A darn good Reuben sandwich, my way

I remember the first time I came to New York. I’d just graduated high school and we’d just finished our Vegan Vegan!-project. I was not vegan at the time, but ate almost only vegetarian. That first visit New York was amazing, what a wonderful city! But according to my mom, the experience wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Stage Deli. So there I found myself with a pastrami sandwich in front of me, meat piled high, and I’m not going to lie, it was delicious!

For those of you unaware of the sandwich culture at classic NY delis, this is pretty much how a sandwich is built up: two slices of bread, a mayonnaise-based sauce of some kind, many slices of cheese and a mountain of meat, twice, if not three times, as thick as the bread. To sum it up, they are not very vegan. But what is it really that makes pastrami sandwiches so good, the actual meat or the combination of a smoky protein, a creamy sauce, a soft inside and a crispy outside? I think it’s the latter, meaning it may well be made vegan! So here is my version of what I think is a darn good Reuben sandwich!

A traditional Reuben is made up of rye bread, pastrami, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing and best of all, sauerkraut. I replace the pastrami with tempeh marinated in pastrami spices. You could use a firm tofu, if you can’t get ahold of tempeh. If you can find smoked tofu, take that, it’s going to be great! As for the dressing, I made a chili almond aioli in place of the Russian dressing, which is otherwise mayonnaise-based. The recipe for the aioli is inspired by the wonderful chef Molly Katzen, one of my many kitchen heroes and a big source of inspiration! It makes more than what’s needed, but it keeps in the fridge and is amazingly delicious!

Vegan Reuben

Makes you two delicious sandwiches

4 slices of good rye bread 

Dijon mustard

Pastrami tempeh (see recipe below)

Chili almond aioli (see recipe below)

2-3 dl sauerkraut

Optional: Some roasted fennel or caraway seeds

There are two ways to make this: grilled or not grilled. If you’re not grilling it, toast the bread first!

Spread mustard on two of the bread slices and a nice thick layer of aioli on the other two. Press out all the liquid from the sauerkraut. Put the tempeh on the mustard slice and cover it in sauerkraut. Sprinkle with the spice seeds if you’re using them and then place the aioli slice on top. 

If you’re grilling your sandwiches, heat a pan with a tiny bit of oil. Place the sandwiches in the pan and press down on them with a plate or a lid or anything you can find that works. Turn them over once they’ve gotten crispy on the first side and press down on them again. When they’re heated through and both sides are nice and crispy, cut them over the diagonal and enjoy immediately.

Tempeh pastrami

Enough for 2 sandwiches

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. smoked paprika

½ tsp. ground coriander

½ tsp. chili flakes

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 small clove of garlic, grated

1 tbsp. oil

125 g tempeh

Mix all the ingredients but the tempeh in a bowl. Slice the tempeh in ½ cm-slices and mix it with the marinade, making sure all surfaces are covered. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours (worst case scenario, if you’re really rushed, you can leave it for shorter).

Heat a pan to medium-high heat. Fry the tempeh slices until nicely browned on both sides. You probably don’t have to add any oil to the pan as the marinade contains so much.

Chili Almond Aioli

65 g almonds

1 small clove of garlic

½ tsp. salt

3 tbsp. olive or canola oil (make sure it’s a tasty one)

1 tbsp. lemon juice

½ tbsp. vinegar

3-4 tbsp. water

1-2 tbsp. minced onion, red or shallots

Chili sauce to taste, depending on the kind you use (I used about 1 tbsp. sriracha)

½ tsp. sugar

Blanch the almonds in boiling water to remove the skins. Heat a pan to medium heat and gently toast the almonds until lightly golden. Let cool slightly.

Place almonds, garlic and salt in a high-speed blender. Mix to a sandy, floury mixture. Add oil, vinegar and lemon juice. Blend until completely emulsified, that is, until the oil is completely incorporated and the mixture is homogenous. Stop to scrape down the sides occasionally. Once smooth, add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time and mix between every addition. Once the aioli has reached you desired consistency, add the sugar, minced garlic and chili sauce, stir to mix. Taste for salt, lemon and chili.