How to master velveting

What is velveting and why is it so popular?

Have you ever wondered how Chinese restaurants manage to serve dishes with such tender, silky-smooth meat? Instead of stir-frying the meat directly, they use a special technique called velveting. This is a Chinese method of marinating that keeps delicate meat and seafood moist and tender during cooking.

Why does velveting make meat so tender?

Although the technique is very simple, it produces delicious results. The meat strips are simply coated with a mixture of egg white, cornflour, sesame oil (or rice wine) and salt before being briefly fried in hot oil or poached in simmering water.

The protective coating forms a natural barrier that locks in moisture and prevents the juices from escaping during cooking, which would otherwise make the meat tough.

Tips and variations

Suitable options include beef, pork, turkey and chicken, but you can also use prawns, scallops or tofu. Simply cut them into bite-sized pieces and marinate for 30 minutes before cooking.

By the way, cutting against the grain shortens the meat fibres, which also helps to tenderise the meat.

In addition to rice wine, you can also use sesame oil, mirin, soy sauce or ponzu for the marinade. Cornflour or potato starch both work well as thickening agents. Depending on the recipe and your taste, you can also add garlic and ginger.

The marinated pieces are cooked in a wok or frying pan in hot oil over a high heat for about one minute.

Velveting is ideal for stir-fry dishes where the vegetables should be cooked separately from the meat depending on their thickness and texture. You can also prepare the meat in advance to save time.

Basic recipe for velveting

If you fancy trying out this Asian trick for tender meat yourself, here's a simple basic recipe:

1. Mix the above ingredients into a smooth, lump-free batter—it should be thin in consistency. Cut the chicken breasts into pieces, coat thoroughly with the marinade and leave to stand in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Briefly cook the meat in simmering water or hot oil, separating the pieces with chopsticks to prevent them sticking together. When the pieces turn opaque but are still raw inside (after about 40 seconds), take them out and drain.
3. You can combine this basic recipe with ingredients of your choice. Here's our suggestion for a delicious wok dish: while the meat is marinating, prepare some vegetables and noodles. Once ready, simply add the meat to the wok and cook for 3-4 minutes. If you like, you can finish the dish by adding a sauce.

What recipes can you use velveting in?

Most recipes that involve strips or cubes of meat are ideal for velveting. Just give it a try—here are a few ideas to get you started.