Temple dining a colorful, healthy option

by Daichi Okayasu, Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer, Feb 12, 2005

Tokyo, Japan -- Shojin-ryori - a type of vegetarian cuisine that came over from China with early Buddhist monks- is winning new fans for its simple but refined flavors and perceived healthfulness.

The food is now available at an increasing number of restaurants and even some Buddhist temples, where shojin-ryori is the traditional food of priests.

Sankoin--a nunnery in Koganei, Tokyo--is one temple that offers shojin-ryori lunches.

Located in a quiet residential area a 10-minute walk from JR Musashi Koganei Station, the temple serves its lunch in a large hall. The meal starts with a monaka, or anko-filled wafer, with a bowl of tea, followed by boiled vegetables, steamed turnip, sesame-flavored tofu and soup. The dishes are all very simple, but prepared with great care.

"Shojin-ryori dishes that are cooked to make the most of the ingredients, retaining their color and flavor as well as to be visually attractive, are very healthy," head nun Koei Hoshino said.

"A shojin-ryori meal tends to feature five colors--red, white, black, green and yellow--and achieves a perfect nutritional balance," she added.

Boiled vegetables are the staple ingredient of shojin-ryori dishes. Burdock is boiled for three hours, becoming so tender it almost melts in the mouth. Koyadofu, frozen and dried tofu, is flavored only with sugar and salt. Yam and wasabi are rolled in dried seaweed.

In shojin-ryori, no part of an ingredient is wasted. Eggplant stems are cut into star shapes and cooked in soup, giving them a firm, springy texture. Seaweed, used to make broth for soup, is boiled in sweetened soy sauce to make a side dish.

The set lunch prices begin at 3,350 yen. Reservations are required and guests are requested to meet at the temple at noon.

The vegetarian restaurant Bon is located in Taito Ward, Tokyo, where there are many temples. The restaurant specializes in fucha-ryori, a vegetarian cuisine introduced from China during the Edo period (1603-1868).

Served only at lunchtime on weekdays and Saturdays, the restaurant's fucha bento is a selection of vegetarian dishes, including dishes that have the appearance of fish or meat but are actually made from tofu and vegetables. The "grilled eel" is really tofu and grated yam made into an eel-like shape and then deep fried and grilled in sweetened soy sauce. Full of flavor, it has a taste and texture very similar to real eel.

The restaurant's spring rolls, filled with five different grains, are as delicious as traditional Chinese rolls.

"Spring rolls filled with grain instead of minced meat are quite popular among foreigners," said Ryuzo Furukawa, owner of the restaurant.

A fucha bento lunch costs 3,990 yen. At dinnertime and for lunch on Sundays and national holidays, the restaurant offers set menus from 7,350 yen.

For lunch or dinner at the restaurant, reservations are required.

Information:

Sankoin
(042) 381-1116

Fucha-ryori Bon
(03) 3872-0375
We Need Your Help to Train the
Buddhist AI Chat Bot
NORBU!
(Neural Operator for Responsible Buddhist Understanding)



For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your name in the payment slip. Thank you.


Dear Friends in the Dharma,

We seek your generous support to help us train NORBU, the word's first Buddhist AI Chat Bot.

Here are some ways you can contribute to this noble cause:

One-time Donation or Loan: A single contribution, regardless of its size, will go a long way in helping us reach our goal and make the Buddhist LLM a beacon of wisdom for all.

How will your donation / loan be used? Download the NORBU White Paper for details.



For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your purpose of payment (loan or donation) in the payment slip. Thank you.

Once payment is banked in, please send the payment slip via email to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv. Your donation/loan will be published and publicly acknowledged on the Buddhist Channel.

Spread the Word: Share this initiative with your friends, family and fellow Dharma enthusiasts. Join "Friends of Norbu" at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/norbuchatbot. Together, we can build a stronger community and create a positive impact on a global scale.

Volunteer: If you possess expertise in AI, natural language processing, Dharma knowledge in terms of Buddhist sutras in various languages or related fields, and wish to lend your skills, please contact us. Your knowledge and passion could be invaluable to our project's success.

Your support is part of a collective effort to preserve and disseminate the profound teachings of Buddhism. By contributing to the NORBU, you become a "virtual Bodhisattva" to make Buddhist wisdom more accessible to seekers worldwide.

Thank you for helping to make NORBU a wise and compassionate Buddhist Chatbot!

May you be blessed with inner peace and wisdom,

With deepest gratitude,

Kooi F. Lim
On behalf of The Buddhist Channel Team


Note: To date, we have received the following contributions for NORBU:
US$ 75 from Gary Gach (Loan)
US$ 50 from Chong Sim Keong
MYR 300 from Wilson Tee
MYR 500 from Lim Yan Pok
MYR 50 from Oon Yeoh
MYR 200 from Ooi Poh Tin
MYR 300 from Lai Swee Pin
MYR 100 from Ong Hooi Sian
MYR 1,000 from Fam Sin Nin
MYR 500 from Oh teik Bin
MYR 300 from Yeoh Ai Guat
MYR 300 from Yong Lily
MYR 50 from Bandar Utama Buddhist Society
MYR 1,000 from Chiam Swee Ann
MYR 1,000 from Lye Veei Chiew
MYR 1,000 from Por Yong Tong
MYR 80 from Lee Wai Yee
MYR 500 from Pek Chee Hen
MYR 300 from Hor Tuck Loon
MYR 1,000 from Wise Payments Malaysia Sdn Bhd
MYR 200 from Teo Yen Hua
MYR 500 from Ng Wee Keat
MYR 10,000 from Chang Quai Hung, Jackie (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from K. C. Lim & Agnes (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from Juin & Jooky Tan (Loan)
MYR 100 from Poh Boon Fong (on behalf of SXI Buddhist Students Society)
MYR 10,000 from Fam Shan-Shan (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from John Fam (Loan)
MYR 500 from Phang Cheng Kar
MYR 100 from Lee Suat Yee
MYR 500 from Teo Chwee Hoon (on behalf of Lai Siow Kee)
MYR 200 from Mak Yuen Chau

We express our deep gratitude for the support and generosity.

If you have any enquiries, please write to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv


TOP