All of my friends, meat-eaters and vegetarian, looked at me like I was crazy for even trying vegetarian seafood. And maybe for good reason. But I was curious.
Fish Fingers- Or, as we call them in the U.S., fish sticks. These were breaded and fried, so all I did was pop them in the oven for a while. Not exact replicas of fish by any means, more like stick-shaped chicken nuggets with the tiniest bit of oceany taste. But not bad, especially with ketchup or tartar sauce. I'm not planning on getting these again, but they were decent.
Belt Fish- I'm not sure what I was hoping for with this one. The Yabba Pot had a curry fish stew recently that was delicious, so I guess I was trying to find whatever "fish" they'd used, and the belt fish looked the most similar. White "fish fillets" with a bit of seaweed "skin". The look and texture were good, but I just did not like the taste at all, couldn't even finish a bite. Much like the spiced chicken legs, I didn't like the smell as soon as I cut open the package. Maybe if I chopped them up and cooked in a curry sauce...no, I think the Yabba Pot used something different. The search goes on.
Tuna- This was a pinkish, shredded protein. No fishy flavour and a little more chickeny/chewy in texture than real tuna. But mixed with the ingredients for your favorite tuna salad or chicken salad, it's not at all bad on a sandwich. I've gotten about the same results using rehydrated TVP or even mashed canned chickpeas to replace the tuna in tuna salad recipes.
Crab Roll- I grew up in Baltimore and ate large amounts of steamed crabs, crab soup, and crab cakes back in the day. That fake krab stick stuff (which is actually made out of a fish slurry and not vegetarian-friendly at all) was never big with my family, since the real stuff was plentiful. But I've always been curious when friends order California Rolls, so I thought I'd try. The look was pretty spot on, pure white "flesh" with bright reddish-orange sides. But the texture wasn't grainy or meaty or crab-like, it was more like rubbery, smooshy nothingness. Seriously, there was almost no flavour at all, and I didn't like the tiny bit of flavour that came through. I tried these drenched in butter, covered in Old Bay spice, but I still couldn't eat more than a nibble. I've only found two good crab substitutes so far. One is the zuchinni-based vegetarian crabcakes at Gertrude's (the restaurant at the Baltimore Museum of Art). The other is a vegetarian crabcake I made using a traditional Maryland crabcake recipe with Old Bay, vegan Worcestershire sauce and Match vegetarian crabmeat (here and here). That Match stuff is amazing...I'll post of review of their products eventually.
Sauce Cate Eel- One of my friends in always going on about how amazing cooked eel sushi is, and I never tried eel when I ate meat, so I'm a little curious. This one is still in my freezer, but I'll post a review soon.
Friday, May 28, 2010
May Wah Vegetarian Pork
Citrus Ribs- Very similar to the Gong Bao chicken, pretty spicy but with a sweet taste. So good. These aren't actually shaped like ribs though, they're more like smallish hunks of meat. I guess the texture is similar to rib meat, sort of dry and chewy. I believe The Yabba Pot in Baltimore uses these for their citrus ribs, as do some places in NYC.
Lotus Root Ribs- These were shaped like small chunks of meat, not like actual ribs. The taste was ok, but I thought they were much too dry. I just warmed them up and dipped in sauce, but maybe they'd be better simmered or baked with BBQ sauce.
BBQ Ribs- It was hard to judge the size of these from the picture online, so I thought they were actually going to be shaped like ribs. But they were actually more like short, small strips. Taste was ok, but the texture was dry and very springy-spongy, which I didn't like.
Cocktail Sausages- These looked just like real cocktail sausages, so I used them to make pigs-in-the-blanket. Unfortunately, I found them too mushy, with no hot dog taste. They aren't bad, just bland taste and texture.
Bacon- I read a review stating that this was the best vegetarian bacon available. The look and texture is almost creepy...pink meaty strips with greasy white marbling. Unfortunately, I had trouble cooking these. The pink parts cooked ok, but the white parts retained a raw chewy texture that grossed me out. And sadly, there was NO bacon or smokey flavour at all. Maybe these would be better with some liquid smoke or bacon salt, and fried with lots of oil. But I'm sticking with my Morningstar Farms bacon for now...I love that stuff.
Cordon Bleu Pork Chop- At one point these were listed on the site as "Blue Gordon" chops, which was adorable. They're breaded patties stuffed with cheese and what I'm assuming in veggie ham. These are still in my freezer, but I'll post a review soon.
Lotus Root Ribs- These were shaped like small chunks of meat, not like actual ribs. The taste was ok, but I thought they were much too dry. I just warmed them up and dipped in sauce, but maybe they'd be better simmered or baked with BBQ sauce.
BBQ Ribs- It was hard to judge the size of these from the picture online, so I thought they were actually going to be shaped like ribs. But they were actually more like short, small strips. Taste was ok, but the texture was dry and very springy-spongy, which I didn't like.
Cocktail Sausages- These looked just like real cocktail sausages, so I used them to make pigs-in-the-blanket. Unfortunately, I found them too mushy, with no hot dog taste. They aren't bad, just bland taste and texture.
Bacon- I read a review stating that this was the best vegetarian bacon available. The look and texture is almost creepy...pink meaty strips with greasy white marbling. Unfortunately, I had trouble cooking these. The pink parts cooked ok, but the white parts retained a raw chewy texture that grossed me out. And sadly, there was NO bacon or smokey flavour at all. Maybe these would be better with some liquid smoke or bacon salt, and fried with lots of oil. But I'm sticking with my Morningstar Farms bacon for now...I love that stuff.
Cordon Bleu Pork Chop- At one point these were listed on the site as "Blue Gordon" chops, which was adorable. They're breaded patties stuffed with cheese and what I'm assuming in veggie ham. These are still in my freezer, but I'll post a review soon.
May Wah Vegetarian Beef
Black Pepper Steak- I was a little put off by the appearance of these...sort of like pink unbreaded chicken nuggets. But I chopped them and cooked with carrots, onions, and potatoes in a pot roast mix. Lots of brown gravy. It was good winter food, but the texture of these was too mushy for my taste, and the taste was okay but not great. My friends liked them in the pot roast though. I can't find this version on the May Wah website any longer, but there are two other types to try.
May Wah Vegetarian Chicken
Chicken Nuggets- These aren't breaded and fried, just nugget-shaped hunks of chickeny goodness. Very chewy, meaty, and tasty. They're greasy, so I usually blot them after thawing in the microwave. The texture is so chewy it's almost tough, with "strands" of protein that make them eerily realistic. I've breaded and deep fried them, stir fried them with veggies, and had them on a roll like a chicken patty. Yum. A Chinese place in Perry Hall, Maryland uses either these or their clones for their vegetarian chicken menu (China King, 9638 Belair Road Baltimore, MD 21236-1118).
Chicken Legs- The best product from May Wah, in my opinion. I've gotten tons of people hooked on these, including carnivores. One vegetarian friend said "this feels like it was walking around recently". The texture is similar to the nuggets above, very meaty, so you can really get a good bite. Shaped exactly like a chicken drumstick, including a bamboo skewer "bone" and yuba "skin" (from soybeans). These are great covered in slightly watered down bbq sauce (to avoid the sauce getting gummy from baking) and baked for aboput half an hour. I've also breaded and deep fried, and baked with lemon pepper seasoning. Apparenly a lot of NYC vegetarian places use these for buffalo wings and chicken legs. The Yabba Pot in Baltimore (2433 Saint Paul St Baltimore, MD 21218) must use them for their friend chicken legs, because they look and taste exactly the same. They sell these in huge bags for $40, but the smaller bags seem to be a better value. For some reason if you refrigerate the barbequed legs, they taste even better cold the next day.
Spiced Chicken Legs- NOT to be confused with the regular chicken legs. These have a piece of sugar cane used for the bone, which sounded good to me. Unfortunately, some spice or flavouring used in these did not agree with me or my friends. We actually had to throw these out, it was that pungent and bad. Ugh. I could smell something off-putting as soon as I opened the bag. Could just be a personal taste though, I've read at least one favorable review that mentioned a sugar cane stick veggie chicken leg in NYC, and how many could there be?
Chicken Roll- Thin, finger-shaped rolls of "chicken". Unfortunately, same exact smell as the spiced chicken legs, so I never cooked or tried these.
Gong Bao Chicken- I read an interview with the owner of May Wah, and she said this was one of her favorite products. Very spicy and tasty hunks of chicken. Smaller and more irregularly shaped than the nuggets. Great stir-fried with veggies.
Chicken Bites- Almost exactly the same as the nuggets above in taste and texture, only a smaller, more irregular shape. Good for stir fry, chicken soup, casseroles, chicken salad, etc. I also shredded some of these and cooked with bbq sauce for a pulled-pork/chicken sandwich, with excellent results.
Chicken Legs- The best product from May Wah, in my opinion. I've gotten tons of people hooked on these, including carnivores. One vegetarian friend said "this feels like it was walking around recently". The texture is similar to the nuggets above, very meaty, so you can really get a good bite. Shaped exactly like a chicken drumstick, including a bamboo skewer "bone" and yuba "skin" (from soybeans). These are great covered in slightly watered down bbq sauce (to avoid the sauce getting gummy from baking) and baked for aboput half an hour. I've also breaded and deep fried, and baked with lemon pepper seasoning. Apparenly a lot of NYC vegetarian places use these for buffalo wings and chicken legs. The Yabba Pot in Baltimore (2433 Saint Paul St Baltimore, MD 21218) must use them for their friend chicken legs, because they look and taste exactly the same. They sell these in huge bags for $40, but the smaller bags seem to be a better value. For some reason if you refrigerate the barbequed legs, they taste even better cold the next day.
Spiced Chicken Legs- NOT to be confused with the regular chicken legs. These have a piece of sugar cane used for the bone, which sounded good to me. Unfortunately, some spice or flavouring used in these did not agree with me or my friends. We actually had to throw these out, it was that pungent and bad. Ugh. I could smell something off-putting as soon as I opened the bag. Could just be a personal taste though, I've read at least one favorable review that mentioned a sugar cane stick veggie chicken leg in NYC, and how many could there be?
Chicken Roll- Thin, finger-shaped rolls of "chicken". Unfortunately, same exact smell as the spiced chicken legs, so I never cooked or tried these.
Gong Bao Chicken- I read an interview with the owner of May Wah, and she said this was one of her favorite products. Very spicy and tasty hunks of chicken. Smaller and more irregularly shaped than the nuggets. Great stir-fried with veggies.
Chicken Bites- Almost exactly the same as the nuggets above in taste and texture, only a smaller, more irregular shape. Good for stir fry, chicken soup, casseroles, chicken salad, etc. I also shredded some of these and cooked with bbq sauce for a pulled-pork/chicken sandwich, with excellent results.
May Wah grocery
May Wah is a meatless grocery store in NYC that also has a mail order service. Apparently most of the vegetarian restaurants in NYC get their stuff from May Wah (chicken "wings" and "legs" in particular are mentioned on Yelp).
The website is easy to navigate and customer service responds quickly. The only downside is the shipping. Companies like Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe (which carries a few May Wah products) charge a lot to ship frozen food in thick styrofoam coolers with dry ice. May Wah charges about the same, but both times I've ordered the food has come in a cardboard box lined with thin styrofoam panels, and no freezer packs or evidence of dry ice. Shipping is fast on the East Coast, but I still never order when it's hot out.
I was really excited when I found their site, since I get bored of the same old grocery store brands around here. I've tried tons of their products so far (all faux meat), so I'll be adding reviews here of individual products. I'll try to get some photos up soon!
The website is easy to navigate and customer service responds quickly. The only downside is the shipping. Companies like Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe (which carries a few May Wah products) charge a lot to ship frozen food in thick styrofoam coolers with dry ice. May Wah charges about the same, but both times I've ordered the food has come in a cardboard box lined with thin styrofoam panels, and no freezer packs or evidence of dry ice. Shipping is fast on the East Coast, but I still never order when it's hot out.
I was really excited when I found their site, since I get bored of the same old grocery store brands around here. I've tried tons of their products so far (all faux meat), so I'll be adding reviews here of individual products. I'll try to get some photos up soon!
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