Mock duck is usually found in tins in Asian stores. It is not always available, especially when you actually need it ... like for a Plant-based Christmas dinner. When searching for recipes on how to make it, you mostly find ways to cook the ready-made canned mock duck. After several failed attempts, I have finally discovered how to make it myself. Mock duck is best after being canned for a while, as the distinct flavour develops in the marinade, but if you do not want to can it, at least let it marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.

If you are gluten intolerant, this is not for you, because the main ingredient in Mock Duck is Vital wheat Gluten.

You can watch the video about how I made the Mock Duck here.

Portions: 11 half-pint jars

Broth:

3 ltr water

2 cups light soya sauce

13 tsp bouillon powder

Wet ingredients:

2 cups of water

1 cup light soya sauce

Dry ingredients:

3 cups Vital Wheat Gluten

For the broth. pour 3 litres of water into a large pot then add two cups of light soya sauce and some vegetable bouillon powder (13 tsp). Then put it on the stove to heat up.

You will need some kind of mesh to wrap the seitan for cooking. This will also give it the distinctive 'duck-skin' texture that you find in the store-bought version.

For the wet ingredients, I use two cups of water and one cup of light soya sauce.

The dry ingredient is just three cups of vital wheat gluten and nothing else.

Mix the two together and it quite quickly becomes a dough. Take it out on the tabletop and give it a good kneading to develop the gluten and stretch it in one direction to create a bit of stringiness. Then leave it to rest for five to ten minutes.

Cut the dough into 4 pieces, then wrap them individually in the mesh and tie off the wraps to keep the dough in as it expands. 

Then pop them into the broth to simmer for one hour. It is important that it doesn't boil fully as the seitan will become spongy. This can ruin the texture, so, keep it to a gentle simmer.

After an hour, take the mock duck out to drain and cool down. Save the broth to use as canning marinade.

When cold enough to touch, unwrap the mock dock and rip it into bite-sized pieces.

You can now clearly see the 'duck-skin' texture on the surface.

Now it is time for canning.

Pack the mock duck pieces into small canning jars. I got 11 half-pint jars out of this batch.  Cover the mock duck with broth, leaving one-inch headspace. 

Wipe the rims with a vinegar cloth. Place the lids and screw the rings on - finger-tight.

Then place them in the prepared canner.

To see how to prepare the canner, please click on this link to watch the "Canning Chickpeas and Beans" video.  

Put the canner lid on and turn it up to full heat.

When it is boiling hard and steam comes out of the vent in a steady stream, set the timer to 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, put the weight on and watch the little valve pop up, as the pressure built up inside the canner. Then let the pressure rise to your required weight according to your altitude. where I live, that is 10 pounds of pressure.

Mock Duck needs to cook for one hour at pressure, so when the pressure gauge reach, in my case, 10 pounds, set the timer to one hour. Turn the cooker down to maintain the correct pressure for the entire hour.

After an hour, turn the cooker off and wait until the little valve on top pops down, Then it is safe to take the weight off and open the canner. Be sure to open the canner away from you as the hot steam escape.

Take the jars out to cool on a towel. Enjoy the satisfying pops as the lids seal. One by one. When the jars have all sealed and are cool enough to touch, take off the rings. Then thoroughly clean the jars on the outside. 

Now you can label your jars and store them in your pantry.

For a quick and easy meal, pre-heat the oven to 200 C, drain the mock duck and place it in an oven-proof dish. Smother the mock duck in a sweet Thai Hoisin Sauce and pop it in the oven for 20 minutes.

You can then serve it with your favourite sides. Here I made baked potatoes and added a nice green salad and some broccoli. Delicious!