Sautéed velvet chicken with a variety of fresh and dried mushrooms.
This quick and simple stir-fry uses fresh and dried mushrooms to provide optimal flavor and texture, as well as chicken treated with water velvet – a simple technique that ensures soft and silky meat.
Chicken strips are soaked in a mixture of cornstarch, egg whites, wine and seasonings – a process known as velvet – to ensure that the meat is silky and soft.
Compared to the more traditional method of hot oil bathing, it is much easier for a home cook to cook meat in boiling water with a small amount of oil, and the results are equally good.
Note: To make the protein easy to measure, whisk it with a fork until the viscosity becomes thinner. Dried fungus mushrooms can be found in most Asian markets.
For velvet chicken:
1 tbsp egg white (see notes)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tsp. Chinese rice wine or sake
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 pound chicken breast, cut into 1/8 inch thick
6 cups water
1 teaspoon vegetable oil, rapeseed oil or peanut oil
For sauces and stir-fries:
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. oyster sauce
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 medium clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of water
2 tablespoons vegetable, rapeseed oil or peanut oil, divided
1/2 pound mixed mushrooms, such as cremini, shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms and/or oysters, cut into approximately 1/4 inch thick
1/4 Roasted fungus mushrooms, hydrate in warm water for another 15 minutes, then drain and halve chunks (see Notes)
Velvet Chicken: In a small bowl, mix well with egg whites, cornstarch, rice wine and salt. Place the chicken in a bowl, add the cornstarch mixture, stir and mix. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Fill the pot with water and bring to a boil, then add the oil. Add the chicken, divide it with chopsticks or spatula and cook until the chicken is white on the outside but still raw on the inside, for about 40 seconds. Drain the chicken with a colander and shake off excess water. Wipe the wok clean
Sauces and stir-fries: In a small bowl, mix cornstarch, sesame oil, oyster sauce, soy sauce, garlic and water.
Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok over high heat until smokes. Add fresh mixed mushrooms and season with salt. Cook, stir and toss until the mushrooms are watered, about 3 minutes. Add the rehydrated fungus mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms begin to turn brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate and wipe the wok clean.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a pot over high heat until smoke begins. Add the chicken and sauté until the chicken is almost cooked, about 2 minutes. Place the mushrooms back in the pan and stir to mix with the chicken. Add the sauce to the wok and stir until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate and serve with white rice.