Meeru Dhalwala was born in India but moved to Washington, D.C., at a very young age with her parents. Prior to marrying Vikram Vij and moving to Canada, she worked with various organizations on human rights and international development projects. She received her master’s degree in Development Studies from Bath University in England. Meeru joined Vikram at Vij’s in February 1995.

Together with Vikram, Meeru has turned Vij’s into a culinary destination.

“Fantastic Indian food with a modern twist. Some of the nicest I have ever had.” – Jamie Oliver

“Dynamic Indian cuisine unmatched by anything I’ve tried before, even in London’s Michelin-starred Indian restaurants.” – New York Times

1. What was the first cookbook you owned?

I was given two cookbooks for my 24th birthday: One is called The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison and Edward Espe Brown. The other is The Moosewood Cookbook by Molly Katzen. I still have them both. Greens was way more sophisticated while Moosewood was very simple and easier recipes. I was vegetarian back then and had recently begun life as an independent adult with a real job. I was also just married and wanted to start cooking dinners at home for my then husband.  I still own both cookbooks. I found it surprising that no one thought to give me an Indian cookbook on that 24th birthday.

2. What cookbook would you say made the biggest impression on you?

I don’t really cook recipes from cookbooks because I’ve got the cooking in my fingers and I just move along as the ideas and whims come. But I do get inspiration from cookbooks and sometimes I get a small inkling of an idea from another cookbook that can turn into a full on, independent recipe.  The cookbook that made a big impression on me was Nigel Slater’s The Kitchen Diaries.

3. Could you talk a little about any recent cookbooks you’ve found particularly interesting or inspiring?

Nigel Slater’s Tender. I love his books. They are so beautifully written and photographed, with the recipes being so non-threatening. The books are so prettily written that they are on the verge of being pretentious–but they elegantly miss that slippery slope of cookbooks. I eat meat once or twice a week and the rest of my meals are vegetarian.  Nigel Slater follows that eating psychology as well. He knows his food as an elegant home cook and his writing is easily digestible. He gets emotional about his raw ingredients. He whines about his raw ingredients. He cares for his raw ingredients. And then he shows them the respect by cooking them simply and without all sorts of grandiose hoopla. He also has that British wit, which I love.

4. Is there one recipe in particular from your new book, Vij’s at Home, you’d suggest as representing the book particularly well?

I think I’m incapable of just one answer. Like my menu’s at Vij’s and Rangoli, the book will mean different things to me at different times. Right now, I think the Indian Style Tomato, Onion and Paneer Bruschetta and the Spice Encrusted Lamb Popsicles best reflect the mood of the book–as a couple, Vikram and I love (not in order) tomatoes, paneer and lamb. Goat is delicious, but takes a long time to make, unless it’s pressure cooker, so I’ll choose the lamb for it’s combination of taste and quick cooking. I think Vikram’s favorite recipe would be his Baby Back Ribs or his Boneless Goat Curry.  Vikram doesn’t cook on a daily basis–his idea of cooking is on a Sunday and taking hours making dinner.