Vegetarian Duck (素鸭)

Confession time: I messed up this recipe. I'm still happy with the flavours, but I made a lot of mistakes with the assembly. I got dried yuba sheets instead of frozen and they were rectangular instead of round. I think the different shape would've been okay if I'd handled them properly, but I didn't do great with that. I also didn't soften the sheets properly. I thought that brushing the sheets with the sauce would be enough to soften them; it wasn't. So, I ended up with really raggedy, broken up sheets, which then made rolling them up quite challenging. Because they weren't rolled very well, the fell apart a bit during cooking. Still tasty, but not as cohesive as they were meant to be.

All the problems aside, I really liked this recipe. I'd like to try it again sometime with the proper handling of the yuba. Unfortunately, the Kidlet was not a fan, so it may be a while before I get to try this one again.

Vegetarian Duck (素鸭 sù yā)

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

Filling

• 60g dried shiitake mushrooms
• 2 c. hot water
• 1 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. vegetarian oyster sauce
• 120g bamboo shoots, julienned
• 120g carrots, julienned
• 1 Tbsp. finely julienned ginger
• 3 Tbsp. neutral oil

Duck

• 4 Tbsp. bean curd skins (yuba), 60cm diameter circles
• 3 Tbsp. vegetarian oyster sauce, divided
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 1/4 c. mushroom soaking water
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. neutral oil
• 1 scallion, sliced

Directions

Filling

1. Rinse mushrooms and soak in the hot water for a couple hours.
2. Reserve the water and drain and slice the mushrooms.
3. Combine Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and oyster sauce and set aside.
4. Heat wok over high heat.
5. Add the oil to the wok and swirl it around to coat.
6. Add the ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds or so.
7. Add the carrots and stir-fry for about a minute.
8. Add bamboo and mushrooms and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
9. Pour in the sauce and cook for another minute or two until the mixture is mostly dry.
10. Remove from heat and set aside.

Duck

1. If you have frozen yuba sheets, thaw them. If you have dried sheets, briefly soak them to soften.¹ If you have dried yuba "sticks" (basically rolled up sheets), they will probably need a much longer soak to soften and become pliable.
2. Mix 2 Tbsp. of the oyster sauce with the 2 Tbsp. of water.
3. Lay out a sheet on your work surface and brush it with the oyster sauce mixture.
4. Lay a second sheet on top of the first and brush it with the sauce as well.
5. Spoon a bunch of the filling into the saucy sheets. If you're using 60cm circles, you'll want ~1/2 the filling for each stack of two sheets. If your sheets are a different size or shape, you'll need to adjust the filling accordingly.
6. Fold the bottom edge of the yuba sheets up over the filling, then fold in the sides. Roll it up like a big burrito and set, seam-side-down, on a steam-proof plate.
7. Repeat the process with the remaining yuba and filling.
8. Place the plate over some boiling water, cover, and steam for 12 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining the reserved mushroom soaking water, sugar, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, sesame oil, and dark soy sauce. Mix until sugar has dissolved and set aside.
10. Remove the plate from the steamer and set aside.
11. Heat the wok over medium heat.
12. Add the oil and swirl to coat.
13. Carefully add the duck rolls, seam-side-down.
14. Cook for 2-3 minutes, shaking the wok periodically to avoid sticking.
15. Once the undersides of the rolls are browned, carefully flip them over and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side.
16. Pour in the braising sauce and cover the wok. Cook, covered, for 2-3 minutes.
17. Remove the lide and cook, uncovered, for another 2 minutes.
18. Carefully flip the duck rolls once more and cook, covered, for 2-3 minutes.
19. Uncover the wok and cook, uncovered, for another 2-3 minutes. The duck should be saucy, but not soupy. The sauce should be thick enough to cling to and coat the duck.
20. Carefully remove from wok, slice, sprinkle with scallion, and serve.

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¹ Based on information I found online, I thought that brushing the sheets with a wet sauce or quickly dipping them in a tray of water would be enough. I was wrong. They didn't need to soak for long, but they did need to soak. I'd say 30-60 seconds would probably be enough. ^Back