Cut Thin Slices Thin strips of beef are best because they won't take long to cook. The thinner the beef, the more tender it will taste and the less chewy it will be. Thicker strips require longer cooking times, which usually means the outside is overcooked by the time the inside is cooked.
Always make sure you are cooking your stir-fries quickly over high heat. This will ensure that the meat doesn't end up 'sweating' and stewing, making it tough.
To tenderize beef, cutting the beef against the grain is usually enough to keep it tender and soft. You can also add ¾ teaspoon of baking soda mixed with 2 tablespoons of water with your beef slices for 30 minutes but you must rinse out the baking soda before you start to marinate it.
The key to making a really good stir-fry is using a very high cooking temperature so the food will cook quickly. Since stir-frying involves high heat, it's important to choose an oil that has a high smoke point. If you don't, the oil will burn and the whole dish will be ruined.
The best oils for stir frys are the oils with the higher smoke points. These tend to be the “thinner” oils such as peanut, grapeseed or canola.
All foods give off some steam when cooking, so it's important to leave the lid off the pan during frying so the steam evaporates rather than collecting on the lid and dripping back into the hot oil.
Velveting is a Chinese method of marinating which keeps delicate meat and seafood moist and tender during cooking. The velveting technique is very easy and gives amazing results.
Baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate).
If you find the meat has a spongy texture aside from being very tender, then very likely the restaurant put baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate) in the marinade. The sodium in baking soda chemically reacts with the meat and make the meat very tender and soft.
You'll end up with a mixture of food where some is overcooked and either burnt or soggy, and some that's undercooked, or even raw. You also risk overcrowding the wok when you add everything at once.
Is Chewy Steak Overcooked Or Undercooked? Both. Tough and chewy steak may be the result of undercooking naturally tough meat or overcooking tender steak to the point of dryness. Cooking steak to the right temperature is essential to making a tender juicy meal.
Aromatic ingredients like garlic, ginger, green onions, chilies and spices. These ingredients are typically added to the oil first to infuse it with flavor. You won't need much; a few teaspoons to a tablespoon of total aromatic ingredients per person adds a serious amount of flavor.
Soy sauce, sesame oil, a bit of vinegar, or store-bought stir-fry sauces are easy to add to the dish and most stir-fry recipes will include a suggested mixture of liquid. If you don't really have a sauce planned, a bit of bottled soy sauce and some diced garlic or ginger will make a nice basic stir-fry sauce.
Why It Works. Salt and soy sauce tenderize meat, help it retain moisture, and increase its savoriness. Sugar helps browning characteristics. Oil helps distribute fat-soluble aromatic compounds over the meat.
Your overcooked steak is tough and chewy because of a lack of its natural liquid and fat, so here are some ways to infuse liquids and fats into your steak. Covering your overcooked steak with a thick sauce or gravy will help balance out the dryness and make up for its lack of flavor. Preferably, the sauce is also warm.
Low and slow cooking methods can help to tenderize tough meat cuts. An easy, low maintenance way to achieve this is by using a slow cooker. Set the meat to cook at a low temperature for 8-10 hours, and be sure to add a sauce, marinade, or broth in order to keep your meat moist and flavorful.
Set aside for 1-2 hours. This step tenderizes (baking soda) and hydrates (water) the beef. Next, the beef must be rinsed thoroughly under running water to rid it of any excess baking soda, or you will taste it in the dish. Use your hands to stir up the beef during the rinsing process.
Velveting meat is a common practice in Chinese stir-fries: By marinating strips of meat with egg white and cornstarch, then dipping then in a hot oil bath before finally stir-frying them, the meat develops a texture that is tender, silky, and smooth.
Marinade! I learned from my mom that she pretty much marinades most meat she stir fries with prior to cooking, even if it's just 15 minutes. It really does flavor the food, this Stir Fry Steak Marinade is one of the ones we use!
Start with the hard vegetables like carrots and broccoli. Stir and scoop vegetables to the side to make room for more. Then add the softer vegetables, like sliced mushrooms and zucchini. Pour in some stock or water and always keep the veggies moving in the pan.
Common aromatics in stir fry are garlic, green onion, ginger, and shallots. My go-to aromatic is chopped garlic. You'll also love chopped green onion in stir fries. You can use chopped garlic and green onion together.
Stir-fry onions first, then add hard vegetables such as carrot and broccoli. Quick-cooking vegetables, such as snow peas, leafy greens and bean sprouts, should be added towards the end of cooking. If using vegies that have a combination of both textures, such as gai laan, add the stems first and the leaves later.