Imperial Mock Duck (Su Ya / 素鸭)
Chinese Buddhist culinary tradition — imperial vegan banquets
Classic Chinese Buddhist and imperial 'mock duck' made from sheets of dried tofu skin (yuba/fu zhu) layered, rolled, and braised in soy-spice master stock to create an impressively convincing facsimile of braised duck. The layered tofu skin creates a genuinely duck-like texture when pressed and braised. A signature of high-end Buddhist monastery cuisine and imperial court vegetarian banquets.