Fill a wok or a large pot with water. We recommend searing the chicken in a hot wok, as opposed to deep-frying. Nobody really knows what causes it, but if youve ever had a stringy or tough chicken breast, you may have experienced it. After freezing them for some minutes when you thaw them out again, all the fat fibers and ligaments are torn apart. Velveting might be harder to pull off in a home kitchen. In Chinese cooking, proteins like beef, pork or chicken are velveted first before stir-frying them. You can have it all done from start to finish in about 40 minutes. Then combine the egg white, soy sauce and cornstarch into a large resealable plastic bag. The most effective technique of velveting that I use involves using egg, sugar, and sauce. While it freezes, the fat and sinew molecules break apart so that when you stir-fry it, its unbelievably soft. When you freeze it and thaw it back out, you can use it for all types of recipes. Although I dont think its relatable enough or a perfect analogy to describe velvet beef, that should give you an idea about what were trying to do. I am proud to say that your genealogy has been the sole tutorial for my Asian-inspired culinary adventures for years; probably since you began. Refrigerate for 30 - 60 minutes. CatHead's BBQ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon (.com, .co.uk, .ca etc) and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. You'll quickly figure out the best marinating times for your preferred cuts of beef - just adjust up and down by 10 minutes at a time. Looking for more authentic recipes? How To Make Chinese Restaurant Style Beef and Chicken! - Not Quite Nigella Id like to try adding a pinch of baking soda. Ever notice how the beef at Chinese restaurants is so incredibly tender, and how your stir fries at home are just never the same? Cut along the fat lines and remove the thick membrane to get some neat chunks of beef for slicing. Tender, juicy meat! When it starts to smoke lightly, add a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil to coat the surface of the wok. Meat or seafood are marinated in a mixture of egg white, cornstarch and rice wine, and then briefly blanched in oil or water before finishing off in the stir-fry process with other ingredients. Ad Choices. When thinly-cut and skinless meat, such as chicken, is velveted, it is marinated in a base mixture of salt, liquid, and cornstarch for at least 30 minutes. The preparation technique involves coating proteins like chicken, beef, fish and shrimp in a marinade of seasoning and cornstarch, and par-cooking it in hot oil. Learn how to velvet chicken for stir-fry to get tender, juicy pieces of chicken just like the restaurants! In most cases, good quality chicken is already tender, which is why we dont recommend adding any baking soda. The Secrets to Perfect Stir Frying, According to a Chinese Restaurant Chef, The Taiwanese Kitchen Appliance Icon That Made Its Way Stateside, 59 Chinese Recipes Everyone Should Know How to Make, Sign up for the Food Network Shopping Newsletter Privacy Policy, KFC Brings Back Its Mind-Boggling Bunless Chicken Sandwich, The Double Down, The Key Food Moments You May Have Missed in The Last of Us, Peeps-Flavored Pepsi Makes Its Adorable Return. The technique that most Chinese restaurants use to create that juicy, delectable consistency we all know and love is called velveting, and it's not so much a secret as it is a little-known cooking method amongst U.S. home cooks. If not, skip down to the next section. Knowing how to velvet meat has helped cure me of my addiction to Chinese takeout which has definitely eased the load on my budget. Since I am using your recipes and tricks since 2 years, everybody telling me, I am a magnificent cook. Patricia Kelly Yeo is a freelance food and health journalist based in L.A. 2023 Cond Nast. Toss the sliced beef with the baking soda. Follow step 3 and increase the marinating time for your beef at least 15 minutes. Tap here to receive our FREE top 25 recipe book! Drain. The beef will be really tender and soft, "velvet' like. Cook the meat according . Subscribe for the latest updates on new recipes, and get started with our family's Top 25 Recipe eBook! The traditional method for velveting beef is to pass the meat through hot oil (essentially deep frying) which is literally referred to as zu yu () in Mandarin or jau yau in Cantonese. The equivalent Chinese phrase. In this post, we will teach you how to velvet chicken to yield the most tender and flavorful results for your favorite stir fries. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Mix and work it into the meat before marinating. Bring to a boil. Im really impressed and Ill definitely be making it again. The missing ingredient that made nearly any dish sing? How to Velvet Meat - Kawaling Pinoy It can be marinated with wet or dry seasonings, or cooked plain. So, velveting makes cheap cuts tender. Happy cooking! The most important part of this process and the key to velveting is the marinade: the chicken needs at least half an hour to ensure that every microscopic inch of its surface is coated with the cornstarch slurry. Before slicing them, I put them into the walk-in freezer until they were partially frozenfirm but not solid. Beef - Velveting beef with baking soda or cornstarch recipes Other tenderising methods include marinating in a cornflour/cornstarch sludge then frying in oil before using in the stir fry, chemical tenderisers and egg white marinates. Velvet the beef: Place steak in a large ziploc bag. After 30 minutes, take the meat out. There are several approaches, but this one is the simplest: 1Sprinkle 250g / 8 oz sliced economical beef cuts with 3/4 tsp baking soda (bi-carbonate soda). Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. It allows the velveting sauce youre applying to seep in well. Learn how to make the beef in your stir-fry soft and silky like the restaurants. Subscribe to our email list and be sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube! Add chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Then cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes. In a bowl, combine egg white, Chinese wine, oil, cornstarch and salt. 2 Cover and soak the meat for at least 15 minutes in the solution. Have a question? Dish out and set aside. This process tears all the fibers apart, and when you thaw it out and stir-fry it, its incredibly tender. Thank you so much, will use this trick every time ! Shaoxing wine or 1 Tbsp. Use this tenderising technique on budget steaks, not expensive steaks. Learn how your comment data is processed. Flank steak is flavorful, relatively reasonably priced, and readily available. Stir beef for 10 seconds, then add garlic and ginger. The pantry possibilities are, in theory, endless: oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or even ponzu for a light citrus twist. Velveting Meat | Chef Forum Notice: JavaScript is required for this content. 2. The secret is tenderising the meat. Add beef and spread out, leave for 1 minute until browned. 1 tablespoon cornflour or fine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water Step 1 - Slice the beef against the grain - this helps the velveting process as it gets into the fibres better. He suggests adding meat one piece at a time, so it doesnt clump once it hits the oil. For this method, bring the water to a boil on high heat, add one tablespoon of peanut or vegetable oil, reduce the heat to low and when the water is barely simmering, carefully add the meat and gently stir so the pieces dont clump together. If done well, youll achieve that flank steak beef texture found in Chinese restaurants. Ill show you how to velvet beef in both procedures. Start by beating the egg in a bowl and lay it aside. Rectangular slices of beef are used for stir-fries with vegetables like beef and broccoli or beef and tofu. Chinese velveting techniques vary, depending upon the cut and type of meat used for the dish, and also involve tenderizing, marinating, and different cooking methods. If using boneless beef chuck, check out our instructions for how to slice it below. How do you make velvet beef with baking soda? Also, be careful in seasoning cos youre gonna season it before frying, dredge it in seasoned flour and season it while stir frying. For the best results, let the chicken sit for 15 to 20 minutes to marinate. Everybody told me, I am a good cook. Add the chicken in one layer, and allow to sear for 20 seconds. Then you have to coat it in baking soda for some minutes. Velveting is a Chinese cooking technique commonly used in stir-frying. When thinly-cut and skinless meat, such as chicken, is velveted, it is marinated in a base mixture of salt, liquid, and cornstarch for at least 30 minutes. However, oil- nor water-blanching is absolutely necessary, especially for home cooking. If you blanch meat in water, Young suggests having a colander ready in the sink, drain the pieces in the colander, and thoroughly shaking out any water before stir frying. Im a fan of Chinese stir-fry dishes and brisket cooking. Its all thanks to a simple technique called velveting and it happens before you even turn on the stove. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Velveting is a Chinese method of marinating meat in a cornstarch-based . Even when I under or over tenderised, it was still tender and juicy. While we do our best to provide nutritional information as a general guideline to our readers, we are not certified nutritionists, and the values provided should be considered estimates. Beef fried rice requires small chunks of meat to go with the small grains of rice. Velveting: The Chinese cooking technique you need to know about - Food Add sliced chicken; mix to coat thoroughly. Whether you prefer them crispy, sticky, grilled or baked, take stock of these expert tips. Shake off then pat away excess water (doesn't need to be 100% dry). Through the process of velveting, meats retain their moisture and take on a soft and velvety texture that is a signature quality of Chinese cuisine. In my experience, most Chinese cooks do not do this. I am certainly going to try this on my next round of spareribs! Word of caution: The beef will turn freakishly bright red. This method is achieved by pouring some soda into water. If using flank steak, trim off any white muscle membranes, and cut your flank steak along the grain lengthwise into 2 to 2 1/2 inch strips. Next, you need to coat the meat in baking soda and freeze it. Or, you could just put it in a freezer bag. How to Velvet Chicken - Allrecipes Make the cornstarch slurry. Andit stays tendereven if you overcook the beef! cheap rump, hanger) 20 minutes, Brisket the only cut I dont recommend, havent been 100% happy with outcome. Three pastry professionals share how to safely decorate with fresh blooms. I hav just tried this for the very first and made some Chinese stir-fry, and it was delicious, it made the chicken taste so lovely and made the chicken so soft. Oishii, The Brand Behind the Omakase Strawberry, Introduces New Koyo Berry Breed, 5 Best Non-Alcoholic Gins, According to a Spirits Expert, Everything You Need To Cook Like Emily Mariko, 25 Get Well Soon Gifts That Show How Much You Care, 6 Best Whiskeys, According to a Spirits Expert, These Cord Organizers Save Your Kitchen From Clutter, Enter Daily for Your Chance to Win $10,000. I am proud to say that your genealogy has been the sole tutorial for my Asian-inspired culinary adventures for years; probably since you began. For beef, add a 1/4-teaspoon of baking soda for tenderizing. That said, if your chicken is a bit more fibrous than usual, take care to cut across the grain, similar to slicing beef. Add oil, oyster sauce/soy sauce, Shaoxing wine (optional), and cornstarch to the beef. Randys dad still applies the water-blanching method when cooking soups. So if a recipe doesnt include blanching, its often because it wont make or break a dish. Thinly slice about 250 grams of beef. Water blanching is much more friendly (and healthy) for home cooking. Weve seen other sources on the Internet suggest adding egg white to velveting marinades. Add this mixture to the meat and squish the bag so that each piece is well coated. Or add velveted meat to stir-fried noodle dishes like Classic Lo Mein or Andy Liangs Singapore Mei Fun. Next, add 1/4 cup (60 ml) water (per pound of beef), and massage the beef so the baking soda and water is uniformly distributed. What Is Velveting & Why Does It Work? Place your beef in the mixture and coat evenly. For velveting, desired-sized chunks of meat are coated and marinated for 30 to 45 minutes in a mixture of cornstarch, rice wine, egg whites, salt, sugar, and soy sauce. Then, remove from the wok. If you're unsure for your cut of beef, go for 35 minutes. When it turns opaque, cook for an additional 10 seconds (the chicken will be cooked 80% through). Rose from modest beginnings as a Burger King sandwich assembler to Holiday Inn busboy and line cook, to cooking at the family's Chinese restaurant, while also learning the finer points of Cantonese cooking from his immigrant parents.