Ok guys, this is my epos on steemit so far. A healthy meal does not consist of one course only, so how about an eight-course menu?

The instructions from @healthsquared were clear so I skipped the dessert.

Traditionally in shojin ryori, which means energetic cuisine and has its roots in the Buddhist temples of Japan, desserts are reserved for special occasions like tea ceremonies anyways.

There are many aspects in shojin ryori, which is also known as Buddhist or temple cuisine, like the preparation of the meal in a Zen like manner, the precept of not taking life, which is why this cuisine is vegetarian, to minimize any wastage of the ingredients, to use seasonal ingredients, and a balance in flavors and cooking methods. For example, it is better to include a small fried dish instead of repressing it (the cravings are there anyways), or to overeat boiled or even raw food.

Moderation is a healthy aspect in our world of abundance and overeating. As abundant as this meal may seem, it is low in calories and ideally the only meal of the day. So take your time and eat slowly, stop before being full, that’s your healthy diet.

Shojin Ryori Setto

Serves 2
⏱ Don’t ask

Konbu Dashi

• 12 cm konbu
• 1.25 l water

Konbu dashi is a stock which serves as a base for many of the courses, so we prepare it first.

Wipe the surface of the konbu with a moist cloth to retain the flavor and soak it in the water for at least two hours.

Then bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the kombu.

Simmer for 20 minutes if you don’t have the time to soak first.

Goma Dofu (Sesame Tofu)

• 15 g kuzu
• 1 T white sesame paste
• 125 ml water
• Wasabi to taste, preferably powder

Sauce

• 1.5 T konbu dashi
• 1.5 T soy sauce

This dish is served as an appetizer, in French cuisine known as the amuse-bouche.

First we prepare the sauce by mixing the soy sauce with the dashi in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and set aside.

Finally I got the chance to cook with arrowroot after stumbling across @heart-to-heart’s vegan cheese recipe.

Kuzu, the Japanese arrowroot is not cheap, so you might use the the regular one or even tapioca starch made from cassava, which is sometimes also labeled as arrowroot.

Mix the kuzu with the sesame paste and water in a non-sticky saucepan and stir until smooth.

Then place on medium heat and stir regularly with a wooden spatula for 5-10 minutes until you get a gooey consistency. Turn heat of and stir for another minute.

Moisten a small tray with water and pour the sesame mixture into it. Even the surface with a spatula. Don’t wait too long or the mixture will get too gooey.

Place in a container on small dishes to be in contact with water from below.
Fill with water, cover the tray with a moist cloth and put some ice onto it and into the water. Set aside for 3 hours, don’t use the fridge or the texture will become too hard.

To unmold, place the tray under cold running water and separate with your finger from the tray. Put on a chopping board and cut in half. Decorate with some wasabi.

Vegetable Mochi Rice

• 110 g mochi rice
• 2.5 cm konbu
• 185 ml water
• 2.5 cm lotus root slice
• ½ T rice vinegar
• 20 g carrots
• 15 g sugar snap peas

Sushi Dressing

• 2 T rice vinegar
• 1.5 t sea salt
• 3 T cane sugar

Vinegar Mixture

• 1 T cane sugar
• 2 T rice vinegar

Wash the rice in a bowl then drain through a sieve for 15 minutes.

Then mix with the water and konbu and let soak for half an hour.

Let simmer for about 45 minutes while occasionally stirring and adding water if needed.

I used mochi rice which goes very well with the sweet sushi dressing we will prepare next, but you can use any short grain rice. Adjust cooking time accordingly.

Combine vinegar, salt and sugar in a pot. Stir over low heat until sugar and salt is dissolved, set aside.

Peel and cut the lotus root into thin slices, boil in water with ½ T of the vinegar for 5 minutes, then drain.

For the vinegar mixture mix the sugar with the remainder of the vinegar and soak the lotus root slices for 30 minutes in it.

Peel and dice the carrots, cook in a pot of water till tender, then drain.

Trim and string the sugar snap peas and cook for 2 minutes.

Drain and cut into slices.

Remove the konbu from the rice, fluff it up with a fork, mix it with the carrots and sugar snap peas and the sushi dressing.

Top with slices of lotus.

Miso Soup with Silken Tofu

• 250 ml konbu dashi
• 160 g silken tofu
• 2 T white miso

Crush the silken tofu into the konbu dashi which you bring to a simmer. Stir in the miso until dissolved.

Put in a bowl and sprinkle with some sesame seeds.

Mashed Pumpkin with Water Chestnut

• 200 ml konbu dashi
• ½ t soy sauce
• ½ t + ½ T cane sugar
• 150 g pumpkin
• 100 g potatoes
• 2 water chestnuts
• 15 g raisins
• 2 t unsweetened soy milk

Bring the konbu dashi to a boil and add soy sauce and ½ t sugar.

Peel pumpkin and potatoes and cut into chunks, boil in the dashi for 15 minutes or until tender.

Drain in a colander.

Dice the peeled water chestnuts coarsely. Mash the pumpkin and poatato chunks in a pan, mix in water chest nuts, raisins, soy milk and remaining ½ T of sugar.

Spoon in some plate and decorate with a mint leaf. You can serve it warm or refrigerated for 2 hours for a firmer texture.

Eggplant with Goma Dressing

• 1 small eggplant
• Vegetable oil for frying

Goma Dressing

• 1.5 T sesame seeds
• 1.5 T soy sauce
• ¾ T sake
• ¾ T cane sugar

Trim the eggplant and cut around 4 equal pieces. This equals approximately 2 Japanese eggplants if you can find them. Pat them dry.

Place the sesame seeds over medium heat and stir constantly. As soon as they darken remove from heat immediately.

Grind with mortar and pestle.

The smell and even taste somehow resembles that of freshly ground roasted coffee beans.

Mix with soy sauce, sake and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.

Heat oil in a pan and add the eggplants with the skin at the bottom, fry for one minute.

Then turn around and fry until brown.
Remove and drain on paper towels.

Put two pieces in a dish and top with goma.

Broccoli with Tomato

• 150 g broccoli
• ½ t sea salt

Tomato Sauce

• ½ medium tomato
• 1 T olive oil
• ½ T rice vinegar
• ½ T soy sauce
• ⅛ t sea salt
• ½ t cane sugar

Remove the seeds from the tomato, dice and mix with olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce, salt and sugar.

Trim broccoli, separate stems from florets.
Cook the stems for 2 minutes with the salt, then add the florets and cook for another 3 minutes.

Transfer into a bowl of cold water for color and crunchiness, then drain well.

Put the broccoli in a dish and top with the tomato sauce.

And in the traditional manner of shojin ryori where nothing goes to waste, you can drink the broccoli water. Just sprinkle some wasabi powder into it which contains the necessary enzymes needed for formation of sulforaphane, a compound fighting free radicals.

Pan Fried Spicy Cucumber

• 1 mini cucumber
• Sea salt
• 1.5 cm red chilli
• 2 T sesame oil
• 1 T soy sauce
• ½ T sake
• ½ t rice vinegar

Shichimi togarashi, to taste

• 2 t hemp seeds
• 3 t Szechuan pepper
• 1 nori sheet
• 3 t orange peel powder
• 3 t dried chili
• 1 t black sesame seeds
• 1 t poppy seeds

Shichimi togarashi is a seven spice blend popular in Japan. Since I already had most of the ingredients , I made my own, This is a quick recipe where you just put all the ingredients in a blender, or grind with mortar and pestle if you want to stay in the spirit of shojin ryori, with it’s simplicity of not using electrical appliances.

There are different blends, this one is very spicy, adjust accordingly. I use it for cooking, if you prefer, you can also toast the seeds before blending to season your ready dishes.

Rub the cucumber with the salt.

Place it between two chopsticks and cut diagonally into slices. The chopsticks prevent that you cut through, the cucumber stays in one piece.

Then turn the cucumber around, so that the downside is up and the left side is on the right. Cut again diagonally with the help of the chopsticks, in an 90° angle to the first cuts.

Cut the chili in half and deseed, fry it briefly in the sesame oil.

Then lower the heat, add the soy sauce, sake, vinegar and a little shichimi togarashi to taste.
Mix well, add the cucumber and sauté it for one minute.

Put in a dish and garnish with the chili.

Soy Milk Jelly with Tomato and Edamame

• 50 ml konbu dashi
• Pinch of sea salt
• 20 g edamame
• 20 g tomato
• 1.5 g kanten powder (agar agar)
• 50 ml unsweetened soy milk

Sauce

• 50 ml konbu dashi
• ½ T soy sauce
• ½ T cane sugar
• ½ T cornflour

Boil the edamame with pinch of salt for 5 minutes.

Deseed and dice the tomatato, dehull the edamame by squeezing every single bean, spread evenly in a small tray.

Mix the kanten powder with a little soy milk.

Heat dashi with the remaining soy milk on medium und stir the kanten paste in. As soon as the mixture starts to boil, turn of the heat.

Pour the mixture into the tray containing the edamame and tomato. Let cool, then put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

For the sauce bring dashi, soy sauce and sugar to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Mix the cornstarch with a little water to get a paste and wisk into the simmering mixture.

Cut the set jelly out of the tray and into two pieces.

Grand Finale

Instead of the usual bon appétit, it is tradition in shojin ryori to contemplate before eating on the five reflections:

I appreciate the kind effort others put in allowing me to put this meal together, from the farmers, to the clerks at the supermarket to the people working at my internet provider enabling me to sharpen my cooking skills.

Despite my imperfections, diminishing the effort all the others put in, I am appreciative and thankful for the goodness of life.

Being aware of my imperfections I am able to change for the better through action, word and thought.

I am mindful to what I eat, knowing what an impact food on my health has.

The essence of eating is to uplift me to achieve my goals.

Miron

Arange all the courses as you please or serve one by one. There is no particular order how to eat (besides the starter), so follow your instincts :)

Shoutout to @healthsquared and @sweetsssj