Vegetarian Dishes at Jiufeng Mountain

Vegetarian Dishes at Jiufeng Mountain

　　The vegetarian dishes of Jiufeng Mountain are essentially Buddhist temple cuisine, divided into three main categories: stir-fried, cold dishes, and soups. These dishes are typically made with tofu, gluten, and local ingredients such as cold mushrooms, aromatic mushrooms, polygonatum from Jiufeng Mountain, as well as its bamboo shoots and a variety of fresh greens—all cooked with vegetable oil. The dishes come in diverse shapes and strikingly realistic forms, boasting excellent color, aroma, and taste, making them hard to distinguish from real meat. The vegetarian dishes served to guests mostly mimic meat-based dishes, forming the Buddhist "Eight Great Bowls of Vegetarian Food" and "Ten Great Bowls of Vegetarian Food." These include items such as “Buddhist Robe Meat,” “Buddhist Bead Fish,” “Buddhist Bead Chicken,” “Vegetarian Ham,” “Vegetarian Thousand Sheets,” “Vegetarian Eggs,” “Vegetarian Pig Liver Slices,” “Vegetarian Ribs,” “Steamed Vegetarian Rice Flour,” and many others such as Eight-Treasure Rice, totaling dozens of varieties.

　　The main ingredients of Jiufeng Mountain vegetarian dishes are premium-quality gluten and tofu, while supplementary ingredients are sourced locally—making use of the mountain’s unique seasonal vegetables such as cold mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, golden slices, golden flower blossoms, and frog skin. All are refined with high-grade fragrant oil, resulting in rich nutritional value and exquisite appearances. These are not only rare healthy delicacies but also true wonders of Binchuan.

　　 The vegetarian dishes provided for tourists mainly include vegetarian ham, vegetarian chicken feet, vegetarian sausages, Buddhist Bead Chicken, steamed vegetarian eggs, and vegetarian thousand sheets. These dishes are meticulously crafted with careful attention to cooking techniques and timing. Although all are primarily made from flour-based ingredients, their appearance makes them virtually indistinguishable from traditional meat dishes. For instance, the vegetarian chicken feet have textures, shapes, and colors identical to those of real chicken feet. Steamed white ginseng eggs feature golden, translucent egg yolks that are smooth and delicate, surrounded by tender, milky-white egg whites and pristine white ginseng—resembling a magnificent golden sun set against a backdrop of white clouds, truly stunning and beyond words. Each piece of vegetarian thousand sheets displays a marbled pattern with clear layers, where the “fat” is brown and the “lean” is light purple. With these exquisitely lifelike, ingeniously crafted dishes that are both visually and flavorfully perfect, further enhanced by the addition of various wild vegetables unique to Jiufeng Mountain, they are simply irresistible.