Chicken: Are you mocking me?
Me: Not at all. It’s just called mock chicken. It’s also known as vegetarian chicken. Sometimes it’s served at Chinese restaurants as a hot or cold appetizer or at dim sum.
Chicken: You’re mocking me.
Me: No, not really. It doesn’t even taste like chicken. I admit it looks vaguely like roasted white chicken. But it’s made out of fresh or dried bead curd sheets with a mushroom filling, steamed and then sliced.
Chicken: Mock, mock, mock.
Mock Chicken
Makes 1 roll
1 6-ounce package fresh yuba sheets
1 sprig cilantro for garnish
For the mushroom filling
4 dried Chinese shiitake mushrooms
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder
For the sauce
2 tablespoons mushroom soaking water or water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon rice wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1″ piece of fresh ginger, chopped
Soak the mushrooms in water until soft. Cut off the stems and slice into 1/4 inch pieces. Save the mushroom soaking water for the sauce.
In a wok, combine the sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Strain and let cool in a large bowl. Wash the wok to cook the mushroom filling next.
Heat the wok to hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the wok. Add the mushrooms and the rest of the filling ingredients. Stir-fry for a couple minutes and then set aside to cool.
Cut the yuba sheet in half to make it about 9″ x 11 1/2″. Dip the sheet into the sauce bowl to cover it in sauce, then fold it down into a rectangle. Repeat with the remaining sheets, stacking them one on top of the other, saving the last sheet to wrap around the whole roll. Lay the last sheet down and place the roll in the center. Arrange the mushrooms on top and wrap up like a burrito.
Place the roll, seam side down, on a steaming dish and steam over high heat for 15 minutes. Remove and let cool to room temperature. Cut the roll crosswise into 1/2″ wide slices to serve. Garnish with the cilantro sprig. It can also be made the day before and refrigerated for a firmer texture.
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thanks so much for this recipe! i’m going to make this this week, come hell or high water!
I’d been wanting to make one of these for awhile. Looks like it’s time for another Asian grocery store trip!
Wow–you’ve made it mandatory that I obtain yuba. At all costs. At _every_ cost. This post is my new best friend–attractive and hilarious.
Yummmm!
Looks awesome.
Wonder if the dry sheets, the only Yuba we have in this area, would work? Perhaps steaming the dry sheets first.
Will give it a go and report back.
Thanks everyone for your comments!
in2insight – For dried yuba sheets, just soak them in water until they’re soft. You don’t need to steam them first.
CAn I come live at your house?
I swoon …
I’ve never seen such a big piece of yuba before! In fact, I can’t find it in stores at all. Where on earth did you get this treasure?
Hannah – I get the fresh yuba at the farmers market. There’s a fresh tofu vendor. Otherwise you can usually find them at the Asian supermarket, in the dried foods section or the freezer.
It looks beautiful!
I’ve never tried yuba, but it sounds very interesting…
i made these the other night! and though they didn’t look as pretty as yours, they were hell damn delicious! i’ll be posting about them soon and linking back to you. thanks again!
Bonnie – Thank you! Yuba is interesting and can be cooked and eaten in a variety of ways. If you come across it, give it a try. :-)
Philippa O – So glad you liked it! Looking forward to reading about it!
Hi
I was just wondering the sketch at the start of the recipe, what is that from?
Maguined – It came from me, I wrote it. :-)
Brill!
You learn something new everyday – can’t wait to try this out!
This is SO awesome! I’ve been curious about using yuba in combination with other mock meats for a while, and layering it is such a great idea. Yum!
This looks amazing! I bought dried yuba a long time ago and had no clue what to make with it! Now I know! Thank you!
I lost this recipe and had to come find it here again. Over the past few years, it’s been maybe my FAVORITE thing to make for non-vegetarians. So savory and tasty! Yuba is great. I usually double the mushroom filling because I love it so.
It makes people think I am a good cook. Thanks!!!