In her vegetarian cookbook Baru, Jeong Kwan says food has a deeper purpose that can enrich the body and mind

Her recipes include bibimbap for Buddha’s Birthday, cold lettuce soup, and rice with tofu, burdock and shiitake mushrooms

The venerable Jeong Kwan is probably one of the most recognisable seunims (Korean Buddhist monks or nuns) in popular culture. She came to the notice of television viewers when she appeared in a beautifully filmed episode in season three of Netflix show Chef’s Table, which saw her preparing Buddhist vegetarian food in the idyllic setting of the Chunjinam Hermitage of Baekyangsa Temple, in South Korea.