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