2020-03-01_Wanderlust

wanderlust.co.uk March 2020 31

WORLD FOOD EXPLORE

Kinpira

yasai

Awarmingsalad

packedfulloffresh

springgreens,these

sweetcrunchy

vegetablesprovethat

Japanisoftenmore

veganthanyouthink...

VeganJapanEasy by Tim

Anderson (Hardie Grant,

£22)isout on 5 March

W

henyouthink

oftraditional

Japanese

cuisine,

aplant-based

dietmaynotbewhatinstantlycomes

tomind.Butwhileyoumayfindsushi,

meatybrothsandgrilledchickenon

everyTokyostreetcorner,servedup

atspecialistizakayas(atapas-style

bar),there’salsoaworldofvegan

bowlsandflavoursatyourdisposal.

Thisincludeskinpirayasai–astyle

ofsautéingandsimmeringcrunchy

yasai(vegetables)inamirin-soy

sauce/sesame-chilliblendthatgives

thestir-friedvegbothasweetand

spicykick.Orifyouwanttoampup

thenuttinessand‘meat’itup,throw

insesame-friedtofu.Ifyoucangetit,

chefTimAnderson,authorofVegan

JapanEasy,alsosuggestsservingthe

dishintheJapanesestylewith

“burdockorlotusroot”.

Althoughtravellersmayfindvegans

thin-on-the-groundinJapantoday,

themeat-lovingnationhasdeep

roots(spiritualandgrass-level)inthe

lifestyle.ThearrivalofBuddhismand

itsvegetarianshōjinryōricuisinein

the6thcenturyalteredtheJapanese

dietsocompletelythateatingmeat

becametheultimatetaboo.Thisall

changedinthelate19thcentury,

though,aftertheemperorbrokethe

ancienttraditionbyeatingbeefin

public,leadinglividBuddhistmonks

tostormtheImperialPalace.

Tosamplesomeauthenticshōjin

ryōri,headtoKyoto’sryokans,which

platethissoulfoodupforguests.

OntheoutskirtsofKyotoCity,try

Shigetsu,arestauranttuckedinside

thegroundsoftheUNESCO-listed

Tenryu-jitemple.Findyourinner

zen(orworkupanappetite)with

amorningstrollinthescenic

SogenGarden,beforetuckinginto

miso-bakedaubergine,sesametofu

andmushroom-yuzuriceforlunch.

Afteramealhere,you’llstrugglenot

tofeelspirituallyenlightened.

EAT THIS...

Visitwww.wanderlust.co.uk/204

Get the full recipe online

Who needs meat?

A bowl of colourful

crunchy vegetables

is sure to tantalise

all taste buds

Nassima Rothacker