Vegan duck pancakes

Vegan duck pancakes

vegan duck pancakes

There are not many meat dishes I miss since going vegan, but duck pancakes is definitely one of them. It may sound a bit strange as it’s not like I grew up on them (I first tried them in my early 20s) or even ate that them that often as an omnivore, but I fell in love with this dish ever since I first tried it.

I would have crispy duck pancakes once or twice a year, usually on a lazy winter Sunday when hours of wandering through Soho made our stomachs rumble and an impromptu dinner in Chinatown suddenly seemed like a genius idea. As this is one of these ‘traditions’ we won’t be able to keep up, I was determined to find a way to be able to experience these textures and flavours as a vegan.

Once again, jackfruit has delivered! First its meaty flesh gets marinated in aromatics, spices and hoisin sauce and then it is baked in a hot oven to give it a bit of added crispiness around the edges. I recommend marinating it a day in advance as it is one of these dishes that develops more flavour with time.

As I wasn’t able to get the pancakes here, I’ve had to make them myself, but I encourage you to buy them instead. As they need to be very thin and pliable, getting them right is a steep learning curve.

Other than the preparation of the jackfruit itself, this dish isn’t very time consuming if you use shop-bought hoisin sauce as well as shop-bought crispy duck pancakes. It is therefore perfect for entertaining. Serve all of the components separately and let your guests assemble their pancakes themselves as they would in a Chinese restaurant.

Vegan or not, I bet they won’t turn up their noses at a meatless version of this Chinese crowd pleaser!

vegan duck pancakes key components

vegan duck pancakes platter

vegan duck pancakes side

vegan duck pancakes hand

serves
4
PREP
10 min
COOKING
40 min
serves
4
PREPARATION
10 min
COOKING
40 min
INGREDIENTS
JACKFRUIT ‘DUCK’

REMAINING INGREDIENTS

  • pancakes for crispy duck (or GF pancakes if needed)
  • hoisin sauce, to serve
  • 1 cucumber, cored and cut into matchsticks
  • 1 spring onion, cut into thin strips lengthwise
  • sesame seeds, to garnish (optional)
  • fresh coriander leaves, to garnish (optional)

METHOD
JACKFRUIT ‘DUCK’ (for best flavour, make a day ahead)

  1. Drain both jackfruit tins. Cut the firm, pointy ends off each triangular piece of jackfruit (you can still use them if you wish, I don’t). Set aside.
  2. Heat up oil in a medium, heavy-bottomed, pan. Fry spring onions until softened. Add garlic and ginger and fry off gently until soft and fragrant.
  3. Add five spice mix and fry it off gently, stirring the whole time, for a minute or so.
  4. Now add in the prepared jackfruit along with soy sauce, 2 tbsp of hoisin sauce, toasted sesame oil and rice vinegar. Mix everything really well. Squash the jackfruit pieces with your mixing spoon so that the individual fibres separate more. Season with white pepper and a pinch of ground Szechuan peppercorns if you wish. Simmer the mixture gently for another 5-10 minutes and then allow it to cool down. Place in the fridge overnight to intensify the flavour.
  5. Just before you are ready to assemble your pancakes, set the oven to 200° C / 390° F fan function. Spread the jackfruit pieces on a baking paper-lined baking tray and brush them lightly with an extra tablespoon of hoisin sauce. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until a little caramelised and browned around the edges.

ASSEMBLY

  1. Warm up your pancakes in a bamboo steamer.
  2. Smear a bit of hoisin sauce on the inside of each pancake, followed by jackfruit ‘duck’, cucumber and spring onion matchsticks. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and fresh coriander leaves for decoration. Roll up and enjoy!
SHARE
NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
223
11%
sugars
10 g
11%
fats
12 g
17%
saturates
1 g
7%
proteins
3 g
5%
carbs
24 g
9%
*per serving
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4.9
16 reviews, 26 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
KAT:
I have fresh jackfruit is that OK?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Yes, it should work just as well although I haven't tried myself as they don't sell them here. You may want to simmer it for longer (step 4) to soften. Hope this helps. Ania
Ree Ree:
I've followed this recipe a few times now and it certainly does not disappoint. Easy to follow and extremely tasty!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much for your kind words, Ree Ree! I'm so happy that you've enjoyed it and I really appreciate you taking the time to review. x Ania
Krysta:
I made this for tea tonight, so damn delicious! Thanks so much for the epic recipe
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thank you Krysta! I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it and many thanks for taking the time to leave this lovely review - I really appreciate it. x Ania
Ben:
I'm not a vegan (I know!), I just like to eat less meat sometimes.
I wasn't expecting much but this was really good, I didn't even need to let it sit overnight, so I'd recommend it, even to carnivores.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Ben,
    Thanks, I'm really happy to hear that you enjoyed! And many thanks for taking the time to review - I really appreciate it. x Ania
Sarah:
Hi. I know this is a bit overdue but I finally had to share my appreciation for this recipe. I've been using your recipe for a few years now and it's still one of my favourites. I've cooked it for fellow vegans and meateaters much to their delight! I've shared the recipe too many a new vegan too.
I wouldn't change a thing although I will add I crisped my up in the airfryer rather than the oven which works wonderfully.
Keep on sharing please I love your recipes!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you so much for letting me know that this recipe has served you so well over the years, Sarah - I'm delighted to hear that! And great to know that air fryer does a good job and crisping these up, I'm sure many readers will find it useful. Thank so much. x Ania
Courtenay Hurley:
I love this recipe, I made it for as a starter for a dinner party and now all my friends request it when they come over - a fan favourite! I do have a bit of trouble steaming my pancakes in the bamboo steamer (from Frozen), they often stick together and I end up wasting a few. Do you have any tips or tricks? Thanks!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Courtenay, I am really pleased to hear that you enjoy them so much. I suspect allowing them to defrost them first and then steaming just to warm up might be better. Ania
Amy:
Made it. Loved it. Thank you!!!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Amy! I'm so happy to hear that you did! x Ania
Ashley:
Such a delicious recipe! I’ve had trouble finding recipes using jackfruit as the main ingredient but these were amazing. Thanks for the inspiration!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Pleasure, I am glad to hear that you enjoyed it! x Ania
Megan:
This was DELICIOUS! I didn't have five spice, so I added four of the five spices in it, and had to follow a hoisin sauce recipe, as I only had plum sauce.
The jackfruit had just the right texture after baking, and wad a huge hit. Thank you!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, I'm delighted to hear that! Thank you for letting me know that you and your family enjoyed it! x Ania
Anastasia:
This was amazing! I have been craving this flavor combination for a while and this recipe didn’t disappoint. Totally worth the make ahead preparation. Will be definitely making again
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Anastasia! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this dish and thank you for letting me know too! x Ania
Sarah:
Hi. Love the recipe it's a staple in our house. Do you think we could substitute the rice vinegar as we are in coronavirus lockdown!? Vinegars we have are black Chinese, apple cider, white and red wine. Thanks for your site it's always inspiring .
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Sarah, I am so pleased to hear that. I think any of these will do - just taste and add judiciously. I would go for black Chinese one, it's quite mild. Hope you and your dearest are managing to stay safe in this crazy time. x Ania
Kylie:
I made this and it was good, but it was way too salty. I’ll try again with low salt soy sauce next time.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Kylie - good idea, the exact amount of salt a dish needs is very subjective so I always recommend tasting as you make it. Ania
Just Jo:
Ooo insomnia pays off! It’s 4am here and I’m about to go make this now so it can have the night in the fridge you recommend then I can serve it on Valentine’s Day, aw. I had a right mission getting the pancakes - it’s such a pain that most times they comes with the duck! I’ll report back tomorrow night as to how it went. Thanks Anita, this will be my first jackfruit experience!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Glad to hear you found the pancakes and I do hope you'll enjoy my jackfruit! Ania
Sarah Prowse:
I LOVE this! Lucky enough to have a shop a few doors down that sells tinned green jackfruit. I'd tried the "pulled pork" style and it got me thinking about using it in other shredded style dishes. Enter Google and here you are! My newly converted bf loves it too. Better than the real thing! Thanks for sharing.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Yay! That's so awesome to hear, Sarah! :) Thanks for your kind words! Ania
andrena:
oh my goodness these are amazing. My vegan dinner guests are still talking about it!
    Ania
    Ania:
    That's so nice to hear, Andrena! Thank you! :) Ania
Rebecca:
Made this today and enjoyed it for dinner. Different flavor profile than I normal go for and I appreciated the change, ate it on a tortilla instead of making pancakes. The only thing I'd do different next time is reduce the soy sauce, even with low sodium soy sauce I found it a bit salty for my taste, but no worries, I'll just tweak it next time, there'll definitely be a next time. Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Rebecca! That's great to hear!! In this case, I will adjust the recipe to say between 1-3 tbsp. Ania
Victoria Logan:
This recipe is soooo yummy! Have made a few of your recipes now and they are all A+++. Thanks for the unique takes on some of my old favourites. I made my own pancakes too as I live in a tiny village in Bavaria where the local tastes are rather mild and the shops are quite limited. Will definitely be making these again very soon.
    Ania
    Ania:
    That's so lovely to hear, Victoria! Sometimes living somewhere with limited access to ingredients (like where I lived up till now), forces you to be more resourceful and creative, doesn't it? x Ania
Anne Thomas:
Hi,
Just discovered your site and have been enjoying it. Thank you. A couple of questions about this recipe. What size tins for the jackfruit? Also, would I have to go to Chinatown to get the pancakes (I live in Montreal) or do most Asian supermarkets carry them? Could soft flour tortillas be substituted?
Thanks!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Anne,
    My pleasure! My jackfruit tins are 20 oz / 560 g each. As for the pancakes, I am not sure I live on a small Greek island and had to therefore make mine, but I imagine that Asian supermarkets would have them. These pancakes are super delicate and thin so yes, soft tortillas will work although the texture will be a bit different. Hope that helps! Ania
Virginia:
Hi Ania,
I doubled the recipe and to the Jackfruit "Duck" I added 2 chopped serrano peppers for heat. I also added a handful of Thai basil leaves during the last five minutes of cooking. I served it with green onions, sesame seeds and chopped cilantro leaves sprinkled on top and accompanied by cooked Jasmine rice. It was delicious!! I had two friends over for dinner and they loved it too. Next time, I will try it with the pancakes. Thank you again for this awesome recipe.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks for sharing, Virginia! So lovely to hear that you enjoyed this dish! Ania
Magdalena:
I also totally fell in loooooooove whith Peking Duck, when I ate it first in an original Peking Duck restaurant. What a delight to find a vegetarian version (being a vegetarian sinve 16 years now. I have tried other things with Jackfruit and find it a wonderful substitude for all kind of meat dishes but never thought about duck substitude. Thank you so much Ania for this recipe _()_ I for sure will make it soon! greetings from Denver Magdalena
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Magdalena! Hope it will hit the spot! :) Ania
Virginia:
Hi Ania,
Such an ingenious recipe! It will be a great substitute for one of my favorite Thai dishes. At a local Thai restaurant I order Tofu Duck Basil - it looks like after pressing the tofu, it is cooked in Thai basil sauce, then it is fleshed out and so it looks like duck meat. It is delicious. I have not been able to find any details about how to make tofu have the
consistency and appearance of duck meat . Thank you for this recipe. I am convinced that it will help me satisfy a craving.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Virginia! I'm so glad to hear you are excited about it! That tofu dish you describe sounds right up my alley! How I wish we had any decent vegan restaurants here. Ania
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