the dish

This Vegan-Egg Sandwich Is Almost As Satisfying As a Bodega BEC

It seems quaint to think there was a time when the only thing eggs had going against them was their cholesterol count. The nutritional tide may have turned, but nowadays, there’s murky (if not utterly meaningless) labeling, animal welfare concerns, bacterial outbreaks. There’s also the environmental impact that industrial agriculture entails. Just Egg, a liquid egg substitute concocted by the company formerly known as Hampton Creek, provides a sustainable alternative. It’s made from milled mung beans — a legume you might know from Indian dal, Chinese noodles, and in raw bean-sprout form — and Just’s manufacturing process requires less water and has a smaller carbon footprint than the avian competition. The scrambled “egg” has a mustardy hue (from turmeric and carrots), a convincingly fluffy texture, and a flavor that on its own seems a tad … sprouty? But folded into the Miles breakfast sandwich at vegan deli Orchard Grocer, it’s pretty close to what you’d find in your classic bacon–scrambled-egg–and–cheese, and, as at all the finest bodegas, you can order it anytime.

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On the menu at Orchard Grocer; $13; 78 Orchard St., nr. Broome St.; 646-757-9910

*This article appears in the September 30, 2019, issue of New York Magazine. Subscribe Now!

This Vegan-Egg Sandwich Is Almost As Satisfying As a BEC