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 time: PT25M
Total time: PT25M
Rating
4.88 stars (73 reviews)
Keywords
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))
Categories
Mains
Cuisine
American Chinese
Chinese
Steps
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.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 225 kcal
Protein: 23 g
Fat: 14 g
Saturated Fat: 6 g
Cholesterol: 86 mg
Sodium: 101 mg
Reviews
Stella on 2026-06-08 (5 stars): I made it with chicken instead of beef. I made chicken soup. Wow! First time I had moist chicken in my chicken soup.
The only thing I would change for next time is cut the chicken smaller for the chicken soup.
T.Y. again for sharing.
BrianW on 2026-06-06 (4 stars): I agree. I think it’s similar to why some people don’t like coriander/cilantro. Personal or maybe genetic sensitivity. I use this velveting method all the time and never get a fishy smell - but then again, I love coriander. Different strokes….
Christina on 2026-05-10 (5 stars): A keeper!! This has transformed my stir fry’s, stroganoffs, fajitas and more. I use it for beef, pork and chicken! Softens the proteins magically and I can use economical lean cuts with fantastic results. This method and recipe is the bomb, thanks Nagi!! Xo
William Patterson on 2026-01-03 (5 stars): Rinse well, pat dry.
Keith Frederick Jefferson on 2025-06-15 (5 stars): I did a beef stroganoff , after velveting the meat one guest as soon as he tasted it his first comment was this is the tenderest meat I have ever tasted,
thank you Nagi
J L on 2025-02-22 (5 stars): I have been making finger steaks for over 20 years and they always came out chewy and delicious. When I tried using velveting technique, they came out so great and perfect. My husband wants me to make them again tonight!
Susan on 2025-01-29 (5 stars): This worked perfectly for me. I didn't experience any fishy odor and the texture was great!
Stefanie on 2025-01-27 (5 stars): Yep! It works!
Leah Garza on 2025-01-12 (5 stars): Looks Delicious!!!
CS on 2024-11-29 (5 stars): Brilliant. I'm happy you said something about not limiting this to Chinese recipes. I started using your velveting techniques with chicken breast in chicken soup. It's notoriously difficult to keep chicken tender in a soup and the velveting works wonders. I take my soup pretty seriously, and the velveted chicken soup was the best I've made.
Thanks!
