Wookwan's Korean Temple Food: The Road to the Taste of Enlightenment

Buddhist nun Wookwan breaks the boundaries of spiritual exercise and culinary practice in this first-of-its-kind cookbook of Korean temple cuisine. As the first volume of temple cuisine published in English, Wookwan herself has written a meditative, elegant volume that introduces the reader to Korean temple food, including what it means to care for the ingredients at each step of preparation, following the three key principles of cooking temple food, interspersed with her own accounts and tips among the recipes. With her mastery of the ingredients and with the experience of having shared Korean temple cuisine all over the world, Wookwan is able to connect with the preparer, gently guiding at each step. Korean temple food has been practicing what we now call the “farm-to-table” concept, using ingredients that are only homegrown or naturally cultivated, combined with an eco-friendly, clean eating mindfulness with a history of over 1700 years. It is also mindful vegetarian cuisine; it does not use any animal products save for some dairy ingredients, nor does it use the “five spicy vegetables,” green onions, garlic, chives, leeks, and onions that are thought to distract the mind; instead, flavors are precisely crafted by thorough understanding of the ingredients and their natural aromas. Temple cuisine holds at its very core a reverence for life, and Wookwan’s 41 meticulous recipes embody her philosophy and conscientiousness for nourishing the not only the body, but the soul. Techniques such as fermentation and creating natural extracts and broths are included in this cookbook, as well as ways to substitute ingredients that are more readily found to recreate the very flavors of the Dorak Mountains right at home.