how to velvet beef – and what a difference it makes!
Gonna share with you how to velvet beef – and why absolutely WANT TO.
One of the very first dinners I attempted to make as a new cook was some sort of variation of beef and broccoli – a favorite take-out dish. And while the flavors were “fine”, it was definitely not the same as our go-to place down the block. And no matter how many recipes I tried over the years, they invariably disappointed every time.
what is velveting beef?
Oh, you’ve never heard of it either? Allow me to introduce you – or rather, quote Cook’s Illustrated:
“Velveting beef involves marinating the meat in egg whites, cornstarch, water or rice wine, and salt…..during which time the mixture forms a gossamer-thin coating on the meat and the alkaline egg whites tenderize the meat by changing its pH. The meat is then blanched in simmering water or oil to set the coating, which will protect the meat against the blazing heat of the wok. The coating turns plush and silky as it cooks, delivering its namesake texture.”
“Velveting”, “plush” and “silky” are not terms one often uses when referring to a stir-fry, yet you know that it’s not just the flavor, but the texture that makes that take-out-from-a-carton so unbelievably satisfying.
this technique is perfectly adapted for home cooking!
While this is a simple technique, the traditional blanch in hot oil – which is how the restaurants do it – is not super practical for the home cook. But this method yields a remarkably similar result from boiling water that has a little bit of oil added.
you can use this technique in any stir fry recipe!
I tried this out on a very basic beef and broccoli recipe from the New York Times and WOW. I could not believe the difference! Even better, you can do the velveting the night before, making a fast weeknight dinner totally doable.
And best of all, this technique will work on any protein – chicken, fish or pork. A bit more research revealed other methods for velveting beef involving baking soda, but I swear by this one. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Beef with Broccoli
Ingredients
For velveting the beef:
- 1 pound flank steak, patted dry and very thinly sliced against the grain
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
For the beef with broccoli:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/4 cup oyster sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce, or to taste, optional
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
- 1 pound broccoli, cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- rice to accompany
Instructions
Velvet the beef:
- Place steak in a large ziploc bag. Whisk the cornstarch, soy sauce and vinegar in a small bowl till smooth. Whisk in the egg white till well combined but not frothy. Add this mixture to the meat and squish the bag so that each piece is well coated. Refrigerate for 30 - 60 minutes.
- Bring 4 cups water, salt and oil to a boil in a medium pot. Cook the meat in 3 batches, for 30 seconds each batch, removing with a slotted spoon and transferring to a colander. Make sure the water returns to a boil between batches. Use immediately in your recipe or refrigerate overnight.
Make the beef with broccoli:
- Whisk the soy sauce, oyster sauce and chili-garlic sauce in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon water and whisk again; set aside.
- Heat 1/2 cup grapeseed oil in a large pan set over high heat. Saute the steak in 2 batches, transferring to a plate or bowl when finished. Pour off the oil and wipe out the pan. Add the remaining tablespoon oil and heat till smoking. Saute the broccoli, stirring frequently, for 2 - 5 minutes - it should be lightly charred in spots. Add 2 tablespoons water and toss for another 2 minutes. Return the steak to the pan, followed by the sauce. Stir frequently till well coated, then add the butter and continue stirring. Serve with rice.
Nutrition
Loved it? Try these other “reader-approved” dinner recipes!
One-Pan Salmon and Rice
Sheet Pan Steak and Eggs
Mojito Shrimp
Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Cheesy Baked Meatballs
25 Comments
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Hi! I'm Sheri!
Welcome to my little corner of the web where you’ll find easy, delicious recipes, the best kitchen hacks and simple tips for turning your home into a clean haven that is free of toxins. So glad you’re here!
What if you want to velvet beef stripes for dishes other than Chinese.?
You can not only use this technique for any type of dish as well as almost any type of protein!
Do you substitute the soy sauce and sesame oil with anything else, or just leave those ingredients out entirely?
Audrey, you can leave out the soy sauce as it is strictly a seasoning in this case & has no effect on the velveting process. The oil, while imperative, does not have to be sesame oil. Any oil can be substituted.
If you don’t want to make it Chinese-y do you substitute the soy sauce and sesame oil with anything else, or just leave those ingredients out entirely?
I would sub olive oil for the sesame oil and you could leave out the soy or maybe a red wine vinegar in its place? The main ingredients at play in velveting are the cornstarch and egg white. Let me know what you use!
I have an egg allergy, any idea what kind of substitution I could make for the egg in the velveting of the beef?
I’ve never tried it in this recipe but if you Google “aqua faba” you’ll learn that chickpea water (from canned chickpeas) can make a great substitute for egg whites – I’ve actually made vegan meringues right here using it! So I bet it might work for this recipe!
You can get the same effect with baking soda. The goal is to use the alkalinity to tenderize the meat.
Thank you for that suggestion!
Egg whites are not required for velveting. For each pound of thinly sliced meat, try 2 teaspoons each of cornstarch & oil of choice plus 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and 2-3 tablespoons of water and combine very well. Seasonings may be added but are not necessary. The above recipe is for beef; if using other meat or seafood, leave out baking soda.
Thank you for this! 🙂
Thanks! A soupçon of wine or sherry vinegar sounds good.
YES!
I cant believe i didnt know about this as i cook asian / chinese 1-2 times a week ive done this now on chicken and prawns and tonight the beef is in the fridge and this has been my missing technique to a restaurant quality asian meat dish.WOW amazing Thank you.
Ah yay! I’m so glad! I know, this has made SUCH a difference and I’m thrilled you thought so too – thank you for sharing!!!
This is my 2nd time following this recipe. First time was yummy so made it again. This time meat is so salty that it is inedible. I have no idea what I did wrong. Any suggestions? Even with the rice cant negate the saltiness enough.
Hm – did you use a different soy sauce? I’m very sensitive to sodium and definitely notice a difference. Take a look at the ingredients you used and see if maybe there was an uptick in sodium. And let me know!!!
Can you velvet the meat and then freeze it? We are going camping
Yes! Just be sure to defrost before proceeding with the recipe. I’ve never done it personally but let me know how it turns out!
Dumb question:
If i use Mirin instead of Rice Wine….will it be ok? Or too sweet…
I’ve never used Mirin but I would agree that it might be too sweet!
Nvm, just saw your cook’s illustrated quote says rice wine, you used rice vinegar. I’ll stick with rice wine, seeing as it’s ph is 3.5-4.5, rice vinegar is ph of 2-3….which would probably negate the alkaline effects of the corn starch and egg whites. Food is fun 🙂
Wow I never thought about that! I will keep that in mind the next time I make this. I think I assumed that, given the small amount that the difference would be negligible. Thank you for this!
Regarding eggwhite/cornstarch vs baking soda: I use baking soda for most stir-frys because it works faster. and I am going to make a sauce for the dish. In fact, you must respect its speed by keeping the portion of BS small and the time meat is exposed short. I generally do not marinade in BS more than 30 minutes., often less unless it is a tough cut like bottom round. If you wait too long the BS imparts a somewhat unattractive taste to the meat and worse makes the texture of the meat too soft, mealy, unattractive. But done properly it works great and quickly.
I find the EW/CS method requires more time relative to the amount of ingredients involved, which is great for those instances where you want to impart strong marinade flavors deep into the meat. In that case you want more time on the meat anyway, and the less powerful EW/CS methods does not endanger the texture.