How to Make Beef as Tender as Chinese Restaurants

Chinese restaurants are famous for their melt-in-your-mouth velvety beef dishes like beef and broccoli. But trying to recreate the same tender beef at home can be frustrating. The secret lies in a technique called velveting – an easy marinating process using basic baking soda that helps break down the beef’s tough fibers. With this restaurant trick you can buy affordable cuts of meat and transform them into fork-tender stir fry in no time.

Why Chinese Restaurant Beef is So Tender

Restaurants rely on velveting because it’s fast, effective and lets them use cheaper cuts of meat. Here’s how it works

They slice beef thinly across the grain to shorten the muscle fibers. This makes it easier for them to break down.
Baking soda is alkali and raises the pH of the meat. This weakens and softens the collagen that makes meat tough.
Tossing the beef in the baking soda lets it penetrate deep into the meat.
A short marinade time is all it takes to tenderize while keeping a nice bite.
Quick high heat cooking like stir-frying avoids overcooking the now-tender beef.

How to Velvet Beef at Home

Recreate restaurant quality beef using this shockingly simple technique:

Step 1: Slice Beef Thinly Against the Grain

Use chuck roast, flank, sirloin tip or other affordable steak.
Cut into thin 2-inch long strips.
Slice against the grain of the meat fibres. Look for their direction and cut perpendicular to it.

Step 2: Toss with Baking Soda

Use pure baking soda, not baking powder.
Mix 3⁄4 tsp per pound of beef.
Sprinkle baking soda over the beef.
Toss well with fingers until evenly coated.

Step 3: Let Sit for 30 Minutes

Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
This allows the baking soda to penetrate and tenderize the beef.

Step 4: Rinse and Pat Dry

Rinse off the baking soda under running water.
Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.

The beef is now ready to use in any recipe!

Cooking the Velveted Beef

The velveted beef can be:

Stir-fried over high heat for crispy Chinese dishes.
Pan-fried or sautéed gently for dishes like beef stroganoff.
Added to soups, stews or curries and cooked slowly.

Its tender and velvety texture holds up beautifully to all cooking methods.

More Tips for Tender Beef

Marinade time: 20 minutes for steaks, 30 minutes for roasts. Adjust as needed.
Don’t overdo it: Too much baking soda gives a fishy taste.
Pat dry well: Excess moisture fries up soggy beef.
Just use slices: Works better than cubes to avoid over-tenderizing.
Use fresh baking soda: Old soda loses potency. Test a pinch in hot water.
Combine with other marinades: Flavor with sauces after velveting.
Adjust for high altitude: Decrease baking soda by 1⁄4 tsp per pound.
Store velveted beef: In the marinade up to 2 hours. Rinse again before cooking.

Velveting Other Meats

This technique also shines with:

Chicken breast – more juicy and tender chicken for stir fries, 20 minutes
Pork – transforms though cuts like shoulder, 15 minutes
Lamb – perfect for curries and stews, 20-30 minutes
Fish – makes it flakes beautifully in Asian recipes, 5-10 minutes

So next time you make your favorite Chinese restaurant recipe, remember their secret weapon – velveting. With this simple trick, you can enjoy melt-in-your-mouth beef and more without breaking the bank.

How to tenderise & marinate beef for prefect stir fry like in Chinese restaurant

FAQ

How do Chinese get beef so tender?

While there are several ways to velvet, a pound of meat needs about two teaspoons of cornstarch and two teaspoons of oil, says Leung. You may also include two to three tablespoons of water. For beef, add a 1/4-teaspoon of baking soda for tenderizing. Additional seasonings are optional and vary from recipe to recipe.

What is the secret ingredient to tenderize meat?

Whether hosting a holiday cookout, serving up some stir-fry or tackling game meats, baking soda is the go-to meat tenderizer to help make your steak, chicken or turkey silkier, juicier and yummier.

What is the secret to cooking tender beef?

Salting. Most cuts of steak benefit from being salted up to an hour in advance of cooking, but especially tougher cuts. In addition to seasoning the steaks, salt helps break down proteins and make the meat more tender. Liberally salt the steaks up to an hour before cooking, then proceed according to your recipe.

How do Chinese restaurants tenderize beef?

The secret techniques Chinese restaurants use to tenderize beef are easy to replicate at home: cut the meat against the grain, then velvet the beef. Velveting involves soaking the beef in baking soda, rinsing it off, and marinating it in a cornflour-egg white slurry.

How to tenderise beef?

How to tenderise beef – easily! There are a few methods, but this is the easiest way: Proceed with stir fry recipe. It can be marinated with wet or dry seasonings, or cooked plain. The beef will be really tender and soft, “velvet’ like. Just like in stir fries made by your favourite Chinese restaurant!

How do you tenderize short cut beef?

Short-Cut Method for Tenderizing Beef: Add 1/8 teaspoon to 1/4 teaspoon (for tougher cuts) of baking soda and 2-3 tablespoons of water to the beef. Mix and work into the beef before marinating.

Can you use baking soda to tenderize beef?

If the process used by Chinese restaurants to tenderize beef described above sounds a bit like a hassle, you can still tenderize beef using a shortcut. Baking soda is a powerful tenderizer, but if too much is added, it can add an off-taste to the beef, which is why it is rinsed off.