Being vegan in Tokyo can often make one feel isolated in the world’s most populous city, but this past weekend my partner and I considered ourselves a very lucky minority to meet the acclaimed vegan chef and cookbook author ” The Conscious Cook”, Tal Ronnen.
While Japan is known for originating the efficiently vegetarian macrobiotic diet, and “macrobi“restaurants are ubiquitous here, veganism is extremely rare in Japan. As a result, our vegan cooking school and vegan recipe website appeared near the top of Chef Tal’s web search prior to his recent visit to Tokyo.
We knew Tal had cooked for Oprah Winfrey’s 21-Day Vegan Cleanse and catered Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi’s wedding, but not her fondness for Japan, inherited from her Australian father who had lived in Japan for 3 years. Tal said Japanese food was his favorite and asked for our recommendation for Shojin Ryoori (traditional Buddhist temple food).
Not wanting to disappoint Tal, we consulted the Michelin Guide which led us to Atago-Daigo, a 2-star restaurant where we enjoyed a most elegant and delicately prepared bento. Highlights included sashimi made with hearts of palm (a shoe for Awabi-giant clam), tempura with puffed rice seedlings, sweet potato necks simmered in white soy sauce and matsutake mushrooms in a clear broth.
I noted that while Tal didn’t finish everything, he seemed to savor the food he ate with every cell of his being, fitting the moniker “Conscious Cook” perfectly. Tal said that he also doesn’t eat much while he works, because he is very focused on the act of creating.
While we would have loved to sample Tal’s cooking firsthand, he gifted my partner with a copy of his engaging cookbook (#3 New York Times bestseller, highest ranking for any cookbook), inscribed “Keep spreading the vegan lifestyle in Japan.”
In the private tatami room overlooking a serene zen garden, Tal guided us through his book, which contains not only dozens of delicious plant-based recipes (accompanied by beautiful photos Tal designed) and techniques, but also serves as a tribute to other chefs and partners he has worked with during his culinary career.
Chef Tal, who graduated from a traditional culinary academy and runs vegetarian workshops at Le Cordon Bleu, also shared his thoughts on the importance, even for vegan chefs, of having a solid foundation in French cooking techniques.
Among other valuable tips from Tal:
- Using cashews to make creams for sauces, desserts, and raw cheeses (tellingly, cashew cream sauce is the first recipe in the book). I already made a record of Chad Sarno’s cashew cheese recipe from the book.
- VitaMix blender – “the most critical tool after a good knife” (he also advised what kind of VitaMix to buy!).
- The secret of cooking tempeh analogous to meat (braise it for a long time).
Tal was excited that there seemed to be more vegan eating options in Japan compared to his first visit 15 years ago. Although my partner and I wish for many more options, Chef Tal’s energy, creativity, and passion inspire our own efforts to make vegan food as common in Japan as it is in North America.
Note to vegans interested in visiting Atago-Daigo (Tokyo): The restaurant requires 2 days notice if you want the meal to be prepared without katsuo (pretty) dashi or chicken eggs, or if you prefer to substitute white rice with genmai.