Pan con Lechón (Week 83, Cuba)

Written by Published on in Global Vegan Challenge

This recipe is a part of my Global Vegan Challenge where each week I research and develop a recipe from a different country in the world. Many of these recipes are veganized based off their omnivore counterparts. While not all of these recipes are a one for one what you’ll find in their country, I hope you’ll still find them delicious!

Recipe Notes

  • Traditionally this sandwich uses sour oranges. Since I couldn’t find sour oranges locally I opted for a mixture of orange and lime juice to give it that sour tang.
  • This sandwich typically also uses Cuban bread, which contains lard. Since Cuban bread isn’t vegan you can opt for a fluffy French or Italian bread instead for similar fluffiness and optimal sandwich squishing.
  • This recipe only makes about 2 sandwiches, but makes about a cup of mojo sauce so unless you drown your sandwich in it you can expect to have some left over.

Vegan Pan con Lechón

Details

Servings

2 servings

Prep time

50 minutes <em>(includes 30 minutes of marinating time)</em>

Cooking time

40 minutes

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Ingredients

  • Vegan “Pork”

  • 1 1/2 pounds King Oyster Mushrooms

  • 8 Garlic Cloves

  • 1 Orange

  • 1 Lime

  • 1/4 cup Olive Oil

  • 1 tablespoon Oregano

  • 1 tablespoon Cumin, ground

  • 1 teaspoon Salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon Liquid Smoke

  • 1/2 teaspoon Maggi Seasoning (optional)

  • Mojo Sauce

  • 2 Oranges

  • 4 Limes

  • 8 Garlic Cloves

  • 1 tablespoon Oregano

  • 1 tablespoon Cumin, ground

  • 1 teaspoon Salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

  • Assembly

  • Vegan Cuban Bread (fluffy French or Italian can substitute)

  • Vegan Butter

  • Sliced Yellow Onion

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Directions

  • Vegan “Pork” Prep
  • Take king oyster mushrooms and shred them lengthwise with a fork (example here). Add to a medium sized bowl.
  • Add salt, oregano, and cumin to mushrooms. Toss to coat.
  • Crush garlic and grind down into a paste.
  • Juice the orange and lime. Add to the mushrooms along with garlic paste, olive oil, liquid smoke, and Maggi. Toss to coat and let marinade for at least 30 minutes, stirring periodically.
  • Mojo Sauce
  • Juice oranges and limes, adding juice to medium sized bowl.
  • Crush garlic and add to bowl along with cumin, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Whisk ingredients well.
  • Taste test for saltiness. Add additional salt to taste if required, then set aside.
  • Cook Vegan “Pork”
  • Once mushrooms have finished marinating, preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Once oven is up to temperature, spread mushroom mixture with marinade on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
  • Once mushrooms are finished, heat a pan on the stove over medium heat. Sauté the mushrooms for another 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Assembly
  • While baking or sautéing slice onions into thin crescents, and slice enough bread for 2 sandwiches. Butter the inside of both sides of the bread.
  • Once mushrooms have finished sautéing, add half of the mushroom mixture to each sandwich. Drizzle with mojo sauce and add onions.
  • Add vegan butter to the pan (measure with your heart) and add each sandwich, pressing down. Cook until it browns / lightly blackens. Once cooked, add more vegan butter to the pan, flip the sandwich, pressing down on it again, cooking that side until it browns / lightly blackens.
  • Once fully cooked, remove from heat, slice, and serve immediately. Enjoy!

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