Vividly! Easily! Learning Temple Food from Videos

Video Production of Temple Food Classes

As our contact-free culture expands due to the COVID-19 pandemic, videos of temple food classes are being produced as a new way to learn about temple food. Hyangjeok Segye, the official culinary institute for Korean temple food operated by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism’s Cultural Corps, is producing these videos by inviting monastics who specialize in temple food, and will release them during the fourth week of November, designated “temple food week,” on its YouTube channel.
The classes were recorded from Oct. 28 to 30 by Vens. Beopsong, Gyeongun and Jeongkwan. These expert Buddhist nun chefs made 12-14 dishes each (39 in total), working from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day and giving instructions at the same time.

These videos are especially focused on making temple food accessible so that anyone who watches the video can follow the demonstrations and easily make their own food. Ven. Gyeongun, who taught on the second day, explained, “I focused on ingredients that are easily available at nearby markets. In addition, I wanted to introduce how to properly use Korea’s three major condiments: bean paste (doenjang), soy sauce (ganjang) and chili paste (gochujang).”

Ven. Beopsong taught on the first day and began by making grain syrup, a mildly sweet and savory seasoning used in temple food. From this she made candied white radish and candied beets. She then demonstrated how to make simple, clean tasting dishes like grilled potatoes, julienned potato salad, cold buckwheat noodles with pear, and stir-fried eggplant with bean flour. On the second day, Ven. Gyeongun showed how versatile a simple ingredient like Korean zucchini can be by cooking: stir-fried dried young pumpkin; hand-pulled dough soup with zucchini and potatoes; grilled and seasoned zucchini and oyster mushrooms; soybean paste stew with zucchini; and julienned zucchini pancakes. On the third, day Ven. Jeongkwan demonstrated how to make basic seasoning for temple kimchi and made Napa cabbage kimchi. She then made such tasty dishes as Napa cabbage pancakes, white radish pancakes, steamed vegetables, and seasoned dried white radish.

Hyangjeok Segye is the first official culinary institute for Korean temple food and is operated by the Jogye Order’s Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism. Here one can learn about natural foods that embody the flavors of the four seasons in theory and in practice. The classes are divided into beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels (class.koreatemplefood.com / 2nd Fl. Templestay Information Center, 56 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul).