-sixth of coconut masala. Alternatively, divide coconut masala evenly among six shallow plates, then top with five prawns per plate.

Wine: A Pouilly-Fumé or Sancerre wine is a great sipping wine with this masala.

Vij Family’s Chicken Curry

(From Vij’s Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine by Vikram Vij and Meeru Dhalwala)

Serves 6

Ingredients

½ cup canola oil
2 cups finely chopped onions (approximately 2 large onions)
3-inch stick of cinnamon
3 tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 tbsp chopped ginger
2 cups chopped tomatoes (approximately 2 large tomatoes)
1 tbsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp garam masala
½ tsp ground cayenne pepper
3 lbs chicken thighs, bone in
1 cup sour cream, stirred
2 cups water
½ cup chopped cilantro, including stems

Preparation

In a large pan, heat oil on medium heat for one minute. Add onions and cinnamon, and sauté for another four minutes. Add ginger, tomatoes, salt, black pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala and cayenne pepper. Cook this masala for five minutes, or until oil separates from masala.

Remove and discard skin from chicken thighs. Wash thighs and add to masala. Stir well. Cook chicken thighs for 10 minutes, until chicken looks cooked outside. Add sour cream and water and stir well. Increase heat to medium-high. When curry starts to boil, reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring two or three times, until chicken is completely cooked. Poke thighs with a knife. If meat is still pink, cook for five more minutes. Remove and discard cinnamon stick. Cool curry for at least half an hour.

Transfer cooled chicken to a mixing bowl. Wearing latex gloves, peel chicken meat off bones. Discard bones and stir chicken back into curry. Just before serving, heat curry on medium heat until it starts to boil lightly. Stir in cilantro.

To serve: Divide curry evenly among six bowls. Serve with naan or rice.

Wine: A Spanish Tempranillo with good fruit and balanced tannins is a great pairing.

Marinated Lamb Popsicles with Fenugreek Cream Curry

(Meeru Dhalwala & Vikram Vij)

The size of the lamb popsicles will depend on the rack of lamb you buy. If the popsicles are bigger, then four per serving is usually enough. This recipe is for 30 medium-size popsicles, with five per serving.

Serves 6

Ingredients

Lamb
1/4 cup sweet white wine
3/4 cup grainy yellow mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
4 lbs French-cut racks of lamb, in chops

Curry sauce
4 cups whipping cream
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tbsp dried green fenugreek leaves
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tbsp finely chopped garlic
1 tsp turmeric

Preparation

Start lamb: Combine wine, mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add lamb and coat well with marinade. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two to four hours.

Curry sauce: In a large bowl, combine cream, salt, paprika, cayenne, fenugreek leaves and lemon juice. Heat 3 to 4 tbsp canola oil in a medium pot on medium heat and sauté garlic until golden. Stir in turmeric and cook for one minute. Stir in cream mixture and cook on low to medium heat for about five minutes, or until gently boiling.

Finish lamb: Preheat a stovetop cast iron grill or barbecue to high heat. Place lamb on grill and cook for two to three minutes per side.

To serve: Serve popsicles piping-hot off the grill. Place four to five lamb chops on each plate. Pour cream curry over meat or ladle into small bowl and use as dipping sauce for popsicles. ä

For more information, visit www.vijs.ca.

Geeta Wahab

Author

Cultivating a life she loves, Geeta (@geets.suites) is chasing all her passions, including her love for home décor. As a brand new home owner, her current journey has launched her further into that world - check out her Instagram @geets.suites for tidbits of her story and other decorating pieces. A...