Danny Chu - Shojin Ryori: A Japanese Vegetarian Cookbook

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Shojin
Ryori

The Art of Japanese Vegetarian Cuisine

Shojin
Ryori

Danny Chu

To my mum, who gave me
absolute freedom from an early age,
to decide whats good for me.

About the Author

Danny Chu is a former foreign currency trader who left the
corporate world and followed his passion to Japan to learn
more about shojin ryori , the art of Japanese Zen cuisine. With
hard work and unwavering determination, Danny mastered
traditional Zen temple cooking and became the first shojin ryori
chef in Singapore.

He ran Enso Kitchen for several years, delighting both
vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike with his creative dishes,
and garnered rave reviews from the media, including Wine &
Dine, Travel+Leisure, BBC Good Food, Appetite and The Peak
magazines, as well as The Business Times and Channel News Asia.

Today, Danny is based in Taiwan and returns to Singapore
every quarter to organise shojin ryori lunch and dinner sessions
which are eagerly anticipated and quickly snapped up once
bookings open.

Contents

Toasted and Ground
Sesame Seeds

Asparagus with Walnut-miso
Dressing

Mashed Pumpkin with
Water Chestnut

Soy Milk Jelly with Tomato
and Edamame

Sweet Potato with
Cucumber Pure

Miso Soup with Nameko
Mushrooms

Spinach and Mushroom with
Citrus Dressing

Miso Soup with Nameko
Mushrooms

Green Beans with
Walnut-miso Dressing

Introduction

Shojin means vigour or energy and ryori means cuisine.
Together, the term shojin ryori refers to the cuisine that
originated from the Buddhist temples in Japan in the
6th century and which gained popularity with the
introduction of Zen Buddhism in the 13th century.

Preparing shojin cuisine is an aspect of Zen training. It involves
the cooks entire personality, not just his cooking skills, and is
a practice of spirituality. It is an art of cooking which involves
the delicate preparation of the ingredients, and where the
cook has to be mindful of the cooking process, right up to the
presentation of the dish.

Derived from the basic Buddhist precept of not taking life,
shojin ryori is completely vegetarian. When preparing a
shojin ryori meal, one key aspect is to minimise any wastage
of ingredients, while drawing out the natural flavour of
each ingredient.

Traditionally, the Zen Buddhist monks would chant and
contemplate the five Zen reflections before eating:

The effort that brings me this meal

This is an appreciation of the effort
made to put the meal together, from
harvesting the crops, to preparing the
ingredients and even those who made
the tableware and cutlery. The meal
is possible only through the kindness
of others.

My imperfections as I receive this meal

This is the recognition that nobody
is perfect, so the individual is kept
humble and the heart open, thankful
and appreciative of the goodness
of life.

Mindfulness to be free from imperfections

This is to keep free from negativity
through rightful actions, speech and
thinking. Only when one is fully aware
of his shortcomings, would he seek to
change for the better.

Taking this food to sustain good health

The essence of this reflection is to be
mindful of what one eats as food has an
impact on health.

The fulfillment of our obligations

The essence of living is to achieve ones
goals. With this in mind, the individual is
able to uplift his spirits and reach his goals.

Simple, Delicious, Healthy

Shojin cooking uses seasonal ingredients to get the best out
of the produce in order to nourish the body. The ingredients
are purely vegetables or from plant sources, and no artificial
colouring and flavouring is used. It also omits the use of eggs
and dairy products, making it suitable for vegan diets.

Once, when I had the opportunity to visit a farm in Japan,
I noticed how the farmer took a lot of pride in her work.
To introduce me to the produce, she harvested a turnip from
the ground, washed it and cut it in half for me to try. The turnip
tasted sweet and mild, even though it was not even peeled.
Seeing my surprise at how good the turnip tasted, the farmer
commented that most vegetables taste good as they are.
She then joked that as the chef needed a job, they started to
make things more elaborate and created dishes.

This simple encounter made me realise the benefits of using
seasonal produce, of enjoying vegetables when they are fresh
and tasty. It is with this understanding that I have created and
served many different seasonal shojin sets. Despite having
done this for the past decade, I remain in awe at how these
dishes can be prepared with such simple ingredients, yet be
so delicious and healthy.

Shojin ryori is made up of a variety of dishes and presented
on trays. Care and attention is given to the presentation, the
colours and the taste to intrigue the five senses.

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