Mock Duck Pancakes

Mock Duck Pancakes are a vegetarian take on a popular Chinese takeaway dish. Crispy ‘duck’ and hoisin sauce wrapped in a steamed pancake.

If you’re vegetarian or vegan, you’ve probably seen this before at your favourite restaurant or takeout spot. It’s probably even one of your favourites.

I don’t quite know how it became known as a vegetarian or mock ‘duck’ pancakes. But it’s a stellar dish that’s always on my order. This recipe will show you how you can make it at home, and it’s a lot easier than you might have thought.

Mock Duck Pancakes

These Mock Duck Pancakes consist of tofu skin (yuba) brushed with an umami rich, slightly sweet, and slightly salty sauce. Wrapped up into parcels and deep fried till golden.

These fried parcels are sliced into strips and placed on a bed of sweet hoisin, on top of paper-thin steamed pancakes. The finishing touches are strips of cucumber and spring onions. I also like a generous drizzle of crispy chilli oil for good measure.

The mock duck pancakes are wrapped up and eaten right away. It’s usually a slightly involved process as everyone layers their pancakes themselves. It’s fun and delicious at the same time.

What is mock duck? And what is it made from?

There are actually a few variations of mock duck pancakes that exist. I went on a bit of a ‘mock duck pancake tour’ a while back and noticed they tended to split into 3 main categories.

The most common ‘mock duck’ was wrapped up tofu skin (yuba) which was fried till golden. The second most common was fried seitan, often the same type that’s available in a tin from most East Asian supermarkets. And the least common was shredded tofu or an alternative soy product.

Mock duck pancakes make for a great appetiser

Whether it be a Friday fake-away night, or weekend get together with friends or family. I can’t imagine a better a better appetiser to serve up. It’s simple to make and always a crowd pleaser.

There’s something so satisfying about the medley of textures and flavours here. The soft, paper-thin pancakes with the crunchy fried ‘duck’, combined with the fresh bites of cucumber and spring onions. Along with a winning combination of salty, umami, sweet, and fresh.

Let’s talk about some of the ingredients

I’ll cover the main ones below but the full recipe can be found at the end

• Dried tofu skin – also known as dried bean curd sheet. I use the Dali brand (pictured above) and this one tends to work the best. See the next heading for more information on this
• Chinese style pancakes – also known as Chun Bing, these are available in the frozen section in most East Asian supermarkets
• Hoisin – this is a sweet sauce made from fermented soybean paste. I like to use the Flying Goose brand personally
• Chilli oil – this is totally optional but I do like to finish the crispy mock duck pancakes with some. It adds extra flavour and a little bit of heat for balance. I make my own and you can find my Chilli Oil recipe here

Dried tofu skin/Dried bean curd sheets

There are two different types of bean curd sheets and it’s quite important to use the correct one for this recipe. One will work, whilst the other unfortunately won’t.

These are the dried bean curd sheets you’ll need

These sheets are dry and almost paper-like. But they’re very pliable and can be folded – which makes them perfect for making mock duck.

These are another type of dried bean curd sheets, but these won’t work

However, these sheets are drier and more brittle. They can’t be folded and hence would not be suitable for this recipe. These sheets are best used in soups and curries.

As these are so brittle, they often require soaking in water to soften them. This is why they tend to work best in soup/curry preparations.

The KEY tips for making these Mock Duck Pancakes

1. Skewer the tofu rolls together – this helps them keep their shape and prevents them from puffing up during frying
2. Fry at a lower temperature – 150’C oil is ideal, this will prevent the mock duck from burning and turning too dark. Over-frying the mock duck can also dry them out

How to make Mock Duck Pancakes

1+2) Start by mixing together all the sauce ingredients and giving them a good whisk

3) Next, take a bean curd sheet and open it up, they’re usually quite large!

4) Brush the sheet generously with the sauce

5-8) To create the layers in the mock duck, we have to fold the bean curd sheets whilst brushing with more sauce after every fold

9+10) For the final folds, we’re essentially ‘rolling’ up the sheet from both ends. This provides the cleanest finish without any overhanging edges

11) You should then end up with a neatly wrapped parcel just like this

12) Finally, place a skewer through the bean curd parcel, this will hold it together as it’s frying and will also prevent it from puffing up too much.

Allow the parcels to rest for 30 minutes before frying in order for them to soak up all the sauce we brushed on

13+14) Fry these mock duck parcels in batches in 150-160’C oil until golden brown on both sides. These are best fried at a lower temperature in order to prevent them from burning

15) Set aside on a paper lined tray to drain off excess oil

16) Then, remove the skewers – these will come out with ease

17) Next, slice the mock duck into thin strips

18) And finally, serve in some steamed pancakes, along with some hoisin, sliced cucumber, sliced spring onions (scallions), and some chilli oil (optional). Roll up and enjoy immediately

Frequently asked questions

Can any other sauces be used instead of hoisin?

Yes, I often like to serve these with a peanut sauce too. I have my peanut sauce recipe (it’s an old one!) included in my Tofu Satay.

Can the mock ‘duck’ rolls be air fried or baked?

Kind of, but they do end up very dry in comparison to the deep fried version. The longer cooking time in the air fryer and oven dries these out, even at higher temperatures.

How long will the mock duck rolls keep? And what’s the best way to store them?

1. You can keep them rolled and skewered in the fridge (uncooked), in an air tight container for up to 4 days
2. Fried and cooled, in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat by air frying/baking until heated through
3. If freezing, I recommend doing this after the mock duck has been fried. Separate each piece with baking paper and place into a freezer safe bag/container for up to 3-4months. Reheat from frozen in the air fryer/oven until sufficiently heated through

If you enjoyed this recipe

Please do let me know! Leave a review and a rating below, I’d love to know how you got on.

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Until then, happy cooking!