Issue 6 / Interview: One World Kitchen's Vijaya Selvaraju

by Matthew Currie

Interview: One World Kitchen’s Vijaya Selvaraju

Jul 19, 2015

Celebrity chef Vijaya Selvaraju has been in the spotlight since she was a young girl, appearing on channels like TVO Kids and MTV Canada. But it was her YouTube food travelogue Foodcapades that really brought her to the forefront of the Canadian culinary scene, leading to appearances on CTV’s The Marilyn Denis Show, and most recently, to a starring role on Gusto TV’s first original series, One World Kitchen. Vijaya took some time to chat with ANOKHI about memories of mom’s kitchen, the downright weirdest thing she’s ever eaten and cooking tips aplenty.

Matt Currie: What is the mission statement of One World Kitchen?
Vijaya Selvaraju: What we’re trying to do is show Canada what Canadian cuisine is. When people think of Canadian cuisine, the first immediate associations they make are things like poutine or tourtière. But we’re redefining that and saying, “Hey, Canadian cuisine could be tempura or butter chicken.”

For me, I have six episodes to give you a feel for what Indian cuisine is; demystify the cuisine. It’s just a matter of making it easier for the home viewer, because Indian cuisine is really easy to cook at home.

MC: If poutine is what people associate Canadian cuisine with, I think it’s a good thing you’re redefining it.
VS: [Laughs] It’s not a bad thing; poutine is delicious, right? But at the same time, Canada has evolved. We welcome immigrants, and as a result, we have such a rich population of ethnic backgrounds and different cooking styles.

MC: You also have a popular YouTube series, Foodcapades. What do you provide there?
VS: A lot of the videos are food tips, tricks and recipes that are fast and easy, because I think we live in a world where people don’t have time anymore. There are times where I’ll have a craving for potato chips and we don’t have chips at home, so what do you do? You make your own microwave potato chips that you cook in less than five minutes.

MC: I was going to ask you about your secret junk food shame, but I guess I don’t have to now.
VS: Yeah. And it’s portion control too, because if there are potato chips in the house, I will eat them. And if I have a potato and I slice the potato, I know it ends with that potato [laughs].

MC: You’ve also travelled a lot for Foodcapades. What’s the weirdest dish you’ve ever eaten?
VS: In Mexico, fried grasshoppers. Then in Bangkok, it was grasshoppers again, but they were huge. I was standing in front of the lady and she was ripping the legs and wings off. It was kind of creepy, but it tasted like a shrimp chip.

MC: When did you fall in love with cooking?
VS: When I was a little kid, straight out the gate. In our family, food was put on a pedestal. If the food wasn’t good, someone would hear about it. It was my mom who was my major influence, because she is such a great cook . . . and I would be in the kitchen with her, trying to get her to let me help her. I think by the time I was in Grade 4, I could cook a meal for my family for dinner.

Instead of watching cartoons, I’d watch food TV shows. I always admired the food show hosts. Growing up, I would emulate them, so I would be in the kitchen cooking something and I’d be talking myself through it. I don’t think it was a conscious thing like I’m practicing to be a food TV host; I just enjoyed what they had to share.

MC: Do you have a trademark dish?
VS: Chicken biryani; that’s the ultimate comfort food in our house. The joy of that dish is that everything goes into that one pot; so it’s all of these flavours melding together. The little rule that my mom has is that when she unveils it, I get first dibs. But then the responsibility that comes with having first dibs is that I have to be the one that tells her if it’s good.

MC: Any advice for fledgling home cooks?
VS: One of the fundamental things when it comes to cooking is flavour. The easiest way to inject flavour into a meal is spices; it’s important to have a pantry that’s stocked with a good variety of spices. And the key is to not be afraid, because really, if I were to put a pinch of cumin in there, a pinch of cayenne, a pinch of garlic powder, how can you go wrong? If you’re doing steak and potatoes, you could do a steak covered in black pepper, coriander and lemon, and then whip up the mashed potatoes with cayenne for heat.

MC: What would you say is the key to great cooking?
VS: Working with great quality product. A recipe can have three ingredients in it; if the three ingredients are all-star, you’re going to have a delicious meal. Source the best of whatever it is you’re cooking with. And then, just being creative; not feeling like you have to be restricted to a recipe. Remix things a little bit; because when you put your own spin on a thing, you start to be able to create recipes of your own.

Head over to oneworldkitchen.ca to learn how to make Vijaya's scrumptious Hariyali Chicken kebabs. (Like any proper Indian dish, she recommends pairing them with an ice cold bottle of Kingfisher).

All Images Courtesy Gusto TV/Katia Pershin

Matthew Currie

Author

A long-standing entertainment journalist, Currie is a graduate of the Professional Writing program at Toronto’s York University. He has spent the past number of years working as a freelancer for ANOKHI and for diverse publications such as Sharp, TV Week, CAA’s Westworld and BC Business. Currie ...