Koyu Iinuma - Zen Vegan Food: Delicious Plant-based Recipes from a Zen Buddhist Monk

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Table of Contents

Guide

Zen Vegan Food

Delicious Plant-based Recipes
from a Zen Buddhist Monk

Koyu Iinuma

Contents

The Basic Rules of Zen Buddhist Temple
Cooking

Crispy Rice Balls with Seasoned
Nori Seaweed

Baked Potatoes with Seasoned
Nori Seaweed

Chinese Yam and Avocado with Seasoned
Nori Seaweed

Congee with Pickled Plum and
Egyptian Spinach

Stir-fried Cabbage and Mixed Grain
Congee

Kombu and Crispy Tofu with
Umeboshi

Deep-fried Kabocha Skins with
Curry Salt

Kabocha Squash Fritters with Almond and
Shiso

Napa Cabbage Salad with
Nori Seaweed

Seared Napa Cabbage with
Tomato Sauce

Simmered Daikon Radish with Miso
Sauce

Grilled Baby Turnips with Mustard-Olive
Sauce

Foreword

Thank you for picking up this book.

I would like to start by offering you this phrase: Tohosenshu , zaihoshojo ,
fukujuzocho . Roughly translated, this means, May all crimes or disasters
disappear from the lives of all living things, and may they experience good
fortune. It appears at the beginning of a sutra that is chanted before every
meal, and gives us a small insight into why, in Japanese culture, we always
put our hands together before and after every meal.

Shojin ryori (divine cuisine) or Zen vegan food, the traditional Buddhist
cuisine that has evolved over centuries in Japan, is often thought of as being
restricted to traditional Japanese dishes. I hope youll be pleasantly surprised
to nd that many of the recipes in this book dont look like temple food at all.

Personally, I am someone who likes to challenge my own assumptions. Our state
of mind and our attitude can have a great effect on how we perceive the events
of daily life. If we can adopt an open-minded attitude when it comes to food,
we may nd that we come to like something that we previously avoided.

Even the most unconventional recipes in this book pay respect to tradition and
history, and as far as possible use every part of each ingredient. I have done my
best to make the recipes easy to prepare in home kitchens. If this book can show
you how interesting Zen vegan cooking can be, and help you become more
familiar with Buddhism, I will be truly grateful. I hope you enjoy this book.

Gassho,
Koyu Iinuma

Zen Vegan Basics

What is Zen vegan food?

The Zen vegan food in this book is based on tradi
tional shojin ryori Buddhist temple cuisine, which
is made without any meat, utilizing vegetables,
beans and grains. Buddhist monks in training,
who are forbidden from killing any being, eat this
kind of food every day so as to not take life from any
living creature.

Zen vegan food is prepared with care

Buddhism was started by Buddha, or Shakyamuni,
about 2,500 years ago. It is said that Buddha spread
the way of Buddhism by tailoring his message ac
cording to the way of thinking and position of each
person that he preached his philosophies to. This
was based on the principle of chudo , which means
taking the middle road, never straying too far to one
side or another, and accepting all kinds of people.

In Zen vegan cuisine, the balance between the
ve avorssour, bitter, sweet, hot (spicy) and
saltyis very important. In particular, the tanmi ,
or subtle avors inherent in the ingredients, are
highly prized. Flavors in a dish need to be bal
anced carefully to bring out the full taste of each
ingredient. The tan of tanmi , which means not
heavy, corresponds to the middle road espoused
by the Buddha. The middle road can be applied
to cooking by creating food that has the perfect
balance. This balance varies from person to person:
some prefer food that is spicier, while others prefer
sweeter-tasting dishes. It is important in Zen vegan
cooking to always think of the preferences of the
diner, to adjust the avor balance to their liking to
make them happy, and to work with care and atten
tion to detailin other words, to show your care for
other people.

The Basic Rules of Zen Buddhist Temple Cooking

All the recipes in this book follow the rules below. They may seem daunting at rst glance,
but they are no obstacle to creating a wide range of delicious Zen vegan dishes.

No animal-based proteins are used

In traditional Buddhist temple cuisine, animal-based
ingredients are prohibited because of the Buddhist
commandment that forbids the killing of any living
thing. Throughout Japanese history, several emperors
who sought to encourage Buddhism issued edicts
prohibiting the consumption of meat. A traditional
Buddhist diet uses soybean products, particularly
tofu, as the main source of protein.

Dashi stock must be vegan

Dashi stock is the foundation of conventional tradi
tional Japanese cuisine. In Zen vegan cooking, how
ever, dashi stock cannot be made with katsuobushi
(akes of dried bonito), niboshi (dried sardines)
or any other animal products. In their stead, um
ami-rich vegetables such as dried kombu seaweed
and shiitake mushrooms are used, as well as roasted
soybeans and the soaking liquid from kanpyo (dried
gourd strips). I especially recommend using the wa
ter that has been used to parboil root vegetables such
as daikon radish, carrots and turnips; it has a subtle
sweetness that greatly enhances the avors of other
ingredients. However, purely vegetable-based stocks
are lighter in avor than animal-based ones. You can
use fermented foods such as soy sauce or miso paste
to boost the umami, and you can add richness with
ingredients such as ground sesame seeds. I believe
that Zen vegan food centers on using limited ingredi
ents to create delicious and satisfying dishes.

No strong-smelling vegetables are used

There are ve types of strong-smelling vegetable
that are not allowed in Buddhist temple cuisine, as
they are believed to overstimulate the senses: green
onions, scallions or leeks; onions; garlic chives;
garlic bulbs; and rakkyo ( Allium chinense , a vege
table that is similar to a shallot). The smell of ones
breath after eating these vegetables can clash with
the fragrance of incense inside a monastery or tem
ple, and may distract from the words of a lecture or
sermon. In addition, the stimulation these vege
tables are believed to provide may make one more
susceptible to worldly desires, and get in the way of
a monks training.

No dairy products are used

In traditional Buddhist cuisine, dairy products
such as milk, cheese, cream and butter cannot be
used. Even though they are forbidden, sometimes
I nd myself imagining how delicious a particular
dish would be with a little cheese sprinkled on top.
Of course, dairy products are used frequently in
Italian cuisine, but the Zen vegan Italian dishes in
the nal chapter of this book do not contain any
dairy. I struggled a lot when I was creating those
recipes, but it was similar to the struggle everyone
faces when trying to create dishes at home with
whatever is in the refrigerator. Cooking every day
can be hard work, but ideally we want to nd joy
and comfort in the task, too.

Zen Vegan Food at Fukushoji Temple

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