Springvale Temples visit and Temple Food

Springvale is home to a number of temples, a few of which are situated close by each other on Springvale Road, Springvale South. There is a big chinese Buddhist temple called Bright Moon temple, a more modest vietnamese Buddhist temple called Noa Nghiem temple that is attached to a school a stone's throw away and Wat Khmer a cambodian temple next door. 

The Bright Moon temple is in the distinctive old chinese architecture. I liked the elaborate, one piece stone carving depicting the life of Buddha and dragons in the middle of the stairs leading to temple building. In ancient times in the Forbidden Palace, the Emperor is carried up over the stone carving in his palaquin by his servants on the stairs. 

Bright Moon temple offered free vegetarian lunch every Sunday in the ground floor expansive hall, which has now stopped because of Covid. It was a shame because it would have been such a communing experience.

Hoa Nghiem temple is a more modest temple in comparison with Bright Moon. Unlike Bright Moon where there is a large gravel area for car parks (still under construction), car parking at Hoa Nghiem is limited, but there is a reserve next door with car park bays if needed. 

Hoa Nghiem has a restaurant in a separate building to the temple on the ground floor. It serves vegetarian food, mock meats and vegetables. There are pre-packed food for sale at a table on the left as you enter the hall. One orders at the counter, self service drinks and cutlery but the food is served to your table. 

The Bun Bo Hue was delicious, there was an assortment of mock meats which was difficult to tell what they were meant to recreate. There is no garlic and onions used (the purest form of Buddhist cuisine omits garlic, onions, chives, shallot and leeks because the strong savoury taste from these herbs evokes desire) so the substitute for fried onion garnish was fried shredded lemongrass. The soup of course do not have the rich bone broth taste but it was not filled with MSG either.

 'Pork chop' on broken rice had various mock meats substituting for the pork chop, pate and pig skin. The customary egg is missing because eggs contain life, they would have turned into little chicks if hatched. Although unfertilised eggs do not hatch into chicken, the rule still applies. 

Some Buddhists are not as strict and do consume the five herbs and eggs, like a lot of things it just depends on how far you want to go. 

So there were no garlic in the vinegar dipping sauce, and no fish sauce, but I actually much prefer it to the normal dipping sauce. It is quite sweet though (without the balancing saltiness from the fish sauce) so it is best used in moderation. 

The prices are around $18 per dish, and higher for main course dishes like stir fried vegetables etc. Hoa Nghiem Vegie Hut is open Wednesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner. I will be quite excited to try it out for dinner!