Velveting is a
technique in Chinese cuisine for preserving the moisture of
meat
Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...
while
cooking
Cooking, cookery, or culinary arts is the art, science and craft of using heat to Outline of food preparation, prepare food for consumption. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from grilling food over an open fire to using electric ...
. Additionally, it provides a soft or "
velvety" texture to the meat of any
entrée.
The technique is applied to raw meat before cooking either in
oil or in water. It involves pre-coating the meat with a mixture of oil,
egg white
Egg white is the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms arou ...
,
corn starch
Corn starch, maize starch, or cornflour (British English) is the starch derived from corn (maize) grain. The starch is obtained from the endosperm of the kernel. Corn starch is a common food ingredient, often used to thicken sauces or sou ...
, and
sherry or
rice wine
Rice wine is an alcoholic beverage fermented and distilled from rice, traditionally consumed in East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Rice wine is made by the fermentation of rice starch that has been converted to sugars. Microbes are the so ...
, and then blanching and drying. The meat can then be
sautéed,
stir-fried,
deep-fried,
simmered, or
boiled.
Esquire, December 13, 2007
/ref> During cooking, the velveting mixture also protects the meat fibres, preventing them from seizing, resulting in more tender meat.
References
Chinese cooking techniques
{{China-cuisine-stub