Vegan Shokupan and The Vegan Guide to Tokyo

The Vegan Guide to Tokyo: The Ultimate Guide to the Best Plant-Based Eats in Tokyo & Beyond, written by Chiara Terzuolo, features over 60 vegan-friendly restaurants and cafes from across Tokyo and nearby locations. I will also be sharing a recipe for Vegan Shokupan inspired by one of the vegan restaurants we visited during our trip to Tokyo last month.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Smith Street Books in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Chiara Terzuolo

Chiara Terzuolo is a writer/editor, tourism consultant, singer, narrator, and anchor for a Japanese language program on NHK.

She created @tokyoveganguide on Instagram as a way to share local vegan restaurants with others and self-published her vegan guides for years before putting together this newest edition with Smith Street Books.

The Vegan Guide to Tokyo

Chiara begins The Vegan Guide to Tokyo with a short introduction of her move to Tokyo in 2011 and her transition towards veganism.

She includes a few notes on how to use the guide, cultural traditions and their impact on veganism in Japan, and the increasing availability of plant-based cuisine in Tokyo in recent years.

At the back of the book, there is even a pop-out card in English and Japanese to explain you are vegan (ビーガン) and which products to avoid (meat, fish, seafood, eggs, milk, honey). There is also a list of a few useful Japanese words and phrases with the Japanese script and pronunciation for asking whether dishes contain certain ingredients.

Chapters are divided based on neighborhood/city. Before each chapter, Chiara shares some highlights of the area, tourists sites, and favorite foods.

While the book focuses on Tokyo, there are a few options for outside of the city in case you travel to Yokohama, Kamakura, Saitama, Kyoto, or Osaka.

The photography is provided by Gorta Yuuki. Most of the restaurants are paired with photos of notable dishes and often interior/exterior shots.

The majority of the cafes and restaurants listed in this guide have a fully vegan menu and are within fairly easy reach from tourist destinations. Chiara makes a note if the shop only has a specific vegan dish or section of the menu along with other helpful information, descriptions, the address, and best way to get there.

She also includes the opening hours and prices, but be sure to check before visiting as these can easily change.

In addition to the variety of restaurants, you will find helpful tips on navigating convenience stores (a favorite during our trip), supermarkets, specialty stores, coffee shops, farmers’ markets, chain restaurants, and festivals.

The book is small enough at 6.58 x 0.82 x 8.54 inches/16.7 x 2 x 21.7 centimeters to fit in a larger backpack or luggage.

Komeda Is

Before our trip, I wrote down a few restaurants from The Vegan Guide to Tokyo in my planner. I even saw that Chiara mentions Good Town Doughnuts (グッドタウンドーナツ)  in Shibuya! We did not make it to the Tokyo location, but their shop in Costa Mesa, California was a favorite of ours.

On our first day after visiting Nissan Crossing, we walked to Komeda Is (コメダイズ 東銀座店) in Ginza Shochiku Square / Tsukiji Shochiku Building for lunch. It was such a fantastic meal and wonderful beginning to our time in Tokyo.

Komeda Is (コメダイズ) has a 100% plant-based menu with indoor seating and easy ordering in Japanese or English via individual tablets at the table. 

I ordered the recommended Soyハムカツホットサンド (Soy Ham Cutlet Sandwich) and アイスオーツミルクコーヒー (Iced Oat Milk Coffee). They were both so so good.

We also loved the プラントベースミックスサンドイッチプレート (Plant based mixed sandwich plate), 大豆ミートのボロネーゼ (Soy Meat Bolognese), トーストとトッピング (Toast with toppings- jam, ogura red bean paste, and cream cheese), and 小松菜とバナナのスムージー( Komatsuna and Banana Smoothie).

The portions are indeed large and we did not have enough room for dessert.

Vegan Shokupan

To pair with this post, I wanted to make a Vegan version of my Shokupan recipe after trying it in the sandwiches and toast at Komeda Is.

This Vegan Shokupan (ヴィーガン食パン, ビーガン食パン) is a light and fluffy bread with a vegan butter and soy milk base.

To get that notable texture, a paste (tangzhong) is first formed with water and flour, then it is mixed with more bread flour, activated yeast, lukewarm soy milk, sugar, salt, and vegan butter to create a soft and smooth dough.

There are a few different resting times, but the bread is mostly hands off. After forming into three individual rolls and resting one last time in the greased pan, the bread is baked until golden. Allow to cool to room temperature before slicing.

To serve it in a similar way as the restaurant, I toasted thick slices of the Vegan Shokupan and paired it with a yuzu jam, vegan cream cheese, and Tsubuan (textured sweet red bean paste).

It is also delicious as the base for a variety of sandwiches.

A Few Tips

After kneading, the dough should be smooth and soft. If too wet to handle, add a little more flour (only enough to keep it from sticking). Add a little more lukewarm soy milk if too tough and crumbly to come together.

Make sure the soy milk is lukewarm (105-115˚F, 40-46˚C) before adding the yeast.

Take care not to add too much flour or the bread may become tough and lose its fluffy texture.

Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size before forming into balls. This may take 1 hour in warm kitchens and closer to 2 hours during the winter.

For the final rise, allow to rest until the dough has puffed enough to reach the sides of the pan.

Allow the bread to cool completely to room temperature before slicing or it may crumble and fall apart.

Vegan Shokupan Recipe

Adapted from Jessica in the Kitchen

Print Pin

5 from 4 votes

Vegan Shokupan

A recipe for Vegan Shokupan inspired by The Vegan Guide to Tokyo! This light and fluffy bread is made with soy milk and vegan butter.

Course Bread

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword bread, Japan, Japanese, shokupan

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 3 hours hours 25 minutes minutes

Servings 1 Loaf

Ingredients

Tangzhong:

• 3 tablespoons (27 grams) bread flour
• 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) water

Shokupan:

• 2 1/4 teaspoons (7 grams) active dry yeast
• 2/3 cup (158 milliliters) lukewarm soy milk 105-115˚F, 40-46˚C
• 3 cups (400 grams) bread flour
• 1/4 cup (60 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup (60 grams) vegan butter softened at room temperature, plus more for greasing

Instructions

To make the Tangzhong:

• In a small pot, whisk together the 3 tablespoons (27 grams) bread flour and 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) water over medium heat.
• Continue to whisk until the mixture reaches a thick, pudding-like consistency. Remove from heat and allow to cool to a lukewarm temperature. 

To make the Shokupan:

• In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over the lukewarm soy milk. Mix together and allow to sit at room temperature until frothy, about 10 minutes.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or a large bowl, combine the bread flour, sugar, and salt.
• Mix in the Tangzhong mixture and yeast with soy milk. Slowly mix in pieces of the vegan butter until the dough completely comes together. It should be smooth and slightly tacky. If it is too dry, add a little more lukewarm soy milk. If it is too sticky to handle, add a little more flour.
• Grease a large bowl with vegan butter or oil and add the dough, turning to coat. Cover and allow to rest at room temperature in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• On a lightly floured surface, punch down the dough and divide into 3 equal pieces. Form each into a smooth ball, cover, and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
• Grease a loaf pan with vegan butter.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll one ball into a thin rectangle. Fold the dough lengthwise into thirds and pinch together the ends to seal.
• Roll the dough up, short side to short side, sealing the seam, and place in the loaf pan with the spiraled edges facing the long edges of the pan and the seam facing down. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Cover and allow to rest until the dough puffs up and fills in the pan, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C).
• Bake the dough in the preheated oven until golden brown with a solid crust, about 40-45 minutes.
• Remove from the pan to a wire rack to cool to room temperature before serving.