Ruben Sandwich With A Japanese Twist

A Ruben is an American sandwich made from corned beef and sauerkraut. Vegan versions  I have seen made with seitan or tempeh .

I decided I wanted to make one with a Japanese twist and it turned out so good I needed to share it with you.

First your going to need some good size shiitake mushrooms and cut off the stems. Then make your marinade. You will need a large dish big enough so you can lay your mushrooms flat in the marinade. Add to the dish two tablespoons of tamari or soy sauce,a tablespoon of vegan Worcestershire sauce,a dash of each of coriander,allspice and Japanese shichimi spice. Mix and add your mushrooms making sure both sides are coated and then leave them in the fridge face down. I left mine for about five hours .

For the sauerkraut I used fermented cabbage,red pickled cabbage and pickled daikon radish in a Ume dressing . I use the Ume dressing  by Clearspring. I mixed them all together to make the sauerkraut. If you buy sauerkraut in a jar make sure you squeeze out all the liquid you don’t want a soggy sarnie. Just a note on the pickled daikon I used dried daikon that had been soaked in water drained and pickled for a few days in brown rice vinegar. Again from Clearspring.

Then you need to make a dressing I used Japanese vegan kewpie Mayo about a tablespoon and the same ketchup,add a half teaspoon of horseradish and a dash of Worcestershire sauce and mix.

You will need two slices of bread traditionally it is rye,I just used a brown glutenfree. Spread coconut butter on both sides of each slice then to one side spread on your dressing then top with sauerkraut and then grated vegan cheese ( make sure you get one that melts)

Next take your shiitake from the fridge and cook them whole on both sides i didn’t use any oil. Then either slice them or leave them whole but add them to your already added sandwich ingredients and place the other slice of bread on top if you want instead of adding the cheese on top of the sauerkraut add it on top of the shiitake ( which ever way you like is fine). Then take the whole sandwich and put it in a hot pan and press down on the sandwich to melt the cheese and brown do this on both sides. Because you spread both sides of the bread with coconut butter they do not stick and cook beautifully.

Serve straight away warm. I served mine with salad and a miso soup.