Want to eat more veggies? Learn to cook like a Buddhist monk

This story is part of the series Easy Being Green on CBC's The Early Edition, a look at how people in British Columbia are incorporating more plants into their diet.

For over a decade, Vancouver's Chau Veggie Express has been serving food that is, as their tagline says, "100 per cent plant based, family inspired, modern Vietnamese."

The restaurant is named after chef Co Chau Huynh, who came to Canada from Vietnam via an Indonesian refugee camp in the late 1970s.

Huynh grew up working in a soup stall in Saigon and turned to food to make a living when she arrived in Vancouver, first selling Vietnamese meatballs in Chinatown and then opening a Vietnamese deli in 1986.

But her focus on meat-based foods changed in 2008 when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour and decided she wanted to focus more on health — both her own, and her customers'. 

As she recovered, Huynh and her family decided they would create a completely plant-based menu, drawing on inspiration from Vietnamese monks who follow a no-meat diet to create dishes rooted in tradition.

The CBC's Lisa Christiansen sat down with Huynh and her daughter and restaurant owner, Maria Huynh, to talk about the roots of their menu and to get a recipe for bun bo hue chay (spicy lemongrass soup). The following Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.

Where did the idea come from to offer veggie-based Vietnamese food?

Maria: When I was younger ... we'd go to Vietnam [and] these Buddhist temples. And they have amazing food and like, I've never seen this in Vancouver.

What the monks in the temples would do is they would take traditional Vietnamese meat dishes and basically transform them. So instead of meat, they would use jackfruit, you know, and other vegetables; They would really be so creative. And I think that's what really inspired my mom to share that as well.

... The Buddhist temples [were] such a peaceful and giving place for us and it made such an impact that we were like, how can we transform that and share that with others? 

How do you come up with the recipes? 

Co Chau: You know, I'm grateful. [The monks] show me how to create their food. I stay at the temples and learn from the monks. And I go to India to learn, too.

Do the monks mind that you take their recipes?

Maria: They want you to do more vegetarian [cooking]. They want to encourage you to share it with others.

But we've also had other restaurants over the years and people that have worked with us have also inspired us for recipes and menu development too.

We've got amazing people that have come from Vietnam and said, "Did you ever try this dish before?" And that's how we would also learn.

... And then our customers really inspire us to whether it stays on the menu or, you know, develops into something else. 

Do you think more and more people are going to become vegan in future? 

Co Chau: I think that over time, more and more people are going to eat more vegetables and less meat. It's good for the environment, too. 

Maria: Yeah, I think it really makes a big difference on the environment and in terms of wastage.

But yeah, I would say that compared to 11 years ago when we first opened, there were barely any other vegan options at all. You would have to go to a regular restaurant and then maybe they might have that one item, whereas now we actually have full vegan cafes, restaurants ...

And I think that's extraordinary ... that's a sign that tells us that more people are more interested in thinking and not just eating.

Recipe: Bun bo hue chay (spicy lemongrass soup)

Serves 6-8 people (makes 5 litres)

For the stock, add 6 litres of water to the following ingredients in a large stock pot and cook on slow simmer for 1½ hours. 

• 2 lbs jicama, peeled and cut into thick slices
• 2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into thick chunks
• 250 g fresh, ripe pineapple (can use skins as well)
• 150 g lemongrass sticks, crushed
• 50 g ginger, washed and crushed (no need to peel)
• 4 star anise, roasted
• 2 cinnamon sticks, roasted
• 8 dried dates 

Strain the stock into another stock pot and add 40 grams of sea salt. 

In a separate pan fry the following until golden brown:

• ½ medium onion, chopped 
• 30 ml vegetable oil 

Once onion is golden brown, add chili and paprika to taste and fry for 1 minute. Add onion to stock pot or keep separately and add to individual serving bowls when ready to eat.

Cook 100 g of spinach- and nettle-infused rice noodles in simmering water for 10 seconds.  

Blanch your desired vegetables. Suggestions include: 

• lotus root
• kale
• spinach 
• enoki Mushroom
• button mushroom
• okra 

To build individual bowls, add noodles and vegetables and top with stock. Tofu and bean curd slices can also be added. 

Garnishes can include:

• beansprouts
• Thai basil
• thinly sliced red cabbage
• cilantro
• fresh lime or lemon juice