Lemon Chicken
Lemon Chicken
Originally uploaded by jalapenocheese
76/365
let's take a break from refined sugars, shall we? recipe from Irene Kuo's "The Key to Chinese Cooking" book. i did a similar recipe a few months back and that was a freaking disaster. it was tasteless and just plain forgettable. armed with a better recipe, i set out to remake this dish and it was heaps better this time round. i think i'm pretty much sold with "velveting" (a cooking technique). i've done it twice on two different recipes and it never fails to keep the meat tender and juicy. i know it's an extra step that you have to do, but don't skip it. you'll regret it if you did.
MASTER RECIPES FOR VELVETING CHICKEN
adapted from Irene Kuo's "The Key to Chinese Cooking"
from Melinda Lee's website
VELVETING IN OIL, AND VELVETING IN WATER
As the name “velveting” implies, the coating is white and fluffy and the meat is soft as velvet. While the oil method gives the meat a firmer texture, the water method produces a softer coating. In either one, the chicken is on the verge of being fully cooked, which is ideal for the process of stir-frying.
1 pound, boneless and skinless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon, salt
1 tablespoon, dry sherry
1 large, egg white
1 tablespoon, cornstarch
1tablespoon, oil
Cut the chicken into the desired shape and put into a bowl. Add the salt and sherry and stir. Beat the egg white only until the gel is completely broken - it should not be frothy, lest the coating puff and disintegrate during cooking. Add this to the chicken, sprinkle in the cornstarch, and mix well. Add the tablespoon of oil and stir until smooth. Let the chicken sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes so that the coating has time to adhere to the meat.
To Velvet in Oil: Heat a wok or skillet over high heat until very hot; then turn heat to medium. Add 2 cups oil, and heat for about 40 seconds until it is warm, about 275 degrees, or until it browns a cube of bread very slowly. Give the chicken a big stir and scatter the pieces; quickly but gently stir them to separate them. The oil should cover every piece. Lower the heat immediately if the chicken begins to sizzle; hot oil will make velveted chicken hard and yellow.
When the flesh of the chicken turns white, which takes only about 30-45 seconds, immediately pour both oil and chicken into a strainer, reserving the oil. The chicken is now velveted, ready to be stir-fried. When the oil is cool, you can strain and re-bottle it for re-use.
NOTE: Velveting can be done well before the stir-frying. If you are going to use the chicken in an hour or so, do it in oil as above, but do not refrigerate the chicken, or it will become hard and tough. If you want to velvet chicken in advance and refrigerate or freeze the velveted chicken for finishing in a recipe later, you must use the water method.
To Velvet in Water: Bring 1 quart water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon oil to “grease the liquid” and then lower the heat to maintain a very gentle simmer. Scatter in the chicken, stir to separate and keep stirring gently until the coating turns white. Then immediately pour into a strainer to drain.
Keys to velveting: The oil in the coating makes it lustrous and prevents lumping, it also eliminates the raw taste of the cornstarch. When velveting is done in oil, the wok or skillet must be very hot before the oil goes in, so that the coated chicken does not stick to the pan. The oil however, should never be hot, or it will toughen the chicken.
i knew i spoke too soon, but i have relapsed! not on chocolates, though. haha. i made a batch of ensaymadas (philippine-style brioche) using a recipe i found online. of course i had to take photos and had to deconstruct it (meaning i had to eat it, ugh). i wasn't all that hungry but i thought "bugger it, might as well finish the damn thing" and i am still full from breakfast. i am all ensaymada'd out and if i see another one, i think i'll throw up.