Mr. Tomoken Kawaguchi of the Soto sect Koun-in in Tsuru City, Yamanashi Prefecture is conducting a Zen retreat tour for overseas travelers. After considering the idea of having a ramen that could be used as a complement to the vegetarian cuisine offered at the event and as a souvenir to take home, we received an offer to jointly develop the product. Shojin ryori is vegan, and the dietary requirements are almost the same as those of oriental vegans, who are said to have particularly strict commitments. I once had a halal person eat the salt ramen I made, and since I saw how happy they were, I wanted people with dietary requirements to be able to enjoy Japanese-style ramen. So, I decided to take on the challenge this time.
“Shojin ryori” is the food eaten in Zen sects, including the Soto sect, using ingredients that avoid killing life and stimulating earthly desires.
A cooked dish. All animal products such as meat, seafood, dairy products, and eggs are prohibited. In addition, even if you use plant-based ingredients, it is essential that you do not use vegetables or condiments called gokun, such as garlic, chives, green onions, chives, and rakkyo.
The noodles make you feel at peace every time you slurp them, and the moment you put them in your mouth, it feels like a road is gently opening for you.
A soup that brings the senses. I wanted to create a cup that gives you a Zen feeling.
Noodles that calm your soul
Dry noodles are the only type of noodles that can give you the pleasant, delicate texture that embodies that image, and among those, I think Sato Yoetsu Honpo's Inaniwa Chinese Soba is the only one. This masterpiece is made using the technique of Inaniwa udon, which is said to be one of Japan's three major udon noodles, and has a smooth texture that perfectly sublimates it to Chinese noodles, making it a dry noodle that continues to attract attention in the ramen world. I had heard that it would be difficult to mass-produce as each item is handmade by craftsmen, so I approached them directly, expecting to be refused, and as luck would have it, they kindly agreed to the offer.
Then, I discovered one theory that Shojin Ryori, which came from China, is the world's oldest "vegan" cuisine. Vegan generally refers to vegans who are vegetarians and have a philosophy of environmental issues and animal welfare, but overseas it is treated as a category along with Japanese, Chinese, and French cuisine. It is also a food genre that is starting to become popular.
Japan has an abundance of ancient ingredients that can be made vegan, such as soy sauce, miso, and seaweed, but there aren't that many vegan ramen options yet. So, I decided to search for the original form of soup by looking through ingredient pairing textbooks and literature on the structure of umami, and by visiting owners of famous restaurants that incorporate various ingredients into soups and asking for advice. did.
At the same time, I started looking for a soup maker. There weren't many companies that could help develop vegan soups, so we did everything we could think of, including ordering vegan ramen that was on the market and making inquiries, and visiting food exhibitions. However, in the midst of a series of frustrating days, as the production volume was not met and the requests continued to be declined, an acquaintance introduced him to a manufacturer that makes sauces and seasonings for commercial use. When I tasted the vegetable soup made there, it had such a delicious flavor that I couldn't believe it was made from vegetables alone, and I was convinced that these were the only people I would want to work with.
After conveying the concept of the product and the ingredients I had in mind, and handing over Inaniwa Chinese noodles, the soup that was served as a prototype was a gentle yet deep dish that combined the flavor of kelp with the Chinese cabbage stock. I couldn't hide my surprise at the soup, which perfectly embodied the concept. Of course, this is certainly a level that can be displayed in public. However, instead of ending with a gentle feeling, I wonder if there is a way to add the feeling that one feels after experiencing Zen, ``as if the path opens.'' With this in mind, I brought home a prototype and decided to try combining it with seasonings such as wasabi, ginger, yuzu pepper, mustard, tomato, spinach, and sansho, paying careful attention to not using five pickled vegetables, which is a dietary requirement for Shojin ryori. did. In particular, when you add a little bit of Japanese pepper and yuzu pepper, it starts with a gentle taste and ends with a feeling of comfort. When I shared this information with the manufacturer again, they suggested adding pepper, which belongs to the Rutaceae family, the same genus as Japanese pepper. When I tried making it again, I noticed that the freshness of the pepper hit my nose and had a slight tea-like nuance, which perfectly matched my image of Zen, and that's how I decided to make the soup.
Now it's time for the final stage of naming and package design. I've always wanted to bring a more creative perspective to the world of ramen, so I approached a creative director who shares my sensibilities with food. After many discussions, we decided on the name "Zenmen" because it would be easier for people in Japan and overseas to remember, and it would be better to keep it as simple as possible. When we told them that we wanted the package to have an impactful design that would amplify their interest while still having a Japanese feel, they proposed a neo-Japanese design created by MILTZ, an art creator whose main focus is typography, and we instantly fell in love with it.
In this way, I am now able to put everything I can into delivering carefully selected Zen noodles to everyone. I would be overjoyed if not only vegans around the world but also many other people could eat this and share the deliciousness.
