How to Make a Vegan Roast You Really Want to Eat
Buying a vegan holiday roast is a lot like playing seitan roulette. The classic tofurki log is harmless at best, but the various competitors that pop up at Whole Foods this time of year play ping-pong between “lawfully delicious” and “old sage-scented boots.” If you’re tired of the usual fake meat options, I have great news: you can cook them yourself.
Imitation meat is not getting an entirely undeserved bad reputation, but some are sort of the rule . Mock duck, which is essentially seitan flavored with five spices , monosodium glutamate and sugar, is my favorite food. Some varieties of canned food, but I think the best kind is poured into an unusually anatomically correct shape – complete with drums and small ribs – and sold frozen. In terms of texture, it provides the perfect balance between elasticity and toughness; it is very savory in terms of taste, but all this sugar helps it to form a caramelized crust when fried. All in all, the dummy duck is much better than the regular Seitan turkey and is the perfect starting point for a festive vegan roast.
However, if you tie two stuffed vegan duck halves and toss them in a hot oven for an hour, you might as well chew on a vegan leather jacket. It’s best to keep the steamed wheat-based artificial meat moist and tender, but it won’t give you the shiny crust you really want from a holiday roast. The solution to this problem turned out to be quite simple: instead of forcing one vegan meat to be moist and crispy at the same time, why not use a second vegan meat – one that is actually meant to be crispy in hot oil?
Enter the mock goose, which is simply tofu skin sheets flavored with the triple threat of five spices, monosodium glutamate and sugar. It is usually sold in small rolled bags, but carefully separate the layers and you have a surprisingly skin-like protective material. If you wrap the stuffed duck halves in imitation goose, steam them in an instant saucepan (or on the stovetop), and then fry them in a skillet, you get it all: moist filling, perfectly cooked “meat” and salty, cracked skin. This is the vegan roast you deserve.
Vegan Holiday Roast with Nuts and Herbs Filling and Gravy
Mock duck and goose can be found in the freezers of most Asian supermarkets. (My market sells imitation goose under the Everbest brand, and I think the duck mock I am using is from Vegetarian Food, but the May Wah Market lists the manufacturer simply as ” Company F. “) If you are not near Asian market, you can orderduck and veggiegoose spoon at May Wah online. They ship anywhere in the US, although shipping is expensive (starting at $ 9.95).
I’ve included minced meat and gravy recipes here, but I recommend you use your favorites. If you usually add eggs to the filling, set aside a few measuring spoons for the stir-fry before adding the eggs; they add too much moisture for something that is almost completely steamed.
Equipment:
- Extra strong aluminum foil
- Parchment
- Kitchen twine
For filling:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
- 1 small parsnip or half a small celery, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 cups dried bread cubes
- 1/4 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage or a handful of fresh sage leaves, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, celery leaves, thyme, or mixture
- 2-3 cups vegetable stock, homemade, if you have one
For roast:
- 2 packs of vegan smoked duck halves, frozen thawed
- 2-3 tablespoons of neutral vegetable oil, more can be added if necessary.
- 1 pack of vegan goose (also known as bean cheese skin), thawed if frozen
For the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups room temperature vegetable stock
First, let’s make the filling . Heat butter (or butter for vegetarians) in a skillet over medium heat, then add all the vegetables and cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring frequently. When the vegetables are very soft and lightly browned, add the bread cubes, walnuts and herbs. Stir well and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Turn off the heat, add half a glass at a time. Add just as much as the bread cubes will absorb – this roast is steamed, not baked, so you don’t need a filling that is too wet. Let cool while you cook the roast.
Place a sheet of sturdy aluminum foil on a large cutting board or rimmed baking sheet. Place a slightly smaller piece of parchment on top of the foil, then cut four or five feet of twine. Place them parallel to each other on the parchment.
Remove the smoked duck halves from the packaging and pat dry with paper towels. Heat two tablespoons of neutral oil in a large nonstick (or cast iron) skillet over medium to low heat. Roast each duck for 3-5 minutes on each side, until caramelized and golden brown. Set aside.
Unfold the mock goose and remove the toothpicks holding the sheets together. Unroll gently into single or double layers and lay over the twine. The task is to completely wrap the duck halves in one or two goose leaves; it takes some dexterity, so work slowly and patiently. If necessary, unfold more sheets and cover the tears with scraps.
Place one of the duck halves with the concave side up in the center of the goose leaf. Add about one cup of filling, squeezing with your hands or the back of a spoon if necessary. Place the other half on top with the concave side down to form a small bag of fake meat. Wrap the goose skins over the duck halves and then secure them with twine as tightly as possible. Be careful, but don’t panic if the twine breaks the goose a little. It will stick together again during evaporation.
You should now have a completely unappetizing little bundle. Wrap it tightly in parchment, then wrap it even tighter with foil and cover completely. Place on the wire rack of an instant steamer or other electric pressure cooker, pour a cup of water and close the lid. Steam under high pressure for 25 minutes, then manually release the pressure and let sit for 20 minutes to an hour. (If you don’t have a pressure cooker, 40-45 minutes in the double boiler basket on the stove is enough.)
While the roast is steaming, cook the gravy. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil (or butter) in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 15 minutes. When your sauce is the color of milk chocolate, gradually add the broth and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until thick, about ten minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm until serving.
Finally, heat another tablespoon of oil in the same nonstick skillet over medium to low heat. Unroll the roast, discard the foil and parchment, and gently transfer to the skillet. Cook for about two minutes on each side, until the skin of the goose flies up and is crispy and dark golden brown. Be sure to brown these sides too.
Transfer the roast to a cutting board and carefully cut the twine with kitchen scissors. Slice into half-inch slabs and serve with sauce, mashed potatoes, and other fillings. Happy Thanksgiving Vegans to you and your loved ones!