This book was written by Buddhist nun and chef Woo Kwon. It may sound exotic, but in reality it’s very simple and grounded. Woo Kwon — a Chef’s Table star on Netflix — often travels with lectures, speaking about simplicity and locality. We spent some time at a monastery in Kathmandu this year, and I can confirm 1000%: the food there is exactly as described. Simple, balanced, authentic, and deeply nourishing.
A few key ideas from the book:
- “The result of cooking is not just nutrition. It is part of daily practice, part of meditation.”
- Food is shared not only among monks but also with anyone who enters the monastery.
- Most ingredients are local, either grown in the monastery or nearby — what we now call farm-to-table.
- Buddhist cuisine is considered the best vegetarian food in the world. Dairy is allowed, but five pungent vegetables are banned: spring onions, chives, garlic, leeks, and onions.
- 3 cooking principles: purity, flexibility (adaptability), and following natural order.
- Common methods include drying, fermentation, pickling, broths, kimchi, yogurt, soy paste, and soy sauce.
- 1 L water
- 5 fresh or dried shiitake mushrooms
- 200 g daikon
- 7–10 pcs dulse seaweed (about 10 g)
- sea salt
Bring one liter of water to a boil and add 200 g of daikon and five fresh or dried shiitake mushrooms. Cook for twenty minutes, then add seven to ten pieces of dulse seaweed and simmer for another seven minutes. The broth can be left for up to two hours to let the mushrooms fully release their flavor. Before serving, remove the mushrooms, slice them thinly, and return them to the broth. The result is a clean, delicate, aromatic soup that is beautiful on its own, but can also be turned into a full meal by adding silken tofu, seafood, fish fillet, or boiled eggs.
Bring one liter of water to a boil and add 200 g of daikon and five fresh or dried shiitake mushrooms. Cook for twenty minutes, then add seven to ten pieces of dulse seaweed and simmer for another seven minutes. The broth can be left for up to two hours to let the mushrooms fully release their flavor. Before serving, remove the mushrooms, slice them thinly, and return them to the broth. The result is a clean, delicate, aromatic soup that is beautiful on its own, but can also be turned into a full meal by adding silken tofu, seafood, fish fillet, or boiled eggs.
