Velveting is a traditional Chinese cooking technique widely used for stir-fries. It creates a thin protective coating on meat, locking in moisture and making the texture incredibly soft, silky and tender — just like velvet.
This method works perfectly for beef, chicken, pork and shrimp. It stops meat from drying out or turning tough during high-heat cooking.
Ingredients for velveting (for 300g meat)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp cooking wine
- 1 egg white
- 1–2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp cooking oil
Instructions
- Marinate sliced meat with salt and cooking wine for 2 minutes.
- Combine with egg white and cornstarch to form an even layer.
- Add oil to separate the meat pieces.
- Cook briefly in hot oil or boiling water until just opaque. The meat is now prepped for your favorite stir-fry recipes.