An even coating of the wok's juices ensures that each bite receives the same degree of flavor as the next. That way, the diner isn't constantly attempting to sop up the liquid from the bottom of the plate. This week I chose Hunan lamb, a dish fragrant with plenty of garlic, leeks, and green onions, to demonstrate the different functions of cornstarch.
First, lamb strips marinate in a mixture of egg, wine, and cornstarch. When fried as such, the cornstarch gently coats each sliver of lamb, resulting in a more tender texture for the meat. Finally, after the garlic and leeks have perfumed the wok, the lamb is reintroduced and simmers briefly in a mixture of soy sauce, wine, and bean paste. After the brief simmering, the cornstarch slurry is added and gently unifies the different liquids, coating each piece of lamb with a thin yet flavorful layer.
When adding the slurry, be judicious. You can always add a bit more if the liquid doesn't thicken properly, but you can't easily repair the effects of a gluey, overly-thickened sauce. Even worse is a slurry that solidifies before it has the chance to permeate the liquid in the wok, so make sure your vessel is not so hot that the slurry immediately congeals when it hits the surface.
When your wok has a higher heat capacity, such as cast iron, you run a greater risk because the heat will be retained for a longer period of time after the stove is turned off. If necessary, wait for a minute or move your wok off the heat before you add the slurry. Like most stir-fry preparations, much of the work happens before the food ever hits the heat. It's especially important to have your mise en place ready by your side. Ten seconds too many in a given step, and your dish may be tough.
Due to the rapid nature of stir-frying, I've always thought that if I had one more arm, I'd be in much better shape. Wouldn't it be nice if instead of struggling to keep your food moving in the wok--while adding seasonings, sauces, another few green onion slivers, and starch slurries--you had an extra appendage hovering over to supervise?
So be prepared! Check and double check that your sauces are ready, that your slurry is handy, that your oil strainer is by your side. Only with the proper preparation can we make the seamless transitions necessary for stir-frying with just two arms.
Finally, if you happen to start with a whole leg of lamb, replace some of the vegetable oil with the fat from the lamb by rendering it as you stir-fry the garlic. Log in. Get the print magazine, 25 years of back issues online, over 7, recipes, and more. Start your FREE trial. Fine Cooking. Sign Up Login. Photo: Scott Phillips. Save to Recipe Box. Add Private Note. Saved Add to List Add to List. Add Recipe Note. But the role of cornstarch is integral throughout the stir-frying process—from making marinades to passing through the oil to building a sauce at the end.
Combined with egg, cornstarch is an important ingredient in meat and fish marinades. Look for it in the same aisle where the cornstarch is located in your grocery store. Arrowroot and cornstarch have similar thickening capabilities. Generally, add teaspoons to a cup of liquid for a medium-thick sauce. Cornstarch is used to thicken liquids in a variety of recipes such as sauces, gravies, pies, puddings, and stir-fries. In food, as in other parts of life, language is a form of power, and velveting—an elegant skill wielded without much fanfare by home cooks and take-out spots alike—deserves as much recognition as a French roux.
Growing up in a Chinese Filipino household meant that the meat I consumed went velveted without me even knowing. Once coated in cornstarch, slices of pork became incredibly tender when dunked into a steaming hot misua with sliced patola and vermicelli. Velveted inexpensive cuts of beef turned ultrasilky in a soup seasoned with ginger and black pepper.
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