In many Chinese dishes, strips or small pieces of meat are often deep fried in a light batter of egg white and cornstarch before being stir fried with other ingredients. Such a step is known as velveting. Velveting the meat before it is stir fried allows the meat to hold onto sauce better - making the dish more delicious. Popular meats for velveting are chicken, beef and pork.
Sometimes a little
rice wine is added to the velveting mixture to enhance the flavor.
2
lbs meat, cut into strips or small pieces3
egg whites1/3
cup cornstarch1/4
tsp salt2
tbsp rice wine (optional)- oil (for deep-frying)
In a medium bowl, add the egg whites and whisk with a fork until they are a little foamy. Add cornstarch, salt and rice wine if using. Mix until you form a batter about as thick as heavy cream. If the batter is too thin add a little more cornstarch. Add the pieces of meat to the batter and stir to coat evenly. Leave to sit for 20-30 minutes, especially if you have added rice wine.
Heat oil for deep frying in a wok until it is hot but not smoking. Add the pieces of meat in two batches. As you add the pieces, stir them around a bit to prevent them from sticking to each other or the base of the wok. Cook until crispy and golden brown. Cooking time will vary depending on the meat being used and the size of the pieces. Transfer the meat pieces to paper towel and allow to sit for a few minutes to drain excess oil.
Proceed with your favorite recipe that calls for velveting.