There is a style of cuisine trending in Japan that is not only vegetarian, but also sans onion and garlic – and it traces its origins to India in 1000 BCE.
We’re talking about contemporary Japanese Buddhist cuisine, also known as shojin ryori.
Chef Lakhan Jethani of Mizu Izakaya in Mumbai tells us more about this food and where to have it. Lakhan would know best – he worked at Sougo in Tokyo, under his mentor and third-generation chef Daisuke Nomura who is widely celebrated for his modern interpretation of shojin ryori cuisine.
“The restaurant worked with the rule of five,” says Lakhan. “The rule’s five colours were green, yellow, red, black and white. And its five flavours were sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. These were drawn from ingredients to provide nutritional balance in the body and equilibrium in our minds, while expressing balance in nature. Once only temple food, Shojin ryori cuisine has since also made its way to kaiseki-style dining – restaurants that offer multisensorial seasonal degustation menus.”
For your next Japan trip, here are four shojin ryori restaurants that chef Lakhan recommends for their kaiseki-style, frequently changing degustation menus:
A traditional Buddhist restaurant that’s part of a temple and situated on its grounds.
Image Credit: Takosan
2. Sougo, Tokyo
A modern high gastronomy shoji ryori kaiseki restaurant, but with a relaxed atmosphere.
3. Daigo, Tokyo
70-years-old, Michelin-starred with private dining rooms and garden views.
4. Tenryuji Temple Shigetsu, Kyoto
A temple restaurant surrounded by the temple’s complex serene World Heritage Gardens.
Image Credit: Tenryu-ji Temple
Read more on Savor Japan about shojin ryori food.
Read more about Chef Daisuke and Sougo’s kaiseki-style shojin ryori.
Header Image Credit: peacefuldumpling.com