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For over a thousand years, especially after the introduction of Buddhism in Japan, due to the general Buddhist precept of ahimsa (Sanskrit, to do no harm), it was illegal to eat animal meat in Japan. With this in mind, Japanese created tasty vegan dishes. Shōjin ryōri / ’devotion cuisine’ or ‘temple food’ is probably the healthiest food there is. Kombu/kelp and mushroom dashi stocks are used for this style of cuisine.
Shōjin ryōri to this date is practiced among Japanese Zen Buddhist priests. Today, shojin cuisine is popular as a diet food. Delicious shojin flavors often appear in ryotei/high-end restaurants. Shojin cuisine focuses on eating rather austere food, but being completely aware as we eat. Consequently, chefs also put their hearts into their dishes. Frequently used items are vegetables, sesame seeds, and vinegar. However, in shojin cuisine, tofu is the most-used ingredient. Rich in plant protein, tofu is essential to shojin cuisine. Pureed tofu can be made to resemble other types of food and as ‘mock’ cuisine, can even mimic items like grilled unagi/eel. Shojin has various techniques to satisfy people’s eyes and palates. Utilizing rather bland ingredients and making it taste like other foods, makes it more enjoyable. Shojin cuisine showcases aesthetic Japanese cuisine.
This featured recipe, Ganmodki no fukumeni, simmered tofu fritter which was originally made in Zen Temples, is now a popular dish at home. It is a sponge like dumpling, with mildly sweet-savory juice, which flows in the mouth with the first bite. A fusion of flavors, texture of the vegetables and crunchy sesame seeds, further add to the delight!
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Ganmodoki, Simmered Vegan Tofu Fritters / がんもどき 含め煮
Recipe by: Fae’s Twist & Tango (fae-magazine.com)
INGREDIENTS
• 400 g/ 14 oz / 1 block of ‘medium firm’ tofu
• 55 g/ 2 oz/ 5~6 medium, fresh shiitake mushrooms, diced 5mm
• 85 g/ 3 oz/ 10 cm thick piece of carrot, diced 5mm
• 30 g/ 1 oz/ 36 beans frozen edamame, thawed and skin removed and beans split in two
• 40 g/ 1.5 oz/ 2 stems green onion, thinly sliced
• 1½ tsp sesame seeds (black is better, I used white)
• 55 g/ 2 oz nagaimo yam/mountain yam (also called yamatoimo)**
• 3½ tsp potato starch
• 3 tsp mirin (Takara honteri non-alcoholic mirin)
• 1 tsp soy-sauce (usukuchi soy sauce is better to keep ganmodoki and its juice from getting dark in color)
• salt
• vegetable oil for sautéeing and deep frying
Other filling vegetables used: gingko nuts (I used edamame instead), hijiki/brown sea vegetable, gobo/burdock roots, renkon/lotus roots, black sesame seeds (I used white instead) or asanomi/dried hemp seeds
**Pick a fresh, thicker, straighter yamaimo. Avoid discolored and aged ones.
To freeze excess nagaimo: Freeze nagaimo grated and in a Ziploc. Whenever needed, break an amount needed, close the Ziploc air tight and return to the freezer. Let it thaw at room temperature.
For simmering dashi:
• 600 ml/ 2½ cups water
• 9 cm x 12 cm (2½” x 4½”) dried kombu
• 3 Tbsp mirin (Takara honteri non-alcoholic mirin)
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 3 Tbsp soy-sauce (usukuchi soy sauce is better to keep ganmodoki and its juice from getting dark in color)
DIRECTIONS
◊ Tofu must be drained very well. Cut by knife or break by hand and place it on a microwave/heatproof dish lined with paper towel. Microwave at power #6 (out of 10) for 4½ minutes. Then drain the tofu pieces in a colander and leave it to cool completely. Tofu must be mashed very finely and as smooth as possible. Food-processor may be used. The smoother the tofu, the better it will bind with the vegetables.
◊ Add 1 tsp vegetable oil to a non-stick fry-pan and place it on a medium-heat. Once the oil is heated, add carrots and sautée for 1 minute. Then add shiitake mushrooms, edamame, pinch of salt, and sautée for another 3 minutes or until hint of caramelizing. Transfer to a plate and let it cool.
◊ Nagaimo is usually grated in suribachi (which I used) to have a silky finish. Japanese grater or nagaimo/daikon grater may be used instead. Nagaimo has a viscosity texture, which works very well as a binder. If suribachi has been used, after grating, use a pestle and grind for a few minutes more to make the grated nagaimo thicker.
◊ Add tofu to the grated nagaimo and using silicone spatula, fold/combine the two well. Add mirin, soy-sauce, potato starch, a pinch of salt, and combine well. Add the fried vegetables, sliced green onions, sesame seeds and further combine. A solid structure is needed or the mixture will not hold its shape during frying.
◊ Grease a large plate with vegetable oil, and put some oil on your hands so the mixture doesn’t stick to your hand when making the balls. With a spoon, take one rounded tablespoon and roll a ball. (if you find this difficult, use two spoon technique — scoop mixture, repeatedly scraping from one spoon to the other, forming a ball.) Try not to incorporate air into the balls, otherwise they will break apart when frying. Place them on the greased plate.
◊ Add 3cm/1” deep oil to a deep, mid-sized sauce pan, bring to 165°C/330°C. Gently add the balls. Lower the heat to medium-heat. (The lower oil temperature allows the center of the balls to cook through without burning their exteriors.) Turn the balls in the oil to cook them evenly, 4 ~ 5 minutes, until golden brown. Place them on a plate lined with paper towel.
◊ To simmer the ganmodoki: To prepare a vegan dashi, place the dried kombu in a medium sized pot with 600 ml water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes and take out the kombu. Add sugar, mirin and soy-sauce and bring to a simmer.
◊ Add ganmodoki to the simmering dashi, then lower the heat to medium-heat or lower (don’t let it boil vigorously or ganmodoki may fall apart), place a drop-lid, made of parchment paper cut-to fit (drop-lid ensures that the heat is evenly distributed and reduces the tendency for liquid to boil with large bubbles) and simmer for 5 minutes (ganmodoki will absorb the liquid and enlarge and plump). Serve in a slightly deeper platter.
~ どうぞめしあがれ • Douzo Meshiagare ~
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So, what’s cooking in your kitchen?
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What an interesting history. I’m amazed at how much there is to learn about food history and the Japanese have such a rich, meaningful one. These look so good. Thanks for sharing. I’ve fallen so behind on reading I thought I’d start right here 🙂
Truly, Japanese cuisine is very elaborate and has many categories. Growing up in Japan and being a Japan enthusiast, I am still amazed by the detail put into each preparation. 🙂
that’s looks very tasty. I want to make it at home and give it to my husband and son.
Hi, It is not a difficult dish to make. Please give it a try and surprise your husband and son. 🙂
Oh this looks delicious! And what fascinating history too. Happy Holidays Dear Fae~
Thank you, Cindy, and Happy Holidays to you and yours! 🙂
You have such a wonderfully varied recipe repertoire, Fae, complete with a bit of history to go with each preparation. Of course, i’ve enjoyed sushi countless times but new little of its history. I knew absolutely nothing of today’s ganmodoki. They do sound delicious, though, and how I’d love to try one.
Thank you, John.
– I know some knowledge, and I learn more as I go. Blogging has been quite a learning process for me. I used to love food, as in living to eat ‘love’. It has not changed, but now I also respect food, especially traditional recipes and their preparations as I learn the history of how each came to be.
– Japan has a very interesting and intriguing cuisine. No wonder, washoku/traditional Japanese cuisine has been added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. There are cuisine categories within washoku. Japanese have names for tastes that we have no translations for, such as umami and koku (harmony of several ingredients, sweet and salty, encapsulating the umami element, creating a rich, full and hearty flavor)… science of making katsuobushi, shio koji, etc. No matter how much I learn, there are just dishes only chefs with decades of experience can prepare.
– BTW, check out my Shop Amazon page and guess what you’ll find? 🙂
What a great way to use tofu! This sounds so good!
Thank you, Nancy! It sure give so much taste to tofu. 🙂
What a wonderful visual for the senses and taste buds Fae – I love all your explanations around the culinary world that I’m not too familiar with. These dumplings look amazing, and judging from the ingredients, I’m pretty sure they are addictive 🙂 . Beautiful as always!
Although very delicious and addictive (as you said), this particular dish I made is, it is not a good representation of what should also be visually beautiful shojin dishes. Nonetheless, I’m glad that my post was able to convey the importance of other aspects of the cuisine. 🙂
I wonder when sushi became vogue with the history of not eating animal flesh. But recipes like this make up for lack of meat. Looks delicious.
Hi Virginia, Buddhism arrived in Japan in the mid 6th-century. Not everyone became Buddhist. Shinto Faith was in Japan more than 1000 years before that (belief is, lineage of Japanese imperial family is the foundation of Japanese culture, being the descendants of god, Amaterasu who started Shintoism). Although, eating of raw fish was introduced to the Japanese by Southeast Asian before the 8th century, sushi as we know it, raw fish over vinegar seasoned rice, started in Edo period (1603~1868) as an eat-on-the-go fast food, being sold at the kiosks stands at the street corners. Animal meats being forbidden, the government was lenient with consumption of fish, after all it is a land surrounded by waters and the industry was a necessity for prosperity. And of course, there always were people who ate meats secretly (especially ones who lived in the mountains). 🙂
Fae, this recipe is completely new to me. I admit I’m not familiar with Japanese cuisine (except the art of Tea) and thanks for sharing with us this amazing recipe! 🙂
I like your meticulous work 🙂
Thank you, Linda. I always learn new things from my fellow bloggers. For example, you introduced me to Algerian cuisine which I did not know anything about. I also am trying to bring treasures of cuisines which I am familiar with to my readers. Shojin cuisine is one of those treasures. 🙂
Wow, very exquisite cuisine! Very Japanese too!
Exquisite indeed, Chris! 🙂
Fae, you are like an encyclopedia of international cuisine. I do love Japanese food and don’think I have ever had Shojin food before. It is visually lovely and sounds delicious. The flavors pop, umami!!!
You are always too kind to me, dear Suzanne. Since I am documenting the recipe, I would also like to document about what little I know, plus some other info/history I can find. As you know, I am not a vegan, or a Buddhist (respect both), but when I have the opportunity to eat shojin cuisine, I highly appreciate the umami you mentioned, detailed attention placed on ensemble of dishes that balance in visual colors, texture and nourishment to delight all senses, especially the palate. 😀 )))
I must say that I have never tasted anything quite like this before, but with your explanations and tutorial I am sitting hear and almost tasting it. 🙂 Looks wonderful!
Dear Laila, You have an impressive sense of taste and must be familiar with Japanese seasoning. Shojin cuisine is meant to also entice and please visually with multiple colors of garnishes from vegetables and/or fruits. This recipe, red from carrots, green from edamame and brown form mushrooms should have been more visual. 😉 Thank you for the kind comments. 🙂
Dear Fae, I really love learning new things about food, and thanks to your blog I once again discovered something new today: Shōjin ryōri. I have lately been reading about devotional cooking in Hinduism and approaching cooking through yoga, but had no idea there was a specific term for it in Japanese as well. The recipe sounds very interesting too. Thank you!
Sweet Darya, Since you are reading about vegan/devotional cooking/cuisines, do check out more about shojin cuisine too. Hindu cuisine has lots of aromatic spices used for vegetable dishes that entice appetite with fragrance. Shojin ryori/cuisine gradually evolved pleasing all senses. Not only do you enjoy fragrance and flavor while nourishing your body, but also to entice all your senses, including dinning in a serene environment (wabi-sabi/simplicity, gardens) hopefully with soothing sounds of nature, texture of the food (soft, crunchy, brittle, flowing liquid…), and especially, yo be very pleasing to the eye. 🙂
Thank you so much dear Fae for an insight into Japanese cuisine and a delicious recipe. Your posts are always very informative and interesting 🙂
SKD, I read the posts about your family eating occasional vegan food for a break. I do believe that strictly vegan Japanese temple food/shojin ryori is the most well developed vegan recipes there are. If your family appreciates Japanese flavor of seasoning, check out more shojin recipes and surprise your taste buds! 🙂