History
Shojin-ryori arrived in Kyoto with the Rinzai Zen sect in the 12th century. The 1191 introduction of powdered green tea by Eisai and the founding of Tenryu-ji in 1339 anchored the cuisine; the form codified the use of seasonal vegetables, dashi (kombu and shiitake), tofu, yuba and sesame as a substitute for animal proteins. Today Shigetsu inside Tenryu-ji and Izusen Daiji-in at Daitoku-ji serve the canonical seven-bowl meals; Ajiro Honten holds the city's longest-running Michelin recognition for the form.
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Common allergens: Soy, Wheat, Sesame
Make it at home
Ingredients
- Kombu and dried shiitake for shojin dashi (no katsuobushi)
- 200g silken tofu, 200g yuba sheets, 100g sesame seeds for sesame tofu
- Seasonal vegetables: turnip, lotus root, takenoko, kabocha squash
- Mirin, light soy, sake, rice vinegar
- Steamed white rice, kelp pickles and toasted sesame to serve
Method
- Make a shojin dashi: cold-soak 20g kombu and 8g dried shiitake in 1L water for 4 hours.
- For goma-dofu (sesame tofu): grind 100g toasted sesame to a paste, mix with 30g kuzu starch and 400ml shojin dashi, heat-and-stir for 15 minutes until thick, pour into a mould, chill 30 minutes.
- Simmer cubed lotus root, takenoko and kabocha in dashi with light soy, mirin and a touch of sugar for 15 minutes.
- Make a quick-pickled turnip with rice vinegar, salt and a strip of kombu, set aside for 30 minutes.
- Plate the bowls into nested lacquer bowls: sesame tofu in one, simmered vegetables in another, pickles in the smallest.
- Serve with steamed rice in a separate bowl and a small clear shojin soup.
Tip from the editors. Shojin-ryori prohibits onion, garlic, leek and chives. Use yuzu skin, ginger and shiso for aroma; never reach for the alliums.
Where to eat shojin-ryori
Shojin-ryori in Kyoto
Shigetsu ★ 4.5
Bib Gourmand-listed shojin-ryori inside Tenryu-ji's precinct in Arashiyama. Three-course set lunches eaten facing the temple's Sogen garden.
OrderYuki shojin set with the temple's signature sesame tofu
TipReservation required for parties of two or more, at least three days ahead. The ¥500 garden entry is separate.
Izusen Daiji-in ★ 4.4
Daitoku-ji shojin-ryori served in nested vermillion lacquer bowls modelled on a Buddhist begging bowl. Garden-view tatami inside the Daiji-in sub-temple.
OrderTetsubachi ryori shojin set, served in seven nested bowls
TipLunch only. Cash preferred. Combine with a Daitokuji walking tour.
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