Chinese Vegetarian Duck (素鸭)

This Vegetarian Duck, or sù yā (素鸭) recipe is a delicious vegan/vegetarian dish that feels super special, but is surprisingly simple to make. 

A savory, umami filling of shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and carrots is wrapped inside layers of bean curd skin, steamed, pan-fried, and braised. When sliced, you could almost swear it looks like slices of Chinese roast duck! 

A Vegetarian Chinese New Year Recipe

In hard times past, Chinese New Year celebrations were often the only time families could indulge in meat dishes. If you didn’t have enough money to buy meat for your new year dinner, it was a gloomy occasion. 

Today, this notion has resulted in Chinese New Year menus being heavily loaded with meat and seafood dishes like White Cut Chicken, Ti Pang (Braised Pork Shank), Red Cooked Fish, You Bao Shrimp, and Ginger Scallion Lobster. The more, the merrier. 

As you can see, we’ve covered those dishes! But this year, I felt it was important to share vegan and vegetarian Chinese New Year recipes. 

To be clear, just because this “duck” is vegan, that doesn’t mean it’s any less qualified to be on your Chinese New Year menu. 

It’s a very popular starter or appetizer, and my mother used to make it every Chinese New Year. Not because it was healthy or meatless, but because it tastes good and we love it. 

This recipe is also a great make-ahead New Year recipe. With so much cooking going on, it’s one more reason to include this dish on your menu! 

About Bean Curd Skin

This is the first recipe we’ve featured that uses these large sheets of bean curd skin. Find them in the refrigerated section of your local Chinese grocery store. 

Some version of Vegetarian Duck, or sù yā have no filling at all, and are just giant bean curd skins rolled up. 

I personally like the version with filling. While it’s an extra step to make the signature mixture of mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and carrots, you can’t underestimate how much it enriches the flavor, and keeps the bean curd skin moist. 

I used canned bamboo shoots, here, but you could also use fresh if they are in season.

You could also use enoki mushrooms and wood ears. You want to avoid vegetables that are too chunky or that carry too much moisture. 

Each packet of these large bean curd sheets have 8-9 sheets, making it a good idea to double this recipe. I promise it’ll disappear fast, especially if you have a couple of good eaters. 

Vegetarian Duck: Recipe Instructions

Rinse the shiitake mushrooms clean, and soak them in 2 cups of hot water for 2-3 hours, until they are completely rehydrated. Reserve the water they soaked in.

Julienne the bamboo shoots, carrots, and ginger, and set aside. Take the soaked shiitake mushrooms, squeeze out any excess water, remove the tough stems, and thinly slice them.

With your wok over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons oil. Add the ginger, and cook for 20 seconds.

Then add the carrots, and stir-fry for 1 minute.

Add the mushrooms and bamboo shoots, turn up the heat, and and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until fragrant.

Stir in the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, and vegetarian oyster sauce. Continue cooking until all the liquid has reduced. Remove from the wok, and let the filling cool.

Prepare your steamer with enough water for 12 minutes of steaming over high heat, and bring to a boil. 

Lay out one of your sheets of bean curd on a clean work surface. Take your mixture of vegetarian oyster sauce and water, and brush lightly onto one of the sheets.

Stack another sheet on top and brush that one too with the oyster sauce mixture. 

Add half of the filling to the lower part of the bean curd circle (about 5 inches/13 cm) from the edge closest to you), arranging it in a roughly 7×3 inch horizontal rectangle.

Fold the 2 sheets over the filling tightly…

Fold the sides over the middle…

And continue rolling tightly until you’ve formed a rectangular roll.  

Repeat with the other 2 bean curd skin sheets, the rest of the oyster sauce water mixture, and the other half of the filling. You should have two rolls.

With the opening side down, lay them side by side on a heat proof dish. When the water in your steamer has come to a boil, steam the rolls for 12 minutes over high heat. 

Meanwhile, mix the braising sauce.

Combine 1 ¼ cups of the mushroom soaking water, 1 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil and 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce. Mix to dissolve the sugar completely, and set aside. 

Remove the rolls from the steamer. Heat a clean wok/pan over medium heat. Add the oil and swirl it around the perimeter of the wok to coat it evenly. 

Add the rolls, and brown each side, about 1-2 minutes per side. Handle gently when flipping.

Once you’ve browned both sides, add the sauce mixture.

Braise over medium heat, cooking for 2 minutes covered, and then 2-3 minutes uncovered. Flip the rolls, and do the same on the other side. Try not to move them too much. Just slide them around to prevent them from breaking or fall apart. 

Once the sauce has reduced (it should coat the rolls, but they shouldn’t be sitting in a pool of sauce), carefully transfer the rolls to a plate, and cool completely. 

Once cooled, slice into ¾ inch thick slices, and garnish with chopped scallions. Serve at room temperature.