Vietnamese Five-Spice ‘Ribs’ with Carrot Salad, Cucumbers, Nuoc Cham, and Rice
com tam's cousin
One of the most iconic Vietnamese dishes is com tam, a broken rice plate that typically features grilled pork chops, egg meatloaf, shredded pork skin, pickled daikon and carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, and nuoc cham. This beautiful medley of textures and flavors embodies the foundation of Vietnamese cuisine: equal parts salty, sweet, sour, and spicy.
Com tam is one of the dishes I've been trying to veganize the longest, but it's also among the most time-consuming and challenging. Through my many attempts, I have come to realize that sometimes I just want a quick, unfussy version. So this is what I came up with. One day I'll release a proper com tam recipe, but for now, here's a plate loosely inspired by the original.
Instead of broken white rice, we are using long-grain jasmine rice. Instead of grilled pork chops, I'm featuring the underrated textured vegetable protein chicken slices (yes, they come in more than just crumble form!). Rather than traditional pickled daikon and carrots, we are making a quick carrot salad largely inspired by the viral carrot salad trending on social media. Then, we will finish it with the usual fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, plus that essential tangy nuoc cham dressing.
Let's dive in!
Protein breakdown (approximately 28g protein per bowl):
100g dried vegan chicken slices = 56g protein
Tiff’s Tips
Tips on the ribs: It's important to soak the dried vegan chicken slices (which look like ribs after its rehydrated, hence the name) in boiling hot water and make sure they are fully submerged. Since these are larger TVP slices, they need a bit more time to rehydrate as opposed to TVP crumbles. You'll know they're ready to use when the entire piece has softened.
I used the larger slices, but you might have a better chance of finding medium-sized slices! (linked above) Here are two pantry staples I highly recommend stocking up on if you haven’t yet: vegan chicken slices (option 1), vegan chicken slices (option 2), vegan fish sauce, vegan oyster sauce, Vietnamese sate (aka chili oil), light soy sauce, rice vinegar, and Jasmine rice
Storing leftovers: For leftovers, which taste amazing, store the ribs, veggies, rice, and nuoc cham separately in airtight containers. Enjoy within 2 days!
Equipment needed
Aroma Whatever Pot (10% off code: TIFF10) or use a 10-inch nonstick pan
Knife and cutting board
Recipe
Vietnamese Five-Spice ‘Ribs’ with Carrot Salad, Cucumbers, Nuoc Cham, and Rice
Serves: 2
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Ingredients
For the ribs