Beef Lo Mein

Author Notes

Whenever I dine at a Chinese restaurant, I am always pleasantly surprised at the subtle differences between all the regional cooking styles. I am definitely no expert when it comes to Chinese cuisine, but I do know a few things. Sichuan-style dishes tend to be known for their hot and numbing spices thanks to the heavy usage of Sichuan peppercorns, whereas Shanghai-style dishes tend to be braised in dark soy sauce, have a heavier taste, and often use a thick red oil sauce.

Regardless of all the differences, I noticed most proteins in stir-fried dishes are silky, soft, and juicy. Even the strips of chicken breasts and beef would be so tender, but how? So many questions and theories would run through my head, like how many chemical preservatives must these restaurants use, is it because the cooking temperature of the wok is so high that it cooks everything perfectly, etc.

My mind would run on with endless thoughts until I finally decided to do some research and came across the velveting technique. That was a life-changer! The velveting technique explains how these Chinese restaurants always serve tender and juicy proteins! Velveting is a common technique used in stir-frying. The protein is marinated in a mixture of cornstarch, egg white, rice wine, and then briefly blanched in oil or water. The marinade acts as a protective coating that is able to seal in moisture to keep the meat from overcooking, resulting in the silky tender texture that everyone strives for. There are multiple takes on velveting protein, like blanching the protein in boiling water versus oil, adding versus not adding egg whites in your marinade, but after testing almost every option and taking convenience into account, I came up with what I thought was the best velveting technique. I was blown away at the simplicity of it all and always use this technique whenever I am stir-frying anything. —Catherine Yoo