Kansha: Celebrating Japan’s Vegan and Vegetarian Traditions

Kansha: Celebrating Japan’s Vegan and Vegetarian Traditions by Elizabeth Andoh is a beautifully considered guide to Japanese plant-based cooking, rooted in the idea of kansha, or gratitude for nature’s gifts and the care that turns them into food. Andoh, a leading authority on Japanese home cooking, shares 100 vegan recipes that draw from Japan’s vegetarian traditions, Buddhist-influenced temple cooking, and the everyday wisdom of using ingredients thoughtfully and avoiding waste. With recipes built around vegetables, tofu, rice, noodles, sea vegetables, mushrooms, pickles, broths, and seasonal pantry staples, the book offers both practical instruction and a deeper cultural philosophy of cooking with respect, restraint, and abundance. Elegant, nourishing, and deeply grounded, Kansha is a standout cookbook for readers interested in Japanese food, vegan cooking, and the traditions behind plant-based meals.