Pictured below is the stir fry sauce / marinade for Chinese Beef and Broccoli. You can buy a large piece, slice it, divide it into portions for several stir-fries, and freeze it! Although its safe, this method may not help you get a pleasant taste, especially on the first try. Next, you need to coat the meat in baking soda and freeze it. Then you will allow the beef cuts to rest for about an hour. It might seem counterintuitive to marinate before boiling, but the velveting marinade tenderizes the meat, keeps it moist, and adds flavor. 2. He grew up in upstate New York, working through high school and college in restaurants with his father, a chef. Begin by mixing soy sauce, cornstarch or potato starch, and oil with meat. Kaitlin Leung of The Woks of Life, a blog dedicated to Chinese cooking, shares that a standard velveting mixture could include egg white and cornstarch, plus a few tablespoons of water to help coat the meat yes, but also to make the meat extra tender and juicy. Slice beef thinly against the grain. A chefs secret to slicing beef quickly is to freeze the meat partially for 30 to 60 minutes until firm. The last step of velveting is pre-cooking, which really depends upon the dish you are cooking and the outcome youre looking for. Bring the water to a boil and add about 1 teaspoon of oil. Cuttingagainstthe grain means cutting across those strands, so the long strands of muscle can be made shorter to create small, tender pieces. The best parts of you delicious recipes your humour and big smile. All rights reserved. Add cornstarch -The cornstarch is used to seal the marinade. So, velveting makes cheap cuts tender. Looking for more authentic recipes? However, Im fine with that because stir fries always have great sauces! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 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. These methods are foolproof, so enjoy every preparation, cooking step, and, of course, the tasting. (Velveting chicken) . My stir fry turned out awesome because of this tip. Simply coat strips of chicken, turkey, pork, beef, (or scallops, prawns etc) in a mixture of egg white, cornflour, sesame oil and salt before deep-frying in hot oil or poaching in simmering water. Thats enough time for all the velveting sauce or baking soda mixture to tear off all those connective tissues holding the flesh firmly. With its intense beefy flavor, all you need to do is make sure you slice and marinate it properly to make a great stir-fry. More Recipes: 1. Once coated in cornstarch, slices of pork became incredibly tender when dunked into a steaming hot misua with sliced patola and vermicelli. I feel there are merits to having both moist hydrated beef or a drier beef for some stir-fry dishes. Some restaurants use baking soda as part of their marinade (you can tell by the crunchy or snappy texture of their chicken). To complete the velveting process, some cooks recommend dipping the marinated morsels in peanut oil for less than one minute on active fire. Until recently, I only used mechanical and thermal methods to tenderize my flank steak beef. Let us know in the comments if you have any questions! Learn how to make the beef in your stir-fry soft and silky like the restaurants. The baking soda is too strong and will over tenderise the outside before the inside is tenderised. Oil velveting is a common practice Chinese restaurants use as a first cooking step. It can be marinated with wet or dry seasonings, or cooked plain. On rare occasions, you may get a tough chicken breasta condition called woody breast, caused by hardened muscle fibers. The baking soda method is the simplest for every day purposes and just as effectivewhich is why its the method I use. Then, finely cut it into a more manageable size. While oil-blanching can require a lot of oil, you can also blanch meat in water. Here youll find hundreds of delicious Filipino and Asian recipes. 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. Mix everything together and set it aside to marinate for 15-30 minutes while youre preparing your other ingredients. Dont be alarmed thats just what happens. Sprinkle over baking soda, toss with fingers to coat evenly. Mix and work into the beef before marinating. Finally, sauce is added to bring the whole dish together. It has avelvety texture. This worked beautifully. Add the chicken in one layer, and allow to sear for 20 seconds. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators., Mention @KawalingPinoy and hashtag your photo with #KawalingPinoy, Welcome to Kawaling Pinoy. The method is called velveting and the ingredient is cornstarch. Increase the marinating time for your beef by at least 15 minutes. Refrigerate 20 minutes for slices, 30 minutes for bite size pieces. The equivalent Chinese phrase. Try velveting meat and shrimp for noodle favorites such as. This method, known as oil-blanching, ensures ingredients dont clump together and stick to the wok when stir-frying. In Chinese cooking, proteins like beef, pork or chicken are velveted first before stir-frying them. Next, add the noodles and pour the sauce over the noodles. Flank steak is by far the most popular cut of meat used by Chinese restaurants in all of their stir-fry dishes. The first involves coating the meat in egg white, cornstarch, salt, and rice wine before plunging everything briefly into hot oil and then stir-frying. Subscribe for the latest updates on new recipes, and get started with our family's Top 25 Recipe eBook! And to do this, you can start by placing the beef in a mixture of cornstarch, egg whites, and seasoning. The cornstarch not only softened the meat but also thickened the broth, giving the soup an almost chowder-like consistency unlike any other dish I knew. Alcohol is one of my favorite ways to add complex, savory flavor to a dish. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Velveting beef for stir fry what a winner of a tip. Next, you have to wash the meat. So whether chopped or sliced, you can freeze it for up to 4 months. Beef is best kept in the fridge within 3 to 5 days maximum, according to the USDA. As opposed to regular marinades, velveting allows you to. I use one egg white, big sprinkle of salt, 3 teaspoons of cornflour, tablespoon of soy sauce, and a tablespoon of wine (have used both red and white wine, dont have rice wine). Its a way of preparing sauted meat in a way that they become tenderized. I learned that its the same technique they use in making Chinese flank steak beef and other recipes that involve meat. Notice: JavaScript is required for this content. Make sure to remove the white sinewy bits as they will not soften and will make the meat chewy. Patricia Kelly Yeo is a freelance food and health journalist based in L.A. 2023 Cond Nast. Growing up in a Chinese Filipino household meant that the meat I consumed went velveted without me even knowing. While there are several ways to velvet, a pound of meat needs about two teaspoons of cornstarch and two teaspoons of oil, says Leung. This is why its used in Chinese restaurants stir-fry and fillet beef dishes. Time and again, my worldwide web pursuits for solid recipes that I know my family will eat has landed me back here., Shanghai Scallion Oil Noodles (Cong You Ban Mian). Try not to put too much in because it can become slim, which is not what youre after. Youll quickly figure out the best marinating times for your preferred cuts of beef just adjust up and down by 10 minutes at a time. See? Directions. You can also use tenderised beef in place of chicken or pork in any of the stir fries. Your email address will not be published. Id like to try adding a pinch of baking soda. This skips the rinsing step, and will also do a fine job tenderizing! Remove from oil and drain excess oil with paper towels. I do this with my 12-inch butcher knife. Trying to slice chicken uniformly when it is soft and slippery can be difficult even with a sharp knife! Since we have to cut cross-wise to the grain, for this piece, we need to cut the long strip into 2-inch wide chunks first. Whichever way you cook it, the beef comes out much more tender and juicy than even expensive cuts of beef like beef tenderloin! Make sense? My name is Lalaine and welcome to Kawaling Pinoy. While there are several ways to velvet, a pound of meat needs about two teaspoons of cornstarch and two teaspoons of oil, says Leung. do you completely rinse off the marinade from your meat before continuing with cooking? When choosing to blanch meat in oil, be sure to have a deep-frying thermometer with you so you know precisely when the oil reaches 350 Fahrenheit, according to Ma. Jump-start your career with our Premium A-to-Z Microsoft Excel Training Bundle from the new Gadget Hacks Shop and get lifetime access to more than 40 hours of Basic to Advanced instruction on functions, formula, tools, and more. However, if youre velveting chopped beef, note that chopped ground beef has a shelf life of 1 to 2 days in the fridge. Also, just baking soda or bicarbonate soda is used. But I want to perfect the method. In most cases you want to preserve their fresh taste and natural texture, says Leung. Let stand 1-2 hours. rice vinegar. When slicing the flank steak into small pieces, slice against the grain (perpendicular to the long lines of muscle). The process of searing or frying meat in oil varies a little for different kinds of meat and the volume of what you are working with, says Leung. Lets say you have a 400 or 500-gram piece of topside beef, which is a cheaper cut than a steak. Make each slice 1/4 thickeach piece will be tender and bite-sized. Next time I will velvet beef flank. Save the egg yolk for breakfast tomorrow morning. I water blanche for about 40 seconds, adding to already bubbling water. Also, acidic solutions like oyster sauce, vinegar, and lemon are used for tenderizing beef for stir-fry dishes. To sear, place your wok over high heat. What to Serve with Beef Tenderloin (23 Ultimate Choices). Learn how to velvet chicken for stir-fry to get tender, juicy pieces of chicken just like the restaurants! This is unnecessary. I love this cooking technique! Add cornstarch and oil to give the meat a velvety texture. Water blanching is much more friendly (and healthy) for home cooking. Shake off then pat away excess water (doesn't need to be 100% dry). At home, I use a liquid to cornstarch ratio of 2:1, with 1 Tbsp. Subscribe to our email list and be sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube! However, chemical compounds like baking soda can leave some taste in the meat. Nobody really knows what causes it, but if youve ever had a stringy or tough chicken breast, you may have experienced it. In my experience, most Chinese cooks do not do this. If done well, youll achieve that flank steak beef texture found in Chinese restaurants. Mix and work it into the meat before marinating. After marinating, the chicken is tossed into a wok and flash-fried with oil over high heat. Thanks Nagi I started velveting my meat after years of horribly chewy and tough stir fries and frankly was amazed at the difference it made. Pro tip: Alternatively, you can use red wine vinegar to replace the soy sauce in the mixture. One of my favorite things about American Chinese food is how easy it is to eat: the pieces are bite-sized, the flavors are addictive, and the meat is always tender and easy to chew. Moo Goo Gai Pan: Mushroom and Chicken Stir Fry, Spicy Chicken Stir-fry (Firebird Chicken), Chicken and Thai Basil Stir-Fry in 15 Minutes. In a pot over high heat, combine about 2-inch deep of water and 1 tablespoon of oil. It could be a tenderloin cut or any cheap cut. Keeping the knife at about a 45 angle also makes the slices larger/wider. Seafood like fish, shrimp, and scallops can also be velveted though there are a couple things to keep in mind. Add the cornstarch and vegetable oil and mix again until everythings incorporated and the chicken is uniformly coated. Of course, we all know what velvet feels like. Factors such as brands purchased, natural variations in fresh ingredients, etc. Its time to share some Chinese restaurant secrets on how to tenderize beef. The equivalent Chinese phrase, zu yu () in Mandarin or jau yau in Cantonese, means passing through oil. It essentially refers to deep-frying. High Temperature Eye-of-Round Roast R. Author: Mary Claire Lagroue Published: Dec 16, 2019 Estimated Reading Time: 3 mins . If too much egg white is used, the mixture wont be absorbed and seal the meats juices well. It also happens to be the most recommended cut of beef we use in our stir-fry recipes. Mix everything well, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to one hour to allow time for the cornstarch to transform into a thin gelatinous layer. You can see the grain and the slice a bit clearer in this photo, but you can imagine that the soft beef can be difficult to handle and slice. He suggests adding meat one piece at a time, so it doesnt clump once it hits the oil. soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp. Young suggests using about two tablespoons of egg white for every one pound of meat, poultry, fish or shellfish. Worked BEAUTIFULLY Heres how to do it at home. In food, as in other parts of life, language is a form of power, and velvetingan elegant skill wielded without much fanfare by home cooks and take-out spots alikedeserves as much recognition as a French roux. After you mix these ingredients together, set it aside for around 15 to 30 minutes before blanching in hot oil or boiling water. A little more trimming and care is required to prepare the beef chuck steak for stir-fry. If using shrimp or scallop, make sure to shake out the water before combining it with any egg white-cornstarch mixture. Its a way of taking a cheap cut and making it seem more expensive. Then, remove from the wok. Note: Its thrice fried pork so you really have to drain the excess oil very well to not end up with an oily mess. After marinating, the chicken is tossed into a wok and flash-fried with oil over high heat. However, its up to you. Beef fried rice requires small chunks of meat to go with the small grains of rice. Adjust the amounts proportionally if you are making more or less. That is the nature of peasant food making the most of whats available. Then add the fried pork and season with coarse salt and pepper. I cleaned and sliced vegetables, peeled shrimp, made egg rolls and yes, I sliced up many chicken breasts! If you decide to try velveting at home, be sure to let us know in the comments! There are several methods available, I've introduced the cornstarch/par-boil method in my ' How to Velvet Chicken ' post. In order to do this, simply cut your meat into small pieces or strips. To blanch, add the chicken to a wok filled with boiling water. Its typical to also marinate with ingredients like soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce or white pepper. Remember to slice across the grain, especially if using chicken breast. However, I discovered two infallible and easier ways to perfectly velvet beef, with soy sauce and baking soda. Ill show you how its all done. Add the meat and stir to coat. Then put the onions in the wok with the oil still very hot. I'm Kristy a chef and connoisseur of all things BBQ! In a bowl, combine egg white, Chinese wine, oil, cornstarch and salt. Baking soda is a powerful tenderizer, but if too much is added, it can add an off-taste to the beef, which is why it is rinsed off. 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 most effective technique of velveting that I use involves using egg, sugar, and sauce. Even 10 minutes will suffice. Here youll find hundreds of delicious Filipino and Asian recipes. Now, cut your beef into 1/4 thick slices. To tenderize beef, the Chinese adopted a specific cooking method. But if you've ever tried to replicate any of your favorite takeout in the kitchen, you've likely noticed that the high heat required for most recipes thoroughly dries out the meat that you're trying to cook. Velveting beef involves slicing it into very thin pieces and adding them to a mixture made up of cornstarch or baking soda. 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. Your email address will not be published. Then, the freezing process tears them apart. Have you ever tried stir-frying chicken, only to have it appear (and taste) dry in the finished dish? Spoiler not everything can be stored on your bar cart! It also yields a purer flavor and softer texture, says Leung. Mix the meat with the potato starch, the previously beaten egg, 2 tablespoons of chicken broth, sugar, salt, and pepper. Just like in stir fries made by your favourite Chinese restaurant! The fibres are softened so you get less meaty texture, which is why I only use this technique to tenderise strips of meat and not cubes or steaks which would be a bit too eerie! After the water is massaged into the chicken, it should be absorbed within 10 minutes with no visible standing liquid. 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). Adding water also helps the soy sauce or oyster sauce to further tenderize, penetrate and add an extra layer of flavor to the chicken. 1. Rinse thoroughly with cold water. Just season the ribs with salt and pepper, pour the cream and vanilla and let it sit for about an hour. Because were using thin slices of beef here and its been tenderised, we dont need to marinate for long. Velveting beef begins with the steps we have explained above (involving tenderizing the beef and then marinating it with seasonings, oil and cornstarch). Use this tenderising technique on budget steaks, not expensive steaks. First, slice your chicken into 1 to 2 inch pieces, about inch thick. Chen says cornstarch helps the meat retain moisture while it cooks, thus yielding a silkier texture. The pantry possibilities are, in theory, endless: oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or even ponzu for a light citrus twist. Usually, add cornstarch and beaten egg and whisk with baking soda powder to tenderize the beef. Lastly, adding the chicken a few minutes before the dish is complete allows the meat to heat up to the same temperature as the rest of the meal without prolonged exposure to more heat (which will create a loss of moisture and a tougher texture). Additional seasonings are optional and vary from recipe to recipe. 5 stars for sure! Add the water and soy sauce (or oyster sauce) to the chicken in a medium bowl, and mix until the chicken is well-coated. Using a meat mallet (or kitchen mallet) to pound steaks helps soften and Salting. When it starts to smoke lightly, add a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil to coat the surface of the wok. We like using beef chuck steak for stewing and braising because of the extra fat that comes with this cut of meat, but it can also work nicely for stir-fries. Its also more of a timing issue, says Lau. Clingy, glossy sauce! Velveting is a Chinese cooking technique commonly used in stir-frying. This is a technique that the Chinese have used for ages, and you can try it out too. Everybody told me, I am a good cook. Rinse the beef thoroughly under running water until the water runs clear. Some recipes, including soups, will only require cooking the beef in water as the final step. Subscribe to our email list and be sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube! Follow step 3 and increase the marinating time for your beef at least 15 minutes. Its much harder to identify how the grain runs in beef chuck than for flank steak. Cook the egg noodles separately on the stovetop, Before serving, stir in the noodles and a slurry of sour cream, cornstarch, and 1 cup of hot broth from the pot. Tag me on Instagram at. I often use it to break down the fibers of meat and therefore tenderize it. Drain. Directions. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Proceed with stir fry recipe. The only difference I noticed was that when I ran my finger along a piece of the water-blanched meat, sometimes a little bit of cornstarch and egg-white residue would come off. Hi Nagi and Dozer, Time and again, my worldwide web pursuits for solid recipes that I know my family will eat has landed me back here.. Whisk together one egg white, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Order kung pao chicken or beef with broccoli at any Chinese or Chinese American restaurant and youll notice the texture of the meat light, tender, succulent and flavorful. Whether you prefer them crispy, sticky, grilled or baked, take stock of these expert tips. Or add velveted meat to stir-fried noodle dishes like Classic Lo Mein or Andy Liangs Singapore Mei Fun. Cut along the fat lines and remove the thick membrane to get some neat chunks of beef for slicing. Add one tablespoon each of cornstarch, light soy sauce, one tablespoon each of vegetable or light sesame oil, mixed egg whites, and a dash each of sugar and salt to one pound of . That said, if your chicken is a bit more fibrous than usual, take care to cut across the grain, similar to slicing beef. Although ideas about preparing and consuming beef have evolved, these marinated preparations remain in todays Chinese culinary methods. Yum! On rare occasions, you may get a tough chicken breasta condition called woody breast, caused by hardened muscle fibers. Ill try the quantities in your recipe as Im cheating with the red/white wine and probably using too much cornflour (?). I use the coated meat in soups, stews, or stir-fries, transforming them from mere sustenance into meals with restaurant-level finesse. With a slotted spoon, remove chicken from pot and drain well. after marinating, do you completely rinse off the marinade before continuing on with cooking? will change the nutritional information in any recipe. Bill is the dad of The Woks of Life family. This will help ensure an even coating on all the ingredients and make the whole mixture an even pH [level].. You can use any high quality (expensive) steak in stir fries without tenderising (which is what fine dining Asian restaurants do). 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. Step 2: Coat the chicken and let it sit Leave to brown for 3-4 minutes, then put the meat back, adding the rest of the chicken broth. Heres the general rule of thumb Ive come up with based on all the beef Ive tried: Chuck beef, gravy beef, oyster beef and other traditional stewing beef 30 minutes, Economical steak cuts (eg. But its not the use of a wok or high heat alone that yields the signature texture. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Pictured below is the marinated beef before cooking. Its a quick and easy method that any home cook can do, any night of the week. If you cut with the fibers, the beef will be tough because the long fibers havent separated. Thank you Nagi for sharing these wonderful tips with us all. I recently made velveted beef for my Thai green curry recipe. Try to slice it thinly so you have a really flat cut like what you need for pastrami.