Chinese restaurants tenderise economical cuts of beef so they are tender and juicy in stir fries. It's also done for chicken. There's a few methods - this baking soda way is the easiest, fastest and highly effective. Though I'm sharing this with beef stir fries in mind, don't just limit yourself to Asian food. This beef can be used for any recipe calling for strips of beef to be cooked quickly, like Beef Stroganoff. Do not use this method for whole steaks (read Note 4).
Prep Time25 minutesmins
Total Time25 minutesmins
Course: Mains
Cuisine: American Chinese, Chinese
Keyword: How to tenderise beef, Velveting beef
Servings: 2
Calories: 225cal
Author: Nagi
Ingredients
250 g / 8 oz stewing beef or other economical beef cuts(Note 1)
3/4tspbaking soda / bi-carbonate soda(Note 2)
Instructions
Slice beef thinly against the grain. (Note 3)
Place in a bowl. Sprinkle over baking soda, toss with fingers to coat evenly.
Refrigerate for 30 to 40 minutes. (See Note 1 for different cuts)
Rinse beef well with tap water. Shake off excess water, then use paper towels to blot away excess water (doesn't need to be 100% dry).
Proceed with recipe of choice. Beef can be marinated or seasoned before cooking, stir fried or deep fried, and it will be soft and tender, "velvet" like. Use for Stir Fries, Stir Fried Noodles, Beef Stroganoff and any other recipe calling for quick-cooked beef strips.
Notes
What tenderised beef tastes like - Tenderised beef has a "velvety" texture. The fibres are softened so you get less "meaty" texture, which is why I only use this technique to tenderise strips of meat and not cubes or steaks.The flavour of the tenderised beef will only be as good as the cut you use. But the beauty of stir fries is that there's always a flavourful glossy sauce!1. Beef cuts - Use this for stewing cuts and to improve the tenderness of economical steaks. It will work with any cut of beef but is obviously wasted on expensive beef like tenderloin or high quality, well marbled fillets and rib eyes. Tenderising time differs for different cuts of beef. Here's the general rule of thumb I've come up with based on all the beef I've tried:
Chuck beef, gravy beef, oyster beef and other traditional stewing beef - 30 minutes
Brisket - the only cut I don't recommend, haven't been 100% happy with outcome
If you're unsure for your cut of beef, go for 35 minutes. Even when I under or over tenderised, it was still tender and juicy. You'll quickly figure out the best marinating times for your preferred cuts of beef - just adjust up and down by 10 minutes at a time.2. Baking soda, also known as bi-carb or bi-carbonate soda. Do not use baking POWDER, not strong enough.3. Cutting against the grain - The best way to cut beef to make every bite tender. Look for the direction of the fibres of the beef. Then cut 90 degrees across them as best you can. See here for illustrative image.4.Only use slices and bite size pieces - This method of tenderising beef is suitable for sliced or small bite size pieces of beef, not a whole steak. The baking soda is too strong and will over tenderise the outside before the inside is tenderised. To tenderise a whole steak, use a Steak Marinade.5. Nutrition assumes beef chuck is used. Calories will be lower if a leaner beef is used.