Dining
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT:
TEMPLE FOOD IN HONG KONG By Carla Thomas
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riginating in the Buddhist temples of South Korea, temple food is the type of cuisine eaten by monks and nuns. Typically absent of meat, fish, dairy, eggs, and popular aromatics like garlic and onion, you’d be forgiven for assuming that it might be bland - but you’d also be mistaken. Temple cuisine actually builds surprisingly bold flavours through natural, time-intensive cooking techniques such as fermentation, pickling, or dehydration, as well as mindfully sourced and prepared ingredients. The five “pungent spices” (onion, garlic, leeks, green onions, spring onions) are never used, as they are believed by Buddhist monks to prevent a mind from achieving calmness. Dishes are instead flavoured with simple seasonings that vibe better with the enlightened mind - think turmeric, sichuan pepper, or shiso. What’s all the hype about eating al templo? Temple cuisine is basically edible mindfulness, extolling not just the virtues of a vegan and MSG-free diet, but also the careful nurturing and selection of crops and slow, considerate preparation of dishes. Nothing instant or processed is ever used, and if possible, waste is to be avoided. Expect many small-portioned dishes that are delicately plated with welllayered flavour complexes. So not only do you enjoy organic, additive-free food that’s easy on the environment, you benefit from the entire culinary experience, cultivating an attitude of gratitude over where your food came from and how it was prepared! Although the most authentic temple food can be found in South Korean monasteries, here are a few places to try it right here in Hong Kong.
Tricycle 10
SOIL TO SOUL Newly opened in K11 Musea over the summer, Soil to Soul is a contemporary vegetarian restaurant inspired by ancient Korean temple food. Devoutly skipping the five forbidden spices, as well as meat or fish, you’ll find inventive twists on temple fare, such as mushroom terrine, perilla seed with taro soup, and rehydrated apple salad. The lunch set starts at $218, and the dinner tasting menu will run you around $598$788. An a la carte menu is also available. 704, 7/F, K11 MUSEA, Tsim Sha Tsui East, 2389-9588, soiltosoulhk.com
