This post Tenderise beef to stir fry (Velveting Beef), has been updated in 2022.
This is how to tenderize beef using a Chinese restaurant method called “velveting beef”. Also used for chicken, it’s a simple, highly effective technique using baking sodaThat transforms economical beef so it’s incredibly tender in stir fries and stir fried noodles.
It’s a quick and easy method that any home cook can do, any night of the week. No deep frying, no special equipment. This is a game-changer!
How does Chinese restaurants make their beef tender??
Notice how tender the beef is in Chinese restaurants, and how delicious your stir fries are at the home.
Tenderizing the meat is key. It’s called Velvety beef
The cheerful Chinese restaurant in your neighborhood uses inexpensive stew beef to make stir-fries with tenderized beef strips.
How to tenderise beef – easily!
There are many ways to do this, but this is the easiest.
-
Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate soda), on 250g/8oz sliced economical meat cuts
-
Toss with fingers, leave for 30 minutes
-
Rinse the excess water and dry it off
-
Continue with the stir-fry recipe. It can be marinated in either wet or dried seasonings, or simply cooked. The beef will be really tender and soft, “velvet’ like. It will be just like the stir fries at your favorite Chinese restaurant.
You can also tenderize the fish by marinating it in a cornflour/cornstarch/sludge, then baking in oil. Baking soda is another method. It is simple enough to use every day and it’s just as efficient which is why it’s the method I use.
Tenderize beef cuts
These are the best beef cuts to tenderize:
-
economical steaks* – any type, like good value rump, porterhouse, sirloin, round bottom etc. Stir fries can be made from meats that have been otherwise dried.
-
For stews, chuck and other similar cuts of beef are used – this technique will tenderise the beef perfectly, however, by their very nature, stewing cuts of beef don’t have as strong a natural beef flavour as steaks. However, I’m fine with that because stir fries always have great sauces!
* It sounds counterintuitive to tenderise steaks because one would assume if beef is sold labelled as “steaks”, that indicates they’re good for quick cooking (eg grilling) so it should be good for stir fries. But it’s not – even steaks range from economical to high quality. Stir-fry can be made with any expensive steak without tenderizing (which fine dining Asian restaurants do). This tenderizing technique can be used on low-priced steaks.
Tenderising time
Tenderising time Different cuts of beef have different characteristics. 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
-
Economical steak cuts (eg. cheap rump, hanger) – 20 minutes
-
Blade, bolar blade – 40 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.
Word of caution: The beef will turn freakishly bright red. See?
Don’t be alarmed – that’s just what happens. In fact, if you put your ear very close to the beef, you’ll hear faint fizzing – that’s the baking soda at work!
Marinating Tenderised Beef
After it’s been tenderised, go ahead and marinate it in whatever you want – wet sauce or dry seasonings. Because we’re using thin slices of beef here and it’s been tenderised, we don’t need to marinate for long. Even 10 minutes will suffice.
Also, stir fries have the benefit of glossy sauces coating the beef so that’s another reason why we do not need to marinate it for long.
Pictured below is the stir fry sauce / marinade for Chinese Beef and Broccoli.
How to cook tenderised beef
Tenderised beef can be stir fried the traditional way – hard and fast on a hot stove in mere minutes – or even deep or shallow fried in oil like in this Crispy Mongolian Beef (pictured below).
Whichever way you cook it, the beef comes out much more tender and juicy than even expensive cuts of beef like beef tenderloin!
What does tenderised beef taste like?
The flavour of the beef is not affected by the tenderising. So the beef flavour will only be as good as the cut you use.
Tenderising affects the texture not the flavour of the beef. It 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 which would be a bit too eerie!
Why tenderise beef?
Tenderising beef enables you to make fast-cook beef recipes using economical cuts of beef that usually require slow cooking to break down the tough fibres, like in Stews. And it stays tender even if you overcook the beef!
What to make with tenderised beef
Because this is a Chinese restaurant method, I’m sharing this with stir fries like Beef and Broccoli and stir fried noodles in mind. Build your own stir fry using my All Purpose Chinese Stir Fry Sauce or Peanut Sauce for stir fries!
You can also use tenderised beef in place of chicken or pork in any of the stir fries.
But don’t limit yourself to just Chinese recipes! The plain tenderised beef isn’t flavoured, so it can be used for any recipe calling for strips of beef that are cooked quickly, such as Beef Stroganoff.
If you try this tenderising technique, I’d love to know what you think! – Nagi x
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
How to tenderise beef (velveting beef)
Ingredients
- 250 g / 8 oz stewing beef or other economical beef cuts (Note 1)
- 3/4 tsp baking 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.
Recipe Notes:
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. Based on the many cuts of beef I have tried, here’s my general rule of thumb:
- Chuck beef, gravy and oyster beef, as well as other traditional stewing beefs – 30 minutes
- Economical steak cuts (eg. cheap rump, hanger) – 20 minutes
- Blade, bolar blade – 40 minutes
- Brisket is the cut I haven’t been completely satisfied with.
For 35 minutes, if you are unsure about the cut of beef that you want, it is worth waiting. It was tender and juicy, even when it was over- or under-tenderized. It’s easy to find the optimal marinating time for your favorite cuts of beef. Just adjust by 10 minutes.
2. Baking sodaalso known as bicarb or bicarbonate soda. Baking powder is not strong enough to be used.
3. You should not cut against the grain– To make each bite of beef tender, this is the best method to cut it. You should pay attention to the direction the beef’s fibers are going. Next, turn them 90°. You can see an example image here.
4. Use slices only and bite-sized 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.
Use a Steak Marinade to tenderize whole steaks.
5. NutritionAssume beef chuck is being used. Leaner beef will have lower calories.
Nutrition Information:
Dozer life
This is the only beef he’s getting today… 😂
