I Can’t Eat Meat Anymore... Here’s Why

Key Concepts

Vegetarian Vietnamese street food, mock meats, phở, cơm tấm, balut, bánh mì, roasted pork belly (thịt heo quay), bánh hỏi, tofu, bánh xèo, fish sauce substitutes, Buddhist vegetarianism.

Vegetarian Phở

The video begins with the presenter embarking on a 24-hour meat-free journey through Vietnamese street food, focusing on vegetarian versions of classic dishes. The first stop is a restaurant serving vegetarian phở.

• Broth: Instead of beef or pork bones, the broth is made from corn, carrots, and radish. While not as complex or fatty as traditional phở broth, it still possesses a nice depth of flavor and utilizes the typical phở spices.
• "Beef": The vegetarian "beef" is made from soybeans and wheat flour. The texture is springy and, when combined with other ingredients, can be easily mistaken for real beef.
• Beef Balls: The beef balls are made from soybeans, tofu, tapioca flour, and other ingredients, providing a similar bouncy texture to real beef balls.
• Overall Assessment: The vegetarian phở is good, but not better than the original due to the lack of animal fat.

Vegetarian Cơm Tấm

The next dish is cơm tấm (broken rice), a dish typically featuring a pork chop.

• Fish Sauce Substitute: A fish sauce substitute is made from soy sauce, pineapple, mushrooms, chilies, and sugar, aiming to replicate the sweet and spicy flavor profile of traditional fish sauce.
• Egg Loaf: The egg loaf contains tofu and wood ear mushrooms instead of pork. It tastes similar to the original, especially when covered in the fish sauce substitute.
• "Pork Skin": The vegetarian "pork skin" is made from tofu, offering a similar texture to real pork skin but lacking the authentic taste.
• "Pork Chop": The vegetarian "pork chop" is chewy, mimicking the texture of a real Vietnamese pork chop that has been beaten with a hammer. It even has a smoky charcoal flavor.
• Overall Assessment: The vegetarian cơm tấm is great and comes dangerously close to the real thing.

Vegetarian Balut

The presenter then tries vegetarian balut, a semi-developed duck egg.

• Ingredients: The vegetarian balut is made from tofu, black moss, and wheat flour, shaped to resemble a duck egg.
• Preparation: The vegetarian balut are steamed and served with coriander and a mixture of salt and pepper.
• Texture and Taste: The texture is bouncy and inconsistent, similar to real balut. It tastes slightly like tofu but is surprisingly eggy. The black moss contributes to the chunky texture characteristic of balut.
• Overall Assessment: The vegetarian balut is very good and might even be better than the original, offering a guilt-free and fear-free experience. The presenter praises the "mad food scientist" who created it.

Vegetarian Bánh Mì

The next stop is for vegetarian bánh mì.

• "Vegan Meat": The bánh mì contains a "vegan meat" made from oats, intended to replicate roasted pork. However, the presenter finds it more like a crouton and far from any meat substitute.
• Other Ingredients: The bánh mì also includes oyster mushrooms, pickled carrots and daikon, coriander, peanuts, and homemade tomato sauce.
• Overall Assessment: The vegetarian bánh mì is okay, but something is missing. The "vegan meat" is not convincing, and it feels like eating a bread sandwich. It is not better than the original.

Vegetarian Roasted Pork Belly (Thịt Heo Quay)

The presenter then tries a vegetarian version of roasted pork belly (thịt heo quay).

• "Skin": The "skin" is made from wheat flour, baked into a crispy bread.
• "Fat": The "fat" is made from coconut milk mixed with tapioca flour.
• "Protein": The "protein" is made from taro flour and wheat flour, mixed with food coloring.
• Preparation: The fake pork belly is served with bánh hỏi (steamed rice vermicelli sheets), greens, pickled carrots and daikon, fake pork skin, and scallion oil.
• Overall Assessment: This is a high-level, complex attempt at a meat substitute. The "skin" is crunchy, the "fat" is gummy and soft, and the "protein" is crunchy and meaty. The presenter finds it very good and considers it a tie with the real thing.

Tofu Dish

The presenter tries a tofu dish.

• Preparation: The tofu is steamed with soy milk and seasoned with salt, pepper, chili sauce, lime, and coriander.
• Overall Assessment: The dish is okay, with the best part being the chewy skin. It is not something the presenter would go out of his way to try and is not a vegetarian version of another dish.

Vegetarian Bánh Xèo

The final dish is vegetarian bánh xèo.

• Batter: The batter is a combination of rice flour, turmeric, and scallion.
• Filling: The filling includes bean sprouts, tofu, oyster mushrooms, củ sắn (jicama), and a "pork pie" without pork.
• Serving: The bánh xèo is served with garden greens, a fish sauce substitute, and rice paper.
• Preparation: The bánh xèo is broken off, folded, and dipped in the fish sauce substitute. It can also be wrapped in rice paper with lettuce and herbs.
• Overall Assessment: The vegetarian bánh xèo is fantastic. The rice paper binds everything together, and the dish has a lot of body. The fish sauce substitute ties everything together. It is not better than the meat alternative, but it is certainly not worse.

Conclusion

The presenter concludes that he is very impressed with the vegetarian street food options in Saigon. The best dishes were the fried pork belly and the balut. The video highlights the innovation and care that Vietnamese cooks put into their vegetarian cuisine.