How to get more tender, tender and juicy meat? This little-known Chinese method is the key
In many Chinese restaurants, chicken breast or veal meat achieves a tenderness that seems incompatible with its lean nature, juicy, tender and mellow, with no trace of dryness. How do they achieve this in Chinese restaurants? Why such a soft texture, such an enveloping tenderness that seems impossible to replicate at home?
The answer lies neither in a special cut nor in a secret marinade. It lies in an ancestral technique, little known outside Asian kitchens, which goes by the evocative name of velveting. And it is not a metaphor. Because that is precisely what this method achieves: transforming the leanest cuts of meat into tender, juicy and silky morsels, almost as if they were wrapped in an invisible film that protects them from the fire.
But before explaining what it consists of, and how you can apply it step by step in your kitchen, it is important to understand why this technique is so effective. And more importantly, why it can forever transform the way you cook meat at home, allowing even a simple chicken breast to retain its juiciness and tenderness.
What is velveting and why does it work?
Velveting is a traditional Chinese cooking technique designed to protect lean meats during quick cooking, especially in wok stir-fries. It is used with chicken, beef, pork, shrimp and white fish. Its purpose is not only to tenderize, but to create a protective film around the food, so that it retains its juices and acquires a velvety texture.
The key is not in exotic ingredients (egg whites, cornstarch and some aromatic liquid are enough), but in the combined effect they produce: a surface layer that prevents dehydration and helps the sauce adhere better to the ingredient.
There are two ways to apply this technique: a classic version, more elaborate, and an express version for days with less time.
How to make velveting at home: two methods
Wet Velveting (with egg white and starch)
This is the technique most commonly used in Chinese restaurants. It consists of preparing a mixture that coats the meat before blanching it briefly, which fixes the protective layer without cooking the inside completely.
Ingredients: 10.5 oz/300 g of meat (chicken, beef or pork in strips or thin pieces), 1 egg white, 1 teaspoon of cornstarch (or potato starch), 1 tablespoon of rice wine or dry sherry, 1 tablespoon of mild oil (sesame or sunflower), ½ teaspoon of salt (optional).
Step by step: Mix the egg white (better if it is pasteurized, especially if you are going to do a short cooking) with the cornstarch until you get a smooth, almost creamy texture. Add the wine and the oil, and stir well. Incorporate the meat and massage gently for one or two minutes, making sure that each piece is well impregnated. Let stand in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Blanch the meat in hot water or oil (without frying) for 30 to 60 seconds (be careful with possible splashes). Drain and finish cooking in the sauté pan, wok, steamer or with the sauce of your choice.
Why does this method work? The mixture of egg white, starch and fat forms a barrier that gelatinizes with heat, enveloping the meat in a sort of protective membrane. This layer minimizes moisture loss and softens the thermal shock of rapid cooking. The egg white coagulates delicately, the starch absorbs part of the surface liquid and the oil acts as a conductor. It is a combination that not only preserves the tenderness of the interior, but also improves the texture to touch and taste. An edible second skin, invisible but effective.
Dry Velveting (with baking soda)
For days in a hurry, there is an even simpler version, very common in homes and popular Chinese kitchens: the use of baking soda as a surface softener.
Ingredients: 10.5 oz/300 g of meat in thin strips and ½ teaspoon of baking soda.
Step by step: Sprinkle the baking soda over the meat and massage lightly to cover the entire surface. Let stand for 15 to 30 minutes. Rinse under cold running water to remove excess baking soda and dry carefully with kitchen paper (to avoid splashing when in contact with the oil). Cook in your usual way, either sautéed, grilled or in sauce.
Why does this method work? Bicarbonate raises the pH of the surface of the meat, which slows down the contraction of muscle proteins when heat is applied. This results in looser, less tense and therefore juicier meat. It does not penetrate deeply, but in thin pieces it is more than enough. However, it is advisable not to overdo it with the amount or with the resting time, since an excess can alter the flavor and leave a pasty texture.
For which dishes is it ideal?
Although popularized in wok-style stir-fries, velveting enhances any short cooking recipe: fajitas, noodles, three-delicious rice, kebabs, chicken with vegetables, garlic shrimp... It can even be applied before steaming or a quick sauté with butter and lemon.
Try it once and you will see why this technique has crossed borders.
Final tips for mastering the art of "velveting".
Velveting does not start in the pan, but in the knife. Cutting the meat in the opposite direction to the fibers makes a real difference in the final texture. And the same goes for resting: it is time that allows the marinade to adhere, melt into the meat and create the barrier that makes the difference.
In the wet variant, it is advisable to avoid excessive temperatures at the beginning: if the egg white coagulates too quickly, the coating will break. In the baking soda method, always rinse with cold water and be precise with the dosage. The technique is simple, but the result depends on how much you fine-tune it.
It is enough to practice it a few times for your meat to gain in tenderness and juiciness like never before.
How about you?
Have you ever wondered why the chicken in Chinese restaurants is so incredibly tender? Have you tried tenderizing meat with milk, yogurt, papaya or baking soda?
Tell us: do you have a personal trick that never fails, a method you were taught at home that always works?
We'll read you in the comments. Because cooking is also transmitted by asking, sharing and, sometimes, uncovering secrets that we didn't know were secrets.
Patricia González
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