Jungbok Today: How About This Instead of Samgyetang?... Monks Recommend 'Vegetarian Health Foods'

Buddhist Environmental Solidarity Launches "Vegetarian Meal on Boknal" Campaign
Unique Summer Dishes Like Pea Noodle Soup, Potato Sujebi, and Vegetarian Yukgaejang Recommended

On Boknal, a traditional day when nourishing foods like Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) are commonly sought out, the Buddhist community is drawing attention by launching a vegetarian health food campaign that considers both environmental protection and personal health.

The Buddhist Environmental Solidarity is holding the "One Vegetarian Meal on Boknal" campaign on July 25, which marks Jungbok, the middle day of the Boknal period. The organization explained that switching a meat-centered meal to a vegetarian one can reduce approximately 2.5 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions per person. Additionally, it emphasized the environmental benefits, noting that producing 1 kilogram of beef requires about 15,000 liters of water, whereas the same amount of vegetables only needs around 300 liters.

Venerable Hyangmil's Pea Noodle Soup. Korean Buddhist Cultural Foundation

The Buddhist Environmental Solidarity also introduced a variety of vegetarian health dishes as alternatives to Samgyetang, including eggplant sweet and sour stir-fry and perilla potato stew, along with an online pledge initiative.

Temple cuisine experts advise that using seasonal ingredients is best for restoring vitality in the summer. Venerable Hyangmil, a master of temple cuisine, said, "At temples, rather than consuming special health foods during summer, we enjoy foods made with seasonal ingredients." She added, "On Boknal, we frequently eat dishes incorporating seasonal produce like pumpkin or potatoes, as well as watermelon."

One of Venerable Hyangmil's representative recommendations for a summer health dish is "pea noodle soup." This dish features lightly blanched potato strips served in a puree of boiled peas blended with pine nuts, sesame seeds, and roasted salt, in place of wheat noodles.

Venerable Hyunsu, chief monk of Hyeryongsa Temple, recommended health foods utilizing potatoes. She explained that dishes such as potato dumpling soup—with dough made from boiled potatoes and cooked with zucchini and shiitake mushrooms—and potato-lotus root pancakes, made from grated potatoes and lotus root, can serve as hearty meals during the summer.

Master Hyangmil's Pea Noodle Soup. Korea Buddhist Cultural Foundation

Venerable Hyunsu emphasized, "A vegetarian diet not only respects life, but is also a practice that helps slow climate change, and simply eating vegetarian dishes can keep your body healthy."

Venerable Sunjae, the first master of temple cuisine, introduced a favorite summer dish called "Bulttuk Kimchi" in the recent book "Foods That Save Me." The dish, which means "kimchi that gives you a burst of strength," is made by fermenting lettuce with potato porridge, red pepper powder, fresh green chili peppers, and vegetable stock for a day or two to develop a deep flavor.

Fermented food expert Venerable Gyeongbong suggested "chaegaejang" as a Boknal dish in "Venerable Gyeongbong's Innocent Table." This is a vegetarian version of spicy beef soup (yukgaejang), with the meat replaced by mushrooms, zucchini, bracken, taro stalks, and other vegetables, allowing people to cool down in the heat while considering both their health and the environment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.