The Enlightened Kitchen: Fresh Vegetable Dishes from the Temples of Japan

by Mari Fujii

Nourish body and soul with simple, delicious food from Japan's temples.

The Enlightened Kitchen introduces readers to shojin ryori, the traditional vegetarian cooking of Japan's Buddhist temples. Shojin food, with its emphasis on fresh, seasonal vegetables, staples such as seaweed, grains and tofu, and natural flavorings rather than chemical additives, is a highly
nutritious and delicious alternative to the many unhealthy eating habits of Western society. In addition to its health benefits, the preparation and eating of shojin food in Buddhist temples has great spiritual significance. After spending their days in rigorous selfdiscipline, the monks welcome
mealtimes as a soothing respite, both for those preparing the food with loving care and for those eating it with
relaxed enjoyment.

Stunning color photographs accompany more than sixty recipes for soups, salads, tofu and bean dishes, vegetables, rice and desserts. The author, Mari Fujii, married to a Buddhist monk and an expert in shojin food for more than twenty years, presents an array of recipes including: Carrot and Mushroom
Soymilk Soup, Steamed Pumpkin and Tofu, Beans and Eggplant with Sesame Dressing, Ginger Rice and Banana Tempura. Her step-by-step instructions are easy to follow, and she has made an effort to use ingredients that are readily available in most good supermarkets. Fujii includes a guide to basic
cooking techniques used in the preparation of shojin food, an extensive glossary of ingredients and equipment, and fascinating background information on the history and philosophy of shojin ryori. Perfect for vegans, vegetarians and anyone interested in healthful eating, the dishes from The
Enlightened Kitchen will warm our hearts, sustain our souls, and fortify us inside and out.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Japan, Nonfiction, Buddhism, Reference

109 pages, Hardcover

First published November 18, 2005

Reviews

[7jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book concentrates on dishes of the "shojin ryori" style, food from Japanese Buddhist temples, which is vegetarian (many recipes here are already vegan though). The author has learned this type of cuisine about 20 years ago from her husband who was a monk and a cook in Kamakura, near Tokyo. She has written many cookbooks and made some tv appearances, and has made herself familiar with Chinese-style temple food also. This centuries old traditional cuisine focuses often on flavor, and practices seasonal cooking.

This is a book with 60 recipes, with photos. The instructions are easy and short. Some deep-frying is in some recipes, and there is at least two recipes with natto. At the end are some basic preparation techniques, and a glossary of ingredients (with storing instructions).

Some of my favorites: Kenchin style vegetable soup, Sesame-flavored eggplant soup, Broccoli & cauliflower salad with tofu dressing, Lentil cucumber & mushroom salad, Tofu with mushroom sauce, Miso-pickled tofu, Mushrooms & spinach with yuzu dressing, Mushrooms with plum sauce, Scattered vegetable sushi, Zuridashi udon, Soymilk jelly with strawberry sauce, Kiwi fruit with mashed potato.

Although I feel I would've wanted more recipes, even this amount here is delightful. The photos are great and make you really want to make and taste them. A great experience, even just reading the book. :)

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could have done without the few non-vegan ingredients, such as yogurt and honey, even though they appear infrequently.

For those who love Japanese food and want to make it at home, I think this might be a good book. For me, there were too many ingredients I didn’t like, such as the oil used in many dishes, also vinegar, etc.

With a few exceptions, these aren’t dishes I have that much desire to make as is, although the book did give me ideas about how to create my own food using its ideas.

The photographs of the completed recipes are spectacularly beautiful. For me, the photos were the best part of the book. The next best was getting ideas of how to make my own versions of the Japanese style vegetable soups.

Contents

Introduction

Soup
Salads
Tofu and Beans
Vegetables
Potatoes, Rice, and Grains
Desserts

Basic Preparation Techniques
Glossary
Index

Even though I haven’t read it I suspect I might prefer the book Japanese Cooking - Contemporary & Traditional because I’ve liked that author’s other two cookbooks, and loved her vegan restaurant Now and Zen, which unfortunately closed years ago; it was not a Japanese restaurant.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far I've made four dishes from this book, and they've all been simple and wonderful. They are also all easy to make vegan with simple substitutions for honey and yogurt. The pictures are beautiful and the recipes are clear. I do wish the book had included more about the specifics of shojin ryori--what to eat during different seasons, specifics on how to roll sushi-style rolls, etc. The out-of-print book The Heart of Zen Cuisine seems to include more detailed info like that, but this book is more modern looking. I think the two would compliment each other nicely.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shorter than I'd like but full of great information and easy to follow directions. My second biggest gripe is that some of the recipes are on pages with black backgrounds, so I have to use a silver sharpee for notes...and those smear. But the seemingly simple flavors and short procedures often develop into something amazing, I'm thinking particularly of that miso-pickled tofu, yum! I could have also used more pickle information in general. Always, more pickles!

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book cover-to-cover, but will only give it 3 stars. That rating is because many of the ingredients are so unusual & different that I don't think I'd be able to find them. However, the photography was good & I did enjoy reading it. I also liked the information at the back of the book that tells more about the ingredients and what they are. I marked a few recipes to try.

[Angeline]

I heard about this book from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's podcast. I am always looking for new cookbooks. The recipes look delicious with simple delicate flavors. The recipes are based on the centuries old vegetarian cuisin of Japan's Buddhist temples. Fortunately, I live in Cleveland and we have a ethnic markets and an Asian Town Center where I could pick up the more traditional ingredients such as konbu and koyadofu.
Yes, some of the recipes contain your average grocery ingredients like Tofu Fried with Almonds and Scatter Vegetable Sushi. The recipes are small and pleasing. The instructions are easy to follow and when an unfamiliar ingredient is used there is a brief explanation.

[NoBeatenPath · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous book of recipes that are based on the simple yet delicious meals you would find in Japanese Buddhist temples. Beautifully illustrated throughout, with straight-forward directions, this is a book that would be a benefit to anyone looking for simple, nutritious Japanese food. While some of the ingredients may be a bit out of the ordinary for a Western kitchen, most should be easy to find, or by mail-order at the very hardest. Extra-half star due to the fact that every recipe is vegan (one calls for cheese, but due to every thing else being specifically soy-milk, I will give the author the benefit of the doubt and guess she meant soy-cheese)

[Martyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect in every way. I've already made two of the recipes in here and loved them both - the edamame soup on page 16 is fantastic, and is even better when paired with the silken tofu and shichimi tōgarashi from an almost identical recipe from a different book. Some of the ingredients may be hard to find but it's worth the effort; I'm just grateful that we have the only non-coastal branch of Mitsuwa right on our doorstep!

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since I am pregnant and trying to eat healthier, not only for myself but also for the baby, I figured Buddhist vegetarian temple food might be a good place to start. However, I didn't find hardly any of the recipes appetizing, with the exception of the Shojin Salad with Peanut-flavored Tofu Dressing. I will try this style of cooking again, but perhaps with a different cookbook.

[Lydia]

This is such a great cookbook. Some of the recipes take a little finesse, but if you really like to cook, it's amazing. The avocado and asparagus salad with tofu-peanut dressing is my favorite.

[Mo]

Beautifully presented, simple vegetarian foods...

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The food is exquisitely photographed and looks simple and delicious. Even though I am unfamiliar with a few of the ingredients, I am definitely going to attempt a few of the recipes.