Cooking Korean Temple Food in Seoul
A few posts ago, I talked about celebrating the Buddha’s Birthday in Seoul. I attended Yeon Deung Hoe aka the Lotus Lantern Festival and delved into the world of Korean Buddhist temple food for the first time. During that time, I came across the Korean Temple Food Center, an institution in Seoul that offers temple food cooking classes. Intrigued, I decided to sign up and see what it was all about!
Signing up
Reservations are required to take the cooking class. To make a reservation, you have to first create an account on the Korean Temple Food Center website. After that, head to Temple Food Cooking Class > Course application to select a class. Classes are offered every Saturday and Sunday morning and reservations are available up to six months in advance. Each class has a different menu, but all menu options are vegan*. The class I picked was “Tofu Stuffed Fried Tofu Pockets, Root Vegetable Salad.” Other options include “Spicy Buckwheat Noodle with Shiitake Mushroom, Eggplant Pancake,” and “Japchae with Wild Vegetables, Potato and Corn Pancake.”
Classes costs 20,000 won (about $16 USD) and must be paid in advance. The payment process is a bit confusing since the website doesn’t accept foreign banking cards. After booking the reservation online, I had to visit a nearby bank and transfer the 20,000 won in-person. I called the temple center and was able to talk to someone in English who kindly guided me through the process.
*Some menu items may include honey.
The class
To get to the Korean Temple Food Center, take the subway to Anguk Station Exit 1. From there, the building is just a couple steps away. Head up the stairs and to the right.
The walls inside the facility are lined with numerous informational displays about Korean temple food, including what is eaten during the different seasons and special holidays. While waiting, I was given a small pamphlet filled with recipes along with a recipe sheet for the upcoming class.
Once it was time, the other participants and I were moved into the kitchen and divided into groups of four. There were about 20 participants in total; most came in groups or pairs, but there were a few like me who came alone, so we were grouped together. We were then given aprons and introduced to our cooking instructor.
Before starting, the teacher led us through a ritual bow and pre-meal chant to show gratitude for the food we were about to make.
After the chant, it was time to begin. The instructor first demonstrated how to make each of the dishes. While cooking, she discussed the health benefits of the various ingredients and techniques often implored in temple food cooking to minimize food waste. The Center provided an English interpreter, so it was easy to understand everything being said.
After the demonstration, it was our turn! We had one hour to cook, which was plenty of time. The recipes were rather simple and none of the tasks were difficult; the only necessary skills were cutting, using a blender, and pan-frying. Furthermore, being in a group made for light work. The most exciting part of the process was cooking with ingredients I’d never cooked with before, like ginseng and lotus root. After finishing, we washed the dishes and wiped down the station.
Left to right: root vegetable salad, tofu stuffed fried tofu pockets
Normally, everyone could enjoy eating their food together after making it. However, because of COVD-19 regulations, we were asked to take the food home in storage containers. The Center doesn’t specify what sized containers to bring; I recommend anything around 1.5L as there ended being more food than expected and some individuals struggled to pack it all. Daiso sells cheap sealable containers with handles for about 1,500~2,000 won ($1~2 USD). If you have large leftover delivery food containers, those would work well too- just check that they’re airtight!
I ate my homemade temple food lunch at home and was honestly very impressed! The meal was vibrant and delicious with an assortment of textures and flavors. The homemade salad dressing was sweet and tangy, blended together with fruit, paired well with the assorted vegetables. The tofu pockets were also nutty and filling. I can see myself making both these recipes again in the future.
Overall, I enjoyed taking the Korean temple food cooking course! Not only was I able to learn more about Korean Buddhist cuisine, but I got to cook with ingredients I’d never cooked with before and also meet new people! This class isn’t a must-do activity for first-time visitors in Seoul. However, if you’ve lived in the city for a while now, or have some extra free time while visiting, I would highly recommend it. The only downside of the course is the hassle foreigners must go though to pay for the class—I do hope that in the future online paying will become more accessible—but besides that, the process was smooth and I definitely can see myself signing up again in the future.
Korean Temple Food Center:
https://www.koreatemplefood.com/eng/main/main.html
서울 종로구 율곡로 39 안국빌딩 신관 2층
56 Ujeongkuk-ro Jongno-gu Seoul South Korea 03145