Something I Tried: Mock Duck
I got a my hands on a can of mock duck from 99 Ranch, an Asian grocery store that is filled with an incredible selection of rare vegan goodies (and some omnivorous ones, if that's your thing). I couldn't find much online about how to prepare it, but it's essentially seitan with some flavoring, so I figured I could eat it straight from the can as well as cooked.
For the cold preparation I rolled some spring rolls with the mock dock, crunchy romaine, green bell pepper, fresh cilantro and green onion. I also made another version of spring rolls with tofu and served them both with some tangy homemade duck sauce (see recipe below!).
For the warm preparation I first ripped the pieces into smaller bites, coated the pieces in corn starch, and then fried them until they were super crispy.
The verdict: the duck doesn't taste much different from regular seitan. It tastes slightly sweet with some saltiness from soy sauce. I didn't like it uncooked, it was too rubbery*. However, it was really good crispy. I dipped it in the duck sauce, but it would be lovely fried then tossed in your favorite sauce and served over rice. For $2 a can it is a protein you could eat on the regular--however my preference is definitely tofu over seitan, so I won't be purchasing it again unless I have a specific recipe in mind.
*May I add that it has dimples just like real duck, which is freaky...but I assume they are remnants of the production equipment.
Duck sauce
1/4 C apricot jam (more if you like it sweet instead of tangy)
1/4 C rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves (minced)
dash red chili flakes
3/4 tsp soy sauce
1. In a small food processor, first pulse garlic. Add all other ingredients and pulse.
2. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
For the cold preparation I rolled some spring rolls with the mock dock, crunchy romaine, green bell pepper, fresh cilantro and green onion. I also made another version of spring rolls with tofu and served them both with some tangy homemade duck sauce (see recipe below!).
For the warm preparation I first ripped the pieces into smaller bites, coated the pieces in corn starch, and then fried them until they were super crispy.
The verdict: the duck doesn't taste much different from regular seitan. It tastes slightly sweet with some saltiness from soy sauce. I didn't like it uncooked, it was too rubbery*. However, it was really good crispy. I dipped it in the duck sauce, but it would be lovely fried then tossed in your favorite sauce and served over rice. For $2 a can it is a protein you could eat on the regular--however my preference is definitely tofu over seitan, so I won't be purchasing it again unless I have a specific recipe in mind.
*May I add that it has dimples just like real duck, which is freaky...but I assume they are remnants of the production equipment.
Duck sauce
1/4 C apricot jam (more if you like it sweet instead of tangy)
1/4 C rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves (minced)
dash red chili flakes
3/4 tsp soy sauce
1. In a small food processor, first pulse garlic. Add all other ingredients and pulse.
2. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
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