Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a vegetarian, I have bought a ton of cookbooks but haven't fallen in love with any particular one. I find that a lot of the western vegetarian cookbooks tend to use some fancy spices (e.g. saffron) but I personally didn't care for the taste. It also takes quite some time to cook a lot of the meals in the book.

This one, what I have come to know as Japanese temple food, is exceptional. Each recipe has beautifully photographed pictures of the dish, so you know what it's supposed to look like. The food was delicious and very light. I am not a Buddhist, but I enjoy it immensely.

The only drawback, a minor one for me since I am very familiar with Japanese cuisine to begin with, is some of the ingredients. They may not be easy to find unless you have an Asian supermarket nearby, which I do. But other than that, truly scrumptious vegan food. It's all good. All good.

The recipes in this book are not for the complete beginner, and not for those without access to a Japanese supermarket, but they are worth the effort. Particularly for the vegan cook, Japanese buddhist food is a great way to expand your cultural horizons and your palate at once, and this is an excellent place to start. More in the way of explanations of ingredients etc. would have earned this book five stars.

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.