Adapted from The Key to Chinese Cooking, Irene Kuo
This is a simple recipe, quick and easy to prepare, that Kuo uses to introduce her readers to the classic technique of “velveting.” The technique protects chicken breast, shrimp, and white-fleshed fish with a light coating. Instead of coming out dry or hard, these delicate ingredients become “snowy, fluffy, and extremely tender.” It’s a useful technique to use for other cuisines besides Chinese food, for example, velveted shrimp make an excellent scampi sauce served with angel hair pasta.
Ingredients
1 pound shelled medium-sized shrimp (25-30 count)
2 cups broccoli flowerets
Velvet Coating
½ tsp salt
2 tsp sherry
1 large egg white
1½ Tbl cornstarch
1½ Tbl oil
For stir-frying
3 Tbl oil
4 thin slices peeled ginger
1 medium garlic clove
½ tsp salt
1 Tbl dry sherry
3 Tbl water or chicken stock
Finishing Sauce
1 Tbl soy
1 Tbl dry sherry
½ tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbl toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
To velvet the shrimp
Place the shrimp in a deep bowl, sprinkle with the salt and sherry, and mix well.
Beat the egg white just until the gel is completely broken but not foamy and add to the shrimp.
Sprinkle in the cornstarch and mix until smooth. Add the oil and stir well.
Place the velveted shrimp in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, so that the cornstarch will set and the coating adheres to the shrimp. The longer the seafood stays in the mixture, the tenderer it will become. I’ve successfully prepared shrimp up to this point, refrigerated them overnight, and finished the dish the next day.
When ready to stir-fry, bring a small pot of water to boil, add 1 tablespoon of oil and scatter in the coated shrimp. Stir gently to keep them in motion, and when they float to the top and have turned white, pour the shrimp immediately into a strainer to drain.
Preparations
Cut the broccoli into individual flowerets that are uniform in size, reserving the stems for another recipe (peeled and sliced, they make a great substitute for pea pods). Blanch the broccoli for a minute, drain well, and chill.
Mix the ingredients for the sauce, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
Stir –frying
Have all the ingredients prepped and near the stove. Heat a wok or large heavy skillet until hot, add 3 Tbl oil, swirl for 30 seconds. Lower the heat and press the garlic and ginger around in the hot oil for a few minutes to extract their flavors. Remove the aromatics from the pan.
Turn the heat back up and scatter in the broccoli. Stir and toss briskly for about 30 seconds.
Sprinkle in the salt and sherry, then add the stock, and then the velveted shrimp. Stir to mingle the flavors, just long enough to heat the shrimp through.
Add the finishing sauce and quickly stir-fry until the liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Serve immediately.