May wah products?
Posted by greyunderstandng on Nov 07, 2010 · Member since Mar 2007 · 13 posts
Has any one tried any of their products? I have noticed them since starting to look at this site and really think it would be interesting, but am unsure. If anyone has tried anything by them, please let me know. I am kinda hoping to get something by Thanksgiving since thats when the "in-laws" will be up.
Thank you :)
Meatless review
May wah
Beef
S004 Vegetarian Slice Beef Style. This is basically squarish pieces of flavored TVP (it's dry, doesn't need to be refrigerated). By itself it's a bit bland (but not as bland as plain TVP). I think it really depends on what you rehydrate it; a mix of vegetable broth and soy sauce (or just adding it dry to soup/stew, and then cook) will be a lot better than plain water. It has a good, slightly chewy texture. (fb)
Black pepper steak
E007 Vegetarian Black Pepper Steak. This doesn't actually need to be combined with anything - it's already in a little sweet/soy/5-spice sauce. But, I used it in cacciatore anyway. It was most delicious. It has a dense texture, kind of like good seitan (but it's soy). Would definitely get again, worth the price. (fb)
Chicken
E005 Vegetarian Chicken Roll. A softer version of fake chicken than the Vegetarian Chicken Nuggets, wrapped in yuba "skin." They're not really "rolls" but little 1"x5" logs. The chicken flavor is milder than the nuggets, but is still good and makes a reasonable substitute. I like that it's got "skin" =) (fb)
E006 Vegetarian Chicken Nuggets. Really good. Has a stringy kind of texture like chicken, tastes mostly like chicken, and comes already in some sauce (sweet/soy/greasiness), which is pretty much how the "chicken" tastes itself. They're not crunchy deep-fried nuggets; they're just torn pieces. (fb)
Eel
D002 Vegetarian Grilled Eel. 1/2" thick slabs of "meat" with a layer of nori "skin." heh, pretty cool. it's kind of sweet, sort of like a fishy version of "pork." is it like eel? I don't know, never had it (i'm being really helpful). I made it with tare (eel) sauce (like teriyaki), and also put some in sushi. It's not that noticeable in sushi, but then again I made rolls instead of nigiri. I'd say it's worth it. (fb)
Golden fish steak
Ab006 Vegetarian Golden Fish Steak. Breaded and fried (6) pieces of "fish." The fish itself are thin, pinched-oval slices of wheat protein/soy protein, lined with a thin ring of nori "skin." the texture is pretty soft, like a softer version of the tuna. At first my boyfriend liked it, then he didn't, saying "it tastes too much like fish." Well, there you go. I reheated it on a cast iron with a little bit of oil (to crisp) and served it with tare sauce. As a note, there is some "vegan" fish that was found to be, by some 3rd party, to not actually be vegan through allergen testing (it had dairy protein). This was actually being served at a place I ate (and they didn't know either, because the package didn't indicate any dairy), so I've had it. This stuff looks *very* similar, but is different. The non-vegan stuff is much firmer, like plain old seitan, and this is much softer and sort of has a different flavor. Sure enough, there's non-vegan "fish" stuff on may wah. Just in case anyone else saw that report and was cautious about may wah stuff. (fb)
Ham
HH001 Vegan Ham (Original) This works pretty well, kind of has a "ham" taste, but is not as good as some of the other vegan lunchmeat available. Kind of dry, could use a little more flavor. (I think) it's cheaper per oz than other lunchmeats, so... hmm. But with shipping it's not. So there. (fb)
Prawns
C010 Vegetarian Prawns. first time I was using some of these, I microwaved them to defrost. bad idea - they get all gummy and sticky. the next time i let them thaw in the fridge, and the texture was much better - still a little gummy, but firmer. they have a very mild taste, kind of fishy, but that's it. that's really the nature of all the things made from yam flour (a lot of veggie seafood stuff). I used it in sushi (not a fan) and fried rice. I probably wouldn't get it again, but I think it's just not to my taste. Also, there's a different type of vegan shrimp served at a Chinese restaurant I go to that's a lot better. (fb)
Tuna
C019 Vegetarian Tuna (frige). Kind of greasy. It can be torn apart into pieces, kind of like what you'd see in a can of real tuna, but that was too labor intensive, so i just diced it small and added some vegenaise, relish, and a little curry powder. It's very good, kind of sweet/fishy/soft-textured soy protein. I don't know what tuna tastes like, but my boyfriend said it didn't, so oh well. I don't care, it's tasty with mayonnaise and in a sammich. The price isn't *great*, but I'd probably get it again. I also used it in sushi, where it was most excellent. (fb)
DO IT! I really like the fish ham.
my overall experience is that they're pretty good. they have a number of products (i think all 'seafood' type of things) that are predominantly yam flour/konjac, and those don't have too much flavor by themselves. but i've never had seafood, so i'm not sure how close those are to the real thing.
the only reason i haven't bought more is the cost. the cost of the product itself is pretty cheap as far as meat subs go, but the shipping is expensive because they have to be done as a 2- or 3-day. i wound up waiting 4 days (ups came when i wasn't home the first time), and it was hot out, but i managed not to get food poisoning, haha. but i would definitely play it safe with this, even if that means spending excess of 30 dollars just on shipping. that being said, i'd order a lot of stuff at once to make that worth it. plus more cold things in the box will help everything stay cold.
;)b The TVP beef and chicken slices are awesome. I buy huge boxes of them at a time to cut down on shipping as it lasts a long time. Don't be afraid of the way it looks when you first get it. It looks like dry dog food. I have discovered an awesome way to prepare it that is sure to make any meat lover very skeptical it's not meat. Soak it for at least 15 minutes as with any TVP. (It expands quite a bit when soaked, to.) Then make a marinate of corn starch and soy sauce, using enough corn starch to turn the soy sauce slightly lighter but not a paste. Put the liquid in a plastic zip log bag, or sealable container and then put the TVP in as well. Shake it around so that the TVP is well covered. Let it sit for at least an hour. Put sesame oil in a wok or very hot pan and then add your marinated TVP, and sear it as you would any "meat"..umm.. if you ate meat. You can then go on to make almost any beef stir fry dish, and you won't believe how delicious it is. When I have the discipline to actually measure the ingredients of the meals I've created with this as the center, I'll probably post a few great recipes. I make an tangerine "beef" that's incredibly good.. oh.. and my barbecue "beef" sandwiches!!! YUMMMM.
I bought a few things from May Wah before, like the "chicken" drumsticks and ham and few others. To me it was just so-so. Not bad, everything tasted alright, but the $$ spent wasn't really worth it to me.
The people who run Cosmo's apologized to me the other day when I was checking out because they were out of the May Wah chicken legs. I didn't even ask about them. That tells you how much I like the chicken legs.