Regarding its summer menu, Kim Ji Young, Balwoo Gongyang’s chef, says

that the objectives are “rehydration and the restoration of stamina,” and that all the dishes are “invigorating and made with veggies instead of meat.”

“Because one perspires profusely in summer, temples pay more attention to health management. Monks need supplemental nutrition in summer. One often thinks of meat or fish as invigorating foods. However, superbly invigorating dishes can be created from seasonal veggies that are garden-fresh and packed with good nutrition.”

Braised gondeure with tofu

Full of veggie protein, calcium, phosphorous and iron, gondeure is said to build strong bones and prevent anemia.

Tender fresh shoots of gondeure are blanched to make side dishes or they can be pickled or used to wrap rice. Dried gondeure is soaked in water first. It is then stir-fried to make namul or mixed with rice to make gondeure rice.

At first glance, it looks like just another veggie, but fresh gondeure, which is ripe for harvest now, is full of nutrition, packed with vegetable proteins, calcium, phosphorus and iron. It can be pickled or used in seasoned veggie dishes, wraps, or cooked with rice to make gondeure bap.

Ingredients

- 1 blk tofu

- 200 g gondeure

- 4 tbsp soy sauce

- 1 each red/green chili

- 4 tbsp perilla oil

- 1 tbsp whole sesame seeds

- 2 tbsp grain syrup

- 2 tbsp organic cooking oil

Directions

1. Cut tofu in bite size blocks. Oil the pan with 2 tbsp cooking oil and 1 tbsp perilla oil, and fry tofu till golden brown on both sides.

2. Blanch gondeure and cut into small pieces. Chop chili finely and mix with soy sauce, 3 tbsp perilla oil, 2 tbsp grain syrup and 1 tbsp sesame seeds.

3. Line a pot with tofu and top with seasoned gondeure.

4. Put a little water in the pot in which gondeure was seasoned to collect remaining seasonings.

Put this water into the pot from step 3, and boil down.

Corn jeon

Corn contains vitamin B1, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, ferulic acid and iron.

It is good to eat simply boiled or roasted on the cob, but making jeon enhances the chewy texture with each kernel popping between the teeth when chewed.

Corn is a versatile ingredient because no part of it is wasted, including the stalks and corn silk.

Ingredients

- 1 ear of corn

- 1 tbsp flour

- 1/8 each of green, red and orange bell peppers

- salt

- organic cooking oil

Directions

1. Remove kernels from the cob. Grind half of them and leave the other half as they are.

2. Chop all bell peppers into the size of corn kernels.

3. Put the ingredients from steps 1 and 2 into a bowl, add a little salt and flour to make batter.

4. Oil a pan and put one spoonful of batter into it. Fry till golden brown on both sides.

Provided by Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism

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Temple food is food of the ascetics who express gratitude for all forms of life and wish for peace for the whole world. The Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism operates the Korean Temple Food Center where guests can learn and experience temple food. -- Ed.