Rice and Nori Rolls

Rice and Nori Rolls excerpted from Eat Like a Monk: A Plant-Based Guide to Conscious Cooking and Mindful Eating by Jody Eddy. Photography by Waterbury Publications, Inc.

Eat Like a Monk: A Plant-Based Guide to Conscious Cooking and Mindful Eating by Jody Eddy

Embark on a culinary journey to more mindful and meditative mealtimes. With 50 plant-based recipes inspired by monastic kitchens across East, Southeast, and South Asia, Eat Like a Monk will teach you the joys of conscious cooking and how to embrace eating as an act of enlightenment.

Immerse yourself in the wisdom of the monastic kitchens of Japan, Korea, China, Thailand, India, and other countries, with dishes designed to nourish your body, mind, and soul. Sidebars on hospitality, sacred spaces, and temple rituals will teach you the joys and health benefits of conscious cooking and how to embrace eating as an act of enlightenment.

Recipes include pickled plum onigiri, jackfruit curry, samosas, lotus seed congee, and Buddha’s delight.

FOOD AS MEDITATION: Explore the art of conscious cooking and eating with insights into the traditions that have guided monastic kitchens for centuries. Discover mindfulness rituals, learn about sustainable farming practices, and find inspiration to create a more balanced and harmonious culinary lifestyle in your own home.

PLANT-BASED RECIPES: Enliven your cooking skills with easy-to-follow plant-based recipes from a variety of monastic traditions. Eat Like a Monk features entrees, sides, beverages, and other dishes, highlighting myriad cuisines.

AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR: Eat Like a Monk is written by six-time cookbook author Jody Eddy, winner of the International Association of Culinary Professionals Judge’s Choice Award and James Beard award nominee. Jody has spent five years traveling and researching temple cuisine while farming, cooking, and dining with monks throughout the world.

FULL-COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHY: Whether you’re an experienced chef or a novice in the kitchen, Eat Like a Monk provides step-by-step instructions accompanied by beautiful photography of both meals and monasteries, ensuring that every dish is a success.

RECIPES FROM AROUND THE WORLD: With heavenly recipes inspired by monastic kitchens in Japan, Korea, China, Thailand, India, and other countries, Eat Like a Monk lets you experience a world of diverse flavors while teaching you about a variety of different cuisines and lifestyles.

Eat Like a Monk: A Plant-Based Guide to Conscious Cooking and Mindful Eating by Jody Eddy is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Indigo.ca.

Eating in step with the seasons is a priority for Korean monks, who have an abiding respect for nature and its cycles, as showcased in their kimbap—a dish underscoring simplicity, adaptability, and seasonal eating. Kim signifies seaweed and bap represents rice, with the ingredients selected reflecting the seasonal rhythms of nature. Each kimbap roll is more than food-it’s a spiritual link to nature’s heartbeat.

Often likened to sushi, kimbap carves out its own identity. Its fillings, which can be tofu or kimchi or other pickled vegetables for vegetarians, change with the seasons. This recipe calls for a bamboo mat to assist with rolling. If you don’t have one, you can substitute a stiff yet pliable place mat lined with plastic wrap. This recipe includes danmuji, which is a sweet and tangy yellow pickled radish available at Asian specialty markets. If you are unable to source it, substitute another pickled vegetable like daikon or cucumber.

Other seasonal vegetable ideas include spinach, bok choy, avocado, and bell peppers.

SERVES 4

KIMBAP, KOREA

4 cups (620 g) cooked sushi rice (see page 55)

3 tablespoons white sesame seeds

1½ tablespoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 sheets nori

¼ lb (115 g) danmuji, julienned

1 carrot, julienned

1 cucumber, julienned

Gently stir together the rice, 2 tablespoons of the sesame seeds, sesame oil, and salt in a bowl. Lay a sheet of nori at the edge of a bamboo sushi mat. Spread about a 12-inch (12-mm) layer of rice evenly over the nori, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of space at the top of the sheet to seal the roll. Arrange one-fourth of the danmuji, carrot, and cucumber horizontally across the center of the rice layer. Using the bamboo mat, roll your kimbap using even pressure throughout the process to ensure that the roll is tight and holds together. Once it is rolled, wet the exposed portion at the edge of the nori and then seal the roll.

Carefully unroll the mat and set the kimbap aside on a cutting board while you repeat the process for the remaining kimbap.

Once this step is completed, use a sharp knife to slice each roll into thirds. Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds, and serve. Kimbap will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Recipe published with permission from Insight Editions.