Recipe Peking ‘Duck’
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One of the first meat alternatives, ‘vegetarian duck’ was made by Buddhist monks using the skins formed at the surface of soy milk production. If it looks like a duck and tastes like a duck, it might just be well-prepared ‘Yuba’.
You will need
Serves 3
- 150g large fresh folded Yuba skins (refrigerated soft bean curd sheets)
- 75ml vegan Peking 'duck' sauce
Duck-style stock
- 1 1/2 cups vegan chicken-style stock
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Maggi seasoning
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
'Duck' flavour
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
- 2 teaspoons dried porcini powder
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
Dipping sauce (optional)
- 2 tablespoons tian min jiang paste
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Recipe: Zacchary Bird
Directions
Step 1
Line a baking tray with baking paper and preheat the oven to 160°C.
Combine the duck-style stock ingredients in a large bowl. Without unfolding, place the yuba skins in the duck-style stock for 5 minutes, massaging in the liquid until it is fully absorbed and you get a little envious of the pampering. Gently squeeze out the excess liquid and lay the yuba on a work surface.
Step 2
Carefully unfold the yuba until you have a large rectangle of layered sheets.
Whisk the ‘duck’ flavour ingredients in a small bowl until combined. Peel back the first sheet of yuba and use a pastry brush to spread the flavour mix over one, then repeat the process for all the sheets, folding them into a layered rectangle once done. Brush 3 tablespoons of Peking duck sauce over the top sheet.
Step 3
From one corner, begin to tightly roll the sheets towards the opposing corner, bunching and folding if you need, to create a dense ‘body’ with excess hanging out of two sides. The front of your roast will be smoother and the back will be the side where a fold of yuba runs across the roast. Tuck the excess yuba underneath the roast to complete a rounded shape.
Step 4
Place the ‘duck’ on the prepared tray, then glaze with the remaining Peking ‘duck’ sauce. Cover with baking paper, then with foil and roast for 1 hour.
Remove the foil and baking paper. If the roast has puffed up, use a skewer to stab a few holes to release the steam. Use the skewer to push the roast back into shape and roast for 10-15 minutes, until crisp.
Step 5
Combine the dipping sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and place over low heat. When hot, whisk in a splash of water to create a thick sauce and pour into a bowl to serve next to the roast. Cut the roast duck into slices and dish it up with the dipping sauce.
Recipe: Zacchary Bird
