Thai Basil Mock Duck is one of my favorite dishes to order out at a Thai restaurant. I’m no vegetarian, but I love the way the savory mock duck tastes alongside Thai Basil, Thai soy sauce, and vegetables!
Our go-to Thai restaurant charges $19 for a small plate of their Thai Basil Mock Duck stir-fry. Expensive, right? Well, with so few good Thai restaurants around, let’s just say they know what they got. Having eaten it out so many times lately, my Thai Basil Mock Duck habit has started to burn a little hole in my wallet, so I figure the time has come for me to make it at home!
What Goes Into a Thai Basil Stir-fry?
This recipe could be adapted for various proteins. The unifying ingredients are a liberal amount of Thai basil, fish sauce, oyster sauce, Thai black soy sauce, and Thai thin soy sauce.
Sugar is also key to this recipe. Oftentimes, we find Thai dishes can be a little too sweet. At home you’re free to make adjustments to the sweetness level!
What is Mock Duck?
Mock duck is made of braised wheat gluten. It has a distinctive chewy, meaty texture, and an equal parts disturbing and tantalizing stamped duck skin texture to it.
I will admit, mock duck is one of those products that my eyes glazed over in the canned food aisle at the Asian grocery store. Which is strange, because I actually love ordering it whenever it’s available at a Thai restaurant. It’s got a firm and chewy texture and craggly edges that are excellent for catching sauce.
The brand we reached for is Companion brand. It’s labeled “Mun-Cha’i-Ya, Peking Vegetarian Roast Duck.” It comes in a small 10 ounce can and a large 29 oz. can. After draining out the water, a 10 ounce can contains 5.5 ounces of actual mock duck, and the 29 ounce can contains 19 ounces. To get 12 ounces, you can either buy two 10 ounce cans, or buy one of each and have enough mock duck to make two batches of this recipe.
Sarah actually has a recipe for making wheat gluten from scratch. The difference here is that the wheat gluten is lightly braised, giving it a more savory flavor. You’ll notice it’s different from, say, vegan chicken wheat protein, which has a lighter color.
Recipe Instructions
Drain the mock duck in a colander and cut any large chunks in half to make bite-size pieces.
Premix the sauce by combining the sugar, Thai black soy sauce, Thai thin soy sauce, oyster sauce, and fish sauce to a small bowl. Set aside.
Heat a wok or skillet over high heat. When it’s lightly smoking, reduce the heat to medium high. Add the neutral oil and swirl to coat.
Add the garlic and cook for about 20 seconds. Then add the onions, mushrooms, and green beans. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and the premixed sauce. Cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes.
Add the mock duck and Thai basil. Stir-fry for another 2 minutes to heat the mock duck through, wilt the Thai basil, and coat everything evenly in the sauce.
Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice!
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Recipe
Thai Basil Mock Duck
Ingredients
- 12 ounces canned mock duck (you'll need two 10-ounce cans, drained)
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 3 cloves garlic (chopped)
- ½ small onion (thinly sliced)
- 2 large white button mushrooms (sliced)
- 1 cup green beans (trimmed and cut in half)
- ½ red bell pepper (cut into chunks)
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves (packed)
For the sauce:
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon Thai black soy sauce (or substitute 2 teaspoons Chinese dark soy sauce)
- 2 teaspoons Thai thin soy sauce (or Chinese light soy sauce)
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
Instructions
- Drain the mock duck in a colander and cut any large chunks in half to make bite-size pieces.
- Premix the sauce by combining the sugar, Thai black soy sauce, Thai thin soy sauce, oyster sauce, and fish sauce to a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat a wok or skillet over high heat. When it’s lightly smoking, reduce the heat to medium high. Add the neutral oil and swirl to coat.
- Add the garlic and cook for about 20 seconds. Then add the onions, mushrooms, and green beans. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and the premixed sauce. Cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes.
- Add the mock duck and Thai basil. Stir-fry for another 2 minutes to heat the mock duck through, wilt the Thai basil, and coat everything evenly in the sauce. Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice!
