On Tuesday, September 13, 2016 at 5:30:31 AM UTC-10, Taxed and Spent wrote:
> On 9/13/2016 8:27 AM, Janet B wrote:
> > On Tue, 13 Sep 2016 00:12:29 -0500, Sqwertz >
> > wrote:
> >
> >> On Mon, 12 Sep 2016 16:39:05 -0600, Janet B wrote:
> >>
> >>> On Mon, 12 Sep 2016 14:59:55 -0700, "Paul M. Cook" >
> >>> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> Done in Chinese cooking.
> >>>>
> >>> I thought velveting was done in Chinese cooking. That seems to be a
> >>> totally different process.
> >>
> >> I think velveting with cornstarch and egg is an Americanized Chinese
> >> invention. I have never seen an Asian cook live, on TV, or in a
> >> cookbook written by a native Asian call for velveting. But I have
> >> seen them call for baking soda optionally mixed with water and refer
> >> to that as velveting.
> >>
> >> Those lightly battered meats that you get by velevting with cornstarch
> >> and egg are mostly an Americanized Chinese restaurant trademark and
> >> you'll rarely find them at the more authentic Chinese restaurants
> >> except with shrimp, and less rarely with chicken - the two proteins
> >> that are least likely to need "velveting".
> >>
> >> -sw
> >
> > oh, o.k. thanks
> > Janet US
> >
>
> I could have sworn I leaved the baking soda trick as part of a Chinese
> cooking class.

Some Chinese restaurants will still marinate the beef in baking soda which changes the texture dramatically. It comes out pale and sponge-like. I used to do that back in the 70s but these days I reject that approach. These days I marinate the meat for a few minutes in cornstarch and then fry at high temperature - in a good amount of oil.

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