The Culinary Institute of America

Fried Tofu, Seaweed, and Vegetables with the Buddhist Nun Jeong Kwan

The Venerable Jeong Kwan Seunim is a Buddhist nun at the Chunjinam Hermitage at the Baegyangsa temple in Jangseong, South Korea. She visited The Culinary Institute of America at Copia in Napa to make her dish of fried tofu, seaweed, potato and lotus root chips with sweet and sour sauce. She combined special items brought from her temple with vegetables she growing in Copia’s gardens to make her dish. 
Watch the full Asian Plant-Forward Kitchen: Korea documentary and find plant-forward recipes at https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/korea

Plant-based Buddhist temple cooking with the Venerable Jeong Kwan Seunim

The Venerable Jeong Kwan Seunim, dubbed “The Philosopher Chef” by The New York Times, is a Buddhist nun and renowned expert on Korean temple cuisine. Her Buddhist cultural approach to eco-friendly eating practice has been shaped over centuries and handed down based on the foundation of Buddhist philosophy.
Although first and foremost a Buddhist nun, not a chef, she has been cooking at her hermitage ever she became a nun at the age of 17. Jeong Kwan Seunim was featured in a 2017 screening of her appearance on Chef’s Table Season 3 on Netflix, at the Berlin Film Festival in the category of documentary film series. Since then, much of her philosophical wisdom in temple food cooking and eating practices has spread out to the world. The Chunjinam hermitage at Baekyangsa monastery has received a great number of visitors who travel there from around the world, seeking to learn from Jeong Kwan Seunim. Jeong Kwan Seunim became the recipient of the prestigious Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Icon Award 2022.
In this video, she shows us three different tofu dishes and talks about Buddhist temple cooking and sustainable eating practices. Watch the full Asian Plant-Forward Kitchen: Korea documentary and find plant-forward recipes at https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/korea

Chef Jun Lee Makes Barley Risotto with Cuttlefish at SOIGNÉ in Seoul

Jun Lee ‘10, executive chef and owner of two-star Michelin restaurant, SOIGNÉ, in Seoul, makes Barley Risotto with Cuttlefish, Pine Nut Puree, Corvina Flakes, and Barley Tea Clam Broth. Chef Lee prepares this elegant risotto with barley, rice, white wine, and pine nut puree to impart a slightly nutty flavor. He adds barley tea as a broth as a nod to the traditional Korean flavor palette and to add something familiar and comforting to the dish. 
Watch the full Asian Plant-Forward Kitchen: Korea documentary and find plant-forward recipes at https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/korea

Chef Jun Lee Makes Sea Snails with Seaweed at SOIGNÉ in Seoul

Jun Lee ‘10, executive chef and owner of two-star Michelin restaurant, SOIGNÉ, in Seoul, makes sea snails with three seaweeds. The seaweed is topped with an abalone tartare. This is served as an amuse bouche.
Watch the full Asian Plant-Forward Kitchen: Korea documentary and find plant-forward recipes at https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/korea

Chef Jun Lee Makes Ssam at SOIGNÉ in Seoul

Jun Lee ‘10, executive chef and owner of two-star Michelin restaurant, SOIGNÉ, in Seoul, makes a variation on a South Korean favorite, ssam. “Ssam” means “wrapped,” and traditionally refers to meat, such as pork or beef, wrapped in a lettuce leaf. He serves his ssam as the starter for his guests, presented in a crispy tart shell with couscous salad, egg, garlic aioli, and micro herbs.
Watch the full Asian Plant-Forward Kitchen: Korea documentary and find plant-forward recipes at https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/korea

Iconic Korean Ingredients with Chef Jun Lee of SOIGNÉ in Seoul

We talk to Jun Lee ’10, executive chef and owner of restaurant, SOIGNÉ, in Seoul, about iconic Korean ingredients including barley rice, barley tea, seaweeds, and kimchi. SOIGNE is a two Michelin-starred restaurant with a theater-like dining experience, and a menu that changes every 3 months.
Jun Lee graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in 2010. While at the CIA, Lee worked at Thomas Keller’s three Michelin-starred Per Se, where he met Per Se head chef Jonathan Benno, whom he later joined on the founding team of Michelin-starred Italian restaurant Lincoln. After 4 years of living in New York City, Chef Jun Lee returned to his home country of South Korea. Following several successful pop-up restaurants in Seoul, Chef Jun Lee opened his first restaurant, SOIGNÉ.
Watch the full Asian Plant-Forward Kitchen: Korea documentary and find plant-forward recipes at https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/korea

Welcome to the Asian Plant-Forward Kitchen: Korea

Welcome to the Asian Plant-Forward Kitchen, a first-of-its-kind educational video curriculum initiative, produced by The Culinary Institute of America and Pulmuone. The series documents the best of plant-forward culinary traditions in Asia. First stop: Korea.
In many ways, Korean cuisine is uniquely suited to the plant-forward movement. Korean culinary history encompasses an immense collection of vegetable dishes. In this part of Asia, Buddhist monks and nuns introduced elaborate vegan temple cuisine over 1,600 years ago.
In this chef’s tour of Korea, we’ll take a stroll through GwangJang market; we visit Michelin-starred restaurants SOIGNE, Joo Ok, and Mingles in Seoul; and meet the venerable Jeong Kwan Seunim, a Buddhist nun who talks to us about the philosophy behind her world-famous temple cuisine. Join us on this appetizing tour of South Korea as we reveal the innovative and inspiring plant-forward flavors that are attracting diners from around the world.
Watch the full Asian Plant-Forward Kitchen: Korea documentary and find plant-forward recipes at https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/korea

Indian-Spiced Tofu with Pear Chutney and Spinach Sauce

Chef Toni Sakaguchi from The Culinary Institute of America shows us how to make this delicious Indian-inspired tofu dish: seared tofu with pear chutney and spicy spinach sauce. You will love the creamy spinach sauce combined with the meaty tofu and pop of tangy chutney inside! Nasoya’s Extra Firm Tofu is the protein-packed star ingredient and lends itself to many other international dishes like this one.
Get the Indian-Spiced Tofu with Pear Chutney and Spinach Sauce recipe!