The Best Vegetarian Chinese Food in Los Angeles County Is at a Buddhist Monastery [View all]

Clarissa Wei
February 13, 2017

“The food is different here,” Yi Shan, the director of Hsi Lai Temple says. “You will have a reflective reaction. In the restaurants, the flavors are standard. But the food changes every single day here, based on seasonality and availability.”

This is Hsi Lai Temple, a 15-acre Buddhist temple and monastery — the largest in Southern California. Decked out in gold roofs and long red lanterns, its sweeping grounds are most reminiscent of the Forbidden Palace in Beijing. Opened in 1988, it is also home to one of the best vegetarian buffets in Los Angeles County. But of course, they don’t advertise that.

The cafeteria, which charges just eight dollars a person, is tucked on the second floor of the temple. While it is open daily to the public, its primary function is to provide meals to the patrons of the temple. Called The Hall Of Five Contemplations, the dining hall is named after five decrees of mindfulness:

1. Consider the work that went into the food and where it came from.

2. Reflect on my virtues and conduct, and if they merit this offering.

3. Guard the mind against faults, greed in particular.

4. Regard (the food) as wholesome medicine for health and the weakened body.

5. For the sake of attaining the way, I shall receive the food.

Vegetarian Chinese food, which has been in China since the 6th century is its own category of cuisine with a unique set of characteristics. It’s a far-cry from the skimpy salads and seitan burgers typical of Western vegetarian food. Vegetarian Chinese food is hearty, despite the lack of meat. Tofu is stewed for hours in spices so that it is saturated with flavor. Eggplants, gourds and melons are utilized for their texture and cooked in a way so that they take on substantial flavor.

https://www.kcet.org/food-living/the-best-vegetarian-chinese-food-in-los-angeles-county-is-at-a-buddhist-monastery