Isn't this a challenge run?

Since my mother-in-law (my wife's mother, Soto Zen sect) passed away, I have been performing the daily offerings. Every morning, I offer tea (or water), white rice, and two side dishes. Until the 49th day, it must be shojin ryori (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine).
New experiences lead to new learning.
I am Yasaburo Tanaka, a lover of Japanese food and vegetable-based meals.
I work as an acupuncturist and massage therapist.

Shojin ryori.

Cuisine for spiritual devotion.

When I heard 'shojin ryori,' I understood it to mean not using animal products like meat or fish, but that was slightly off.
It is said to be a diet taken to cut off worldly desires, so pungent vegetables (green onions, onions, chives, garlic, shallots) and spices (like chili peppers and ginger) are also considered unsuitable.
That said, it seems the understanding varies by sect, so I am just keeping that in mind as a reference.

Bonito dashi is also a no-go.

Dashi, the foundation of Japanese cuisine.
I remember hearing that its origins lie in shojin ryori. I also thought it was shiitake mushroom dashi.

Thinking to confirm, I Googled it and was completely wrong. It seems it dates back to the Jomon period, and bonito dashi was used as early as the Nara period.
I'm glad I looked it up. I'll leave that as it is, with a note of self-admonition.

So, since bonito dashi is an animal product, it cannot be used in shojin ryori.
But please, just let me have this one thing.
I will try not to use it as much as possible, but bonito dashi granules are just so convenient. Same with mentsuyu.
If the restrictions are too strict, I won't be able to keep it up, and if I try to force it, I might end up cutting corners.
So, in our house, we decided that bonito dashi is barely okay, but bonito flakes as a topping are forbidden.

Shojin ryori is like a challenge run.

Challenge runs get me fired up.

I used to think of shojin ryori as something difficult, but it doesn't seem to be that bad.
In the first place, it was originally provided when ingredients and cooking utensils were much more limited than they are now, so it's only natural that the hurdle is lower in this blessed era.
With a click, the fire starts and water flows, and there is an abundance of seasonings. We are incredibly fortunate.
Thinking about it that way, I've actually gotten fired up. I'm starting to think about what I can do and wanting to try things out.
Challenge runs are exciting, aren't they? You set restrictions for yourself and get creative within them. Innovation happens when there are constraints.

That said, I can't use sesame. So what?

When you think of iconic shojin ryori, you think of sesame dishes like sesame tofu. It is frequently used in things like goma-ae (sesame dressing) and Rikyu soup.
However, my wife is allergic to sesame. She might be okay if there's just a little bit sprinkled on, but if she consumes sesame oil, she starts coughing and has even vomited.
So, I cook using roasted soybeans or peanuts instead of sesame. Sometimes I use nut oil instead of sesame oil.
Surprisingly, you can make it work.

In the end, it becomes simple cooking.

I'm not serving a full-course shojin ryori meal, after all.

The shojin ryori I had in mind was...
I imagined things that were incredibly time-consuming, like 'deep-frying yuba to make it look like meat...'
But that doesn't seem to be what you serve for daily offerings.
Just like daily meals, if you boil or stir-fry seasonal items, that is sufficient shojin ryori. Of course, there are endless cooking methods like dressing, steaming, deep-frying, simmering, and grilling.

There is nothing difficult about it; my perspective has changed to realize that if I make it simple, that's enough.
I bought some Fujicco beans to keep on hand in case I got stuck on what to serve, but so far I've managed without using them.
Thinking about what to make tomorrow is actually quite fun.

This is also shojin ryori, right?

Thinking about various things again, I realized something surprising.

French fries are actually shojin ryori.

Potato chips and kaki-no-tane (rice crackers) are a bit tricky because the ingredients list things like amino acids or seafood extract, but basically, they are potatoes or rice and peanuts.
Even popcorn is perfect shojin ryori if you use vegetable oil instead of butter and keep it salted.

Yeah, shojin ryori isn't difficult.
Today I just made stir-fried daikon radish and steamed snap peas.
Steaming taro, grilling shiitake mushrooms, boiling and dressing bok choy, simmering koya-dofu (freeze-dried tofu).
It's not much different from making daily side dishes.
I can even take out the portion for the offering before turning the koya-dofu into an egg-drop dish.
At this rate, I should be fine until the 49th day.