Food for the soul: Temple cuisine master prepares dishes that feed more than just the body
Published: 01 Mar. 2026, 19:00
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- WOO JI-WON
- [email protected]
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![Venerable Seonjae speaks during a media event held at Temple Cuisine Culture Experience Center in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Feb.26 [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/03/01/afd50c63-7519-4499-b1a1-0bb0fccf30c7.jpg)
Venerable Seonjae speaks during a media event held at Temple Cuisine Culture Experience Center in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Feb.26 [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]
Food generally helps sustain life and keeps hunger away — and, if possible, it's healthy too. Temple food, rooted in centuries of Buddhist practice, reaches beyond nourishment, "sharing food with the body, heart and soul, purifying the spirit and making the person a little wiser," as Buddhist nun Venerable Seonjae put it.
Temple food begins with seasonal ingredients grown in harmony with nature and treated with care and reverence. Only such ingredients, Seonjae says, can truly sustain our health and happiness — a conviction strengthened after she recovered from liver cirrhosis in her 40s through temple food.
One dish that embodies this philosophy clearly is pine nut noodles — made with seasonal ingredients from "a recipe carrying the wisdom of Buddhist monks," said Seonjae.
Seonjae, Korea's first designated "Master of Temple Food" and a revered practitioner who considers food as a part of "practice," showcased this dish during her recent appearance on season two of "Culinary Class Wars" (2024-25).
![Pine nut noodles made by Venerable Seonjae [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/03/01/1e8e0d3d-ab9c-40d0-ae95-dcd845f6f104.jpg)
Pine nut noodles made by Venerable Seonjae [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]
The noodles instantly won over even the hard-to-impress chef and judge Ahn Sung-jae. Tasting her dish during the competition, he praised it, saying, "I didn't know pine nuts could smell this beautiful."
On Thursday at the Temple Cuisine Culture Experience Center in Jongno District, central Seoul, about 20 reporters had the chance not only to sample the monk's famed dish but also to roll up their sleeves and make a bowl themselves. The nun, during her demonstrations, noted that cooking and eating are acts of respect — for the earth that produced the ingredients, for the farmers who cultivated them and for the body that receives them.
Seonjae first demonstrated each step, recreating the Netflix moment from the beginning — from preparing the pine nuts to making the flour noodles from scratch.
"If you lightly toast the pine nuts, their sweetness comes out," she said. "But you lose some of the aroma, so you leave some untoasted and grind them together. Pine nuts and noodles can be hard to digest, so squash helps balance them. This isn't a noodle you slurp down. You savor the pine nut broth, let it mix with your saliva and absorb its nutrients well."
Working in groups of four, the reporters started with the pine nut broth, the heart of the dish. Three hundred grams of pine nuts were toasted in a dry pan until golden, then finely chopped with a knife. The chopped pine nuts were blended with water until smooth and seasoned with a pinch of salt.
![Participating reporters make their own Pine nut noodles during a media event held at the Temple Cuisine Culture Experience Center in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Feb. 26 [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/03/01/abd110ba-79bc-412a-9622-65a28ac7ab4d.jpg)
Participating reporters make their own Pine nut noodles during a media event held at the Temple Cuisine Culture Experience Center in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Feb. 26 [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]
"Pine nuts are precious, so even monks can't eat them often. But in winter, they would carry them in their pockets like snacks," Seonjae said.
Next was the ongshimi (dough balls). Glutinous rice flour was mixed with one teaspoon of starch, then combined with finely grated cucumber to form a dough. The dough was shaped into small balls — as round as possible so they could roll easily on a plate — and then boiled in salted water.
The vegetable noodles were prepared by Seonjae. She blanched zucchini and spinach, then blended and strained them. The vegetable puree was mixed with flour and salt to form the dough.
"This spinach isn't just any spinach. It carries the energy of the earth, water, sunlight and wind. All the life of the universe is inside it. The spirit of temple food is that the life of nature is not separate from me."
![Vernerable Seonjae makes noodles with a staff during a media event held at the Temple Cuisine Culture Experience Center in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Feb. 26 [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/03/01/172066c7-68a2-41a7-b262-64e8233b0a9a.jpg)
Vernerable Seonjae makes noodles with a staff during a media event held at the Temple Cuisine Culture Experience Center in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Feb. 26 [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]
To achieve the right texture, the dough was run through a pasta machine about 10 times before being cut into strands.
For the toppings, cucumbers and Korean melon were sliced paper-thin, lightly salted in brine and then firmly drained.
Finally was the assembly. Boiled noodles were first placed in a bowl, followed by the pine nut broth being poured over. The prepared toppings were then arranged evenly with black sesame seeds sprinkled on top. Every ingredient had to remain visible. Otherwise, the ingredients would "feel upset," Seonjae said. In 30 minutes, from start to finish, the bowls were complete.
The flavor was nuttier and lighter than expected — even more delicate than kongguksu (soy milk noodle soup). The salted cucumber and melon added brightness, while the cucumber-based ongshimi carried a faint melon-like aroma, making each bite refreshing.
![Vernerable Seonjae makes pine nut noodles during a media event held at Temple Cuisine Culture Experience Center in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Feb. 26 [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/03/01/3f8bdb75-2fe6-4609-8320-d54c77d6feae.jpg)
Vernerable Seonjae makes pine nut noodles during a media event held at Temple Cuisine Culture Experience Center in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Feb. 26 [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]
Throughout the session, Seonjae moved from table to table, reminding participants to respect each ingredient and waste nothing.
"Rinse the bowl with water and drink the remaining pine nut broth, too," she said.
Her teachings made each spoonful feel a little more intentional, a little more grateful. And though this reporter often leaves a few bites behind when full, the bowl, broth and all, was finished this time.
BY WOO JI-WON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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