Shojin Ryori Sesame and Nut-Based Protein Techniques

Japan — shojin ryori sesame techniques from Zen Buddhist temple kitchens, Kamakura period; systematised in Eiheiji and Kenchoji temple kitchens

Buddhist vegetarian cuisine (shojin ryori) developed sophisticated protein and fat strategies to provide nutritional completeness without animal products. Among the most technically refined is the use of sesame seeds (goma), walnuts (kurumi), peanuts (rakkasei), and pine nuts (matsu no mi) as flavour bases, fat sources, and texture carriers. The goma tofu (芝麻豆腐) of shojin ryori is the paradigm: sesame seeds are soaked, ground in a suribachi to a very fine paste, then cooked with kuzu starch and water to create a white, silky set block that mimics the texture of kinugoshi silken tofu while providing the rich, nutty flavour of sesame. The goma-ae (sesame dressing) technique applies the grinding principle more broadly: toasted white sesame is ground until 60–70% broken (not to a paste), then seasoned with soy sauce, sugar, and mirin to create a coating sauce for blanched vegetables. Kurumi (walnut) dengaku involves grinding walnut to a rough paste with miso and mirin, then applying as a dengaku glaze to grilled tofu or eggplant. In each technique, the fat in the seed or nut is the energy and flavour carrier that replaces the fat function of animal protein in the shojin kitchen. The key principle: seeds and nuts must be freshly toasted before use — the volatile aromatic compounds that define their flavour are generated by heat and dissipate rapidly.

Toasty, nutty sesame depth carrying the flavour of blanched vegetables or forming a silky block that dissolves on the tongue — animal fat's absence is never felt