cooking and food
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Working on Tenzo Zen Cooking Notes…
In the last couple of weeks, with the kitchen work still fresh in my mind since being up at Ardfern with the Zen Group, I started getting some notes jotted down to help others on the practice of Tenzo, and particularly in terms of the preparation, timing, various kitchen duties and roles, that sort of…
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Ardfern Zen Retreat – a few recipes from the Tenzo…
Here are a few recipes and images (many thanks to Ylva Champion for her photos) from the kitchen during the retreat. Huge thanks to all that helped with the food prep. TOFU TERIYAKI (bit tricky as delicate, side for 4) 1 pack of tofu – carefully removed from packaging using scissors and wrap up with…
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Tokyo and Toyama Washoku (Japanese Food) Excerpts
From the quirky dishes of the lively Izakayas in the East side of Tokyo to Toyama’s famous salty Black Ramen and fish for sushi and sashimi from the rough seas of the Toyama Gulf (Japan Sea). And the fantastic Gyouza button for service at Oushou…
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Colours and shapes in the kitchen…
Enjoying some simple cooking in the last month or so with classic Japanese sauces – the black bream worked out really well baked in foil in a hot oven with bata shoyu (butter and soy sauce mix) and some veg. A wee side dish that was also quite nice was aubergine, carrot and sweet potato…
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Arran Zen Retreat
In July the Glasgow Zen Group had their summer retreat down at Kilmory in the south of Arran. It was great to have a longer sustained period of Zazen meditation over a few days for the mind and body to settle down and drop off whilst tuning in to reality more… being Tenzo again, responsible…
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Bruce Peter’s Grand Ferry Tour of Japan
My good friend Bruce Peter (academic at Glasgow School of Art and design and maritime journalist) is recently returned to Scotland after three weeks of travel in Japan, sailing on 31 ferries and other ships (even the typhoon couldn’t dent his packed schedule), and taking some cracking photos in the process. He has started to…
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Cooking some winter Japanese food
After some Tenzo cooking duties at New Year have been using genmai brown rice more for experimenting with filling chahan dishes, plus simple miso shiru soups like tofu and spring onion. You are going to need miso and katsuo dashi fish stock for that and some mirin, sake optional (but great to drink hot with…
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New Year Zen Retreat
Over the new year weekend I went to the inaugural Glasgow Zen Group retreat, or sesshin, at Kagyu Samye Dzong in Glasgow’s west end. Every morning up at half past five to start the day with one and a half hours zazen meditation before breakfast during the holiday may not be many people’s idea of…