Why Chinese Takeout Is So Silky and Delicious (and how to make it at home)

[@bongjai]

As a Chinese, i got mad respect for him for actually doing his home work and know what he's making! I also love Italian cuisine and learnt a lot from him!

[@whiteyfisk9769]

Kind of not cool to appropriate Italian culture like that when youre not Italian...

[@andregreen8040]

@bongjai ….did his home work, or did his home wok ? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ramencurry6672]

@@whiteyfisk9769that doesn’t make sense. Many Italians get it wrong and make bad versions of their own food

[@ramencurry6672]

@@whiteyfisk9769can you explain in detail why?

[@JeffO-]

@@whiteyfisk9769 Huh?

[@KyleBroge]

SERIOUSLY great video. Instructional, honest, informative, not pretentious and FULL of pro tips!! Truly great.

[@harryflemming9924]

sure...for someone that likes men

[@tamto6328]

I worked at a Chinese takeout while in college and the real "secret" is the proteins are silken and THEN deep fried in the wok first, strained and then cooked with the rest back in the wok again. The deep frying at high heat creates a light crust (due to the corn starch) that soaks in the sauce afterwards. And also, when eating at Chinese restaurants, avoid places that "over silken" the meats. Meaning it has absolutely no texture at all and the meat is grey. That means the meat has been marinated for too long and one other thing silkening does is prolong storage life. Which can also mean the food might be near spoiled but you would never know because silkening will hide it. Silkening should tenderize, but more importantly it creates a thin layer of crust that absorbs flavors. It shouldn't just melt in your mouth.

[@Universe3-e7r]

Hi there. How long do you marinate the meat?

[@tamto6328]

@@Universe3-e7r Doesn't take long for the chemicle breakdown, one hour max but should be used within 24 hours. The next day it's too much so meat will be mush.

[@Universe3-e7r]

@@tamto6328 thanks mate! 👍

[@uli11]

"Passing through the oil" is great. You *can* blanch the meat too for a similar effect- but I've found it doesn't quite work as well.

[@6733hbr1]

@@Universe3-e7r the recipe I used said to marinate the meat for 30 minutes. The texture was like butter. Any longer and you'll have pudding.

[@kingoffongpei]

Stephen, thanks for thoughtfully considering whether your recipe is "better than takeout" and recognizing the skill in those kitchens. This home version looks good nonetheless!

[@DeezNuggz]

Chinese are known for that behavior, though.

[@danielgreenleaf]

Who the hell is Steve

[@kingoffongpei]

​@@danielgreenleaf Sorry, Stephen*. I'll correct the comment.

[@Syntox]

This

[@NBA-LejonBrames]

​@kingoffongpei it's all good. We still love u

[@DannyS7666]

Hi from the UK! I love the fact you recognise we don’t all have industrial grade kitchen equipment and that you explain what to do, WHY to do it, and how we can do a regular, homemade version that will be close to a takeout. Subscribed, hit the bell, and looking forward to trying this and your future recipes 👍🏻

[@dcolacino]

Thank you so much for this recipe. I just made this and could cry at how good and nostalgic it is. There’s nothing like NY Chinese takeout in California 😅 Now I can make my own thanks to you.

[@willisratcliff2285]

Not only is Steve a great chef, but a great teacher

[@DavidDesjardins73]

Indeed I picked up lots of tips and tricks from his channel

[@stevetheripper7675]

that's part of what I love about his videos are the small details

[@gmagzz2245]

His explanations are the secret sauce of the channel

[@peterkiedron8949]

He waves his hands too much.

[@DavidDesjardins73]

@@peterkiedron8949 He's Italian... Kinda comes with the territory.

[@seanloughran6714]

Love the broccolli tip of cut then peel the top. When cutting fully threw, I always get a mess of the mini-flowers everywhere. This looks like its cleaner and looks nicer!

[@deirdrekiely6187]

*through* not threw

[@btdtgg]

Spot on video man. One extra little thing I do is that I cut the beef a little smaller and then wack it with the back of my Chef knife afew times. This thins it out, stretches the meat larger and also tenderizes at the same time.

[@Blueagle8u]

DUDE ! Made this last night,it was frikking amazing! ON POINT!! More please!!!

[@rosalindgibbs3705]

Chinese food is absolutely fantastic that is one type of food that i would love to learn how to cook all the veggies.

[@realist7239]

have u tried yet? do u have a wok?

[@andrewtee]

As a southern chinese, I approve your way of cooking of the stir fry beef. You have done your research and homework well. Bravo! You may add spring onions in 2 - 3 inch stalks, celery slice, and carrot slice after you fry the ginger and garlic. Last, you may tweak the recipe a bit to make a 薑蔥牛柳滑蛋河粉，or just skip the flat rice noodles, and straight pour it on rice.

[@tauhid9983]

you should do more cuisines from other parts of the world this year... I love your cooking style and it'll be cool to see it play out in other dishes across the world

[@douglasspaltro2697]

Great video, thanks! Beef & broccoli has ALWAYS been my Go-To. It's how I weigh/measure the quality of a restaurant. In the early 80s I worked in a Chinese eatery in So Portland, Maine. I was in high school so started doing dishes, then food prep and bussing. I became friends with the owners and at night they'd let me cook my own meal under the blazing fire and beautiful huge wok. Beef & broccoli.

[@will7207]

I made this recipe using beef round steak. I had to order the wine online bc I live in a very rural area. I was pleasantly surprised how good it came out. The leftovers eaten cold right out of the fridge brought me back to my youth when I actually had my choice of good Chinese restaurants. Very impressed with the cold leftover's taste. The only thing missing was the hangover from drinking the night before. I buy meat by the cow and have been looking for a great way to use the Round Steaks. Velveting made the meat perfect for Beef with Broccoli. Thanks for this recipe and I love your videos. I learned a lot from them 🙏🏼

[@thomaspage7511]

I made some not even two months ago and this recipe hits home ❤️

[@Libertas4Ever]

Learn this technique a while ago but, the oil should be added after the marinade is done, right before ready to cook. Because the oil will act as a block from the marinade properly penetrating the meat. Don't use sesame oil because sesame oil will lose its flavour when heat is applied. Use a neutral oil. And I learned these techniques from a Chinese uncle, owned one of the best Chinese restaurants I've ever eaten at.

[@PositiveJ888]

Looks good. Just made some B&B a few days ago and didnt care for the recipe. Had two tablespoons of brownsugar which made it too sweet and didnt have MSG to crack out my brain into loving it. Also used pre cut stirfry beef which was very chewy. Going to give it another go soon using this recipe

[@clairewyndham1971]

I tried to velvet chicken 5 or 6 years ago and it was so good, I velvet all my meats..

[@neverwares]

I really appreciate when you show HOW to properly cut things, like the broccoli and ginger. Super duper helpful!

[@Oddzilla51]

Beef and Broccoli used to be my goto when I was growing up. Haven't had it in a while. May have to make this. Thanks!

[@ronaldyeater3322]

Sup Steve, great recipe for fast velveting👍, when more time can add baking soda for 15-30 min depending poultry/meat and rinse, dry, then add corn starch, egg whites, ingredients for marinade and put in fridge 1-3 hours. Can freeze at that point, especially for beef or chicken teriyaki. As always I will try your recipe as shown👍, tyvm tc

[@jillcnc]

I find that too much velveting turns chicken into something almost gelatinous. My local takeout joint does excellent char siu and ok beef, but the chicken is vile. And I think it's because they velvet it TOO much.

[@ronaldyeater3322]

@@jillcnc your right, that's why I tried to say poultry/meat and times lol, chicken really just needs 15 min, but if sits too long before rinsing baking soda it dies get mushy, it's acidic, if at home can just marinade chicken overnight or hours. Gets gross then gets cooked lol.

[@JCWiley2300]

Sizing down the broccoli florets... Impressive. Subscribed.

[@Cheems_on_Toast]

Great tips on mincing garlic and ginger!

[@Shabla7]

I’ve been looking for a recipe for a few days to cook for my parents and I think this is it!

[@jeffreycooley2032]

My favorite KZbin Chef never ceases to amaze. Thank you!

[@maggiejetson7904]

If you don't have Xiao Xing Wine at home, Sherry would be the closest European wine substitute. About velveting, usually if you use baking soda you should mix it in with some water or soy sauce first before mixing into the beef, so there will not be spots where it is bitter if you didn't mix well. Extra water is also usually needed than just from the soy sauce so the beef can absorb the water to be more tender (probably need some adjustment but most people I know need to add a bit more water if baking soda is used).

[@wylldflower5628]

Excellent explanation! I always add 1-2 Tbs extra water. I think the liquid is necessary even with meats like chicken where you don’t need baking soda (or no more than a small pinch). The crystallines of the salts and sugars, with liquid, promote both flavor and liquid being pulled into the meat-each piece plumps up and it’s even more juicy than the amount of liquid of the marinade ingredients seems to give.

[@Pierre-LucTremblay]

That's the recipe im using for years and its so delicious. Im adding few pepper flakes during the cooking and sesame seeds at the end with tons of brocoli and green onions. Not only its a very tasty dish but its also ealthy with the vegetables.

[@vilk4937]

How much meat did you put in this recipe? I made this recipe step by step, I did and put everything he did, except MSG and the dish came out way too salty, I was very disappointed.

[@Pierre-LucTremblay]

@vilk4937 I'm using about 1 or 2 pounds of beef, use only dark soy sauce no salt added. It turns out perfectly fine.

[@vilk4937]

Thank you! Will do next time I try this again.

[@darlenerothenay6251]

One of the best videos on this recipe I have seen yet. Thanks!

[@parris4038]

Can we do Mexican restaurant style meals also … love the content 🔥🔥

[@enigma9273]

ohh yes!!

[@NicholasCullen1]

i followed this recipe very close, made a substitution of necessity due to availability - flat iron steak instead of flank steak - as you can imagine it was quite tender already but adding this technique took it over the top. also - another change by necessity, I decided last minute to make some rice and placed the already finished dish in the oven on the lowest setting. I made my rice and took my time, following the technique I know best (japanese method). ended up being about 45 minutes (soaking rice after rinsing then cooking and steaming and cooling, also teaching my roommate along the way) and when I pulled the dish out the sauce had caramelized just a bit on top. honestly, I suggest you try that last step if you have the time. everyone agreed that it was the best they've ever had. thank you for your recipe and video. I appreciate you.

[@tspmcfarlane]

I love your broccoli chopping technique. I always lose lots of tiny bits cutting right down through the florets, so I’ll be using your gentler technique from now on!

[@sandybeach7009]

Thank you for another great informative video. You are a great teacher! Congratulations on that beautiful well-deserved plaque on the wall!

[@MarciaHills-w9o]

Made this tonight. Loved it! Simple, Quick, Delicious!!❤️❤️❤️

[@burningchrome70]

I'm always chasing recipes and teaching my kids to make good food for people. This really hits home, thank you brother.

[@edwardkornuszko4083]

Thank you again. Great skills and recipe. Glad you’re back, missed your show.

[@MaryJaneMcPot5]

i've made this a few times already, the more you make it the better it turns out i cant get over this dish🤤🤤🤤

[@MadeWithLau]

GREAT VIDEO! let's gooooooooo

[@Madmaxx0829]

Chef Steve nails another one..!! Simply the best cooking channel on YT… Well done Sir…looks killer….

[@beverleybernstein5431]

Have made this a couple of times and it’s always fantastic!!

[@mrsmcdonald9363]

My husband doesn't like soy sauce. I velvet by adding baking soda, salt and seasonings to plain yogurt for a marinade. I can prep meat this way for any cuisine. Your recipe looks delicious!

[@krusher181]

Not liking soy sauce is bizarre to me.

[@markthigpen9177]

I think your recipe is very very close to take out, delicious this is my favorite dish since i tried your recipe.thank you

[@MikeMalatino]

That was pretty effin good! I added a chopped onion to the aromatics before adding the beef and the rest of it. Still came out amazing! Thanks brother!

[@RainbowChakrasZen]

I made this for dinner tonight, and it truly is the best at home beef and broccoli. It was delicious! Well done, thank you :)

[@grifter121]

Made this for the first time and it's awesome! Definitely going to be a staple!

[@kennethwu115]

Chef, beautiful recipe. I’ll try it sometime next few weeks 😅

[@francisR46]

Thank you. Great recipe, great instructions. It looks perfect. It's a shame more people don't realize how easy it is to make great Chinese food that is better and healthier than most of what they get from the average takeout restaurants. Less salt, higher quality ingredients like flank steak in this case and produce you know is fresh from the store.

[@mellis7342]

First time watching him i love the passion

[@ivettekittyfamily]

It looks so yummy. I’ll try it thanks I like to technique with the baking soda My restaurant, Chinese said, add baking soda teaspoon before adding everything and that’s what I saw you doing and it makes everything tender the chicken pork everything again thanks❤ I like your recipe. I’m gonna try it.❤

[@clairesauvageau2269]

This week for sure thank you and happy new year’s

[@owpidcock]

I like that you showed the GoPro in your mouth. Reminds me that this is simple food simply shot by one guy but with fantastic results for both. Love your vids

[@bkm2797]

Welcome back! I haven't had beef and broccoli in years, but you reminded me how tasty it can be. Thanks for sharing those important steps that make all the difference.

[@mikemoore4851]

You rock dude! Everything i've tried has turned out awesome....thank you from a fellow, but now frormer NYer!

[@darend8896]

One of my fav, broccoli is considered a super food, very healthy.

[@headcheese2005]

Thanks for the recipe! Just made this didn't have dark soy sauce but it still tastes great.

[@thefreakingrickdaton3273]

congrats on the video really instructive easy listening to, satisfying to watch!

[@robertbaker3174]

Silky,silky smooth! Powder. Sorry,I couldn't resist. I do appreciate this vid.

[@Masteradamant]

I like how you tried to make this at restaurant quality, I appreciate that!

[@exit0240]

Hey Stephen...welcome back. You look energized but we really missed you. I'm looking forward to whatever you cook this year. Love ya.

[@kh2716]

Newbie here - refreshingly straight forward. Like my brother sent me a video on how to make beef and broccoli. Awesome! I’ll be back ✌🏼

[@virginiaeriguel8738]

Thanks for sharing this recipe, looks delicious

[@JerryTNF]

These were great tips on the glaze

[@BeerStens]

Nicely explained. Don't throw the thick stem of broc away. Slice it like carrot, tastes better than the heads.

[@littlelamb6804]

They are called florets, not heads. 😮

[@TheOriginalArchie]

@@littlelamb6804 Florets are the individual pieces of each stem, which are part of the stalk. To call them heads are find. Don't be an asshole know it all.

[@323nut]

Fully agree on that and I have been doing it for years.

[@wm1573]

I love head

[@tspmcfarlane]

100%. I sometimes slice it up into coin shapes and use it as a replacement for water chestnut in British Chinese dishes.

[@stephenwatts4698]

Happy New Year, Steve! We missed you. Ready to add to my armory of go to weekly meals.

[@mytaffycat]

Very informative, thank you. Nice sweatshirt, too.

[@dragonboss7995]

Depicous recipe. I made this tonight and it was amazing.

[@nicosaloneftis6345]

Great tips and techniques and enjoyable video as usual. I can picture how savoury and tasty that dish will be. Even though I'm not very familiar with chinese food in America, as a chef and home cook who lives in London and has some experience with chinese stir fries I can give you some tips for making the meat even more tender like the chinese dishes I'm more familiar with. Your order of mixing the marinade ingredients is on point. You want to get the dry and wet seasonings mixed in first, followed by the cornstarch and the oil at the end to make the pieces of meat separate from each other more easily. Try adding water after you add the seasonings, about 1-2tbsp. Hold the bowl with one hand and with the other make a claw shape and gently stir some water a little at a time. Only stir in the same direction (i.e. only clockwise) and notice as the water get soaked up by the meat as you stir, along with the marinade and you'll be surprised by how dry it will be after you mix it in with no wet ingredients left around the meat. I would also add a little more Shaoxing wine if you like its nutty flavor. Those liquids will become part of the tenderness of the meat. This is a classic technique the chinese chefs use when velveting meat and works great especially to make chicken breast more tender. I always thought that adding water is bad as it would dilute the flavor as we tend to think in western cuisines, but you'll see that there are so many salty and savory ingredients in the recipe that not only texture will be more valuable than flavor, but it might balance out the strong taste as well. I would also add ½-1 tbsp of neutral oil instead of sesame oil in the marinade and just finish the dish off with that sesame drizzle. If you intend to deep or shallow fry the meat I would add 1 egg white before adding the cornstarch, which combined with starch will create the lightest coating to the fried meat, protecting it further from loss of moisture. But I wouldn't recommend it for just stir-frying on the pan as it will likely cause the meat to stick and potentially create burned bits. Great content as always, peace ✌️

[@m.theresa1385]

Thanks for this! I’ve done velveting on both beef (yeah, for beef with broccoli) and chicken (my fave Chinese curry chicken). I even add all those sauces, a drop of msg and chicken powder, but it’s still not the same as when I order in a lunch special with hot & sour soup. It just hits differently when I open that takeout container. Love your channel !

[@alioreo2451]

OMG THANK YOU! Yes I am screaming. LOL I have been looking for instructions on how to make beef tender like a Chinese restaurant. I am so excited to try this recipe.

[@HyBlock]

LOL LOL HAHAHAHA TRY IT 🤣🤪

[@leslieharris9088]

Love this. I've been obsessed with making a good Chinese soup base for Wor Wonton soup,, still working on reading recipes and experimenting. I made a trip to our Chinatown for Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, etc. for other easy Chinese dishes. I know MSG is making a comeback with younger chefs, but I always remember getting what we called "MSG headaches" after eating in Chinese restaurants in the 50's before they stopped using it. Thanks for this information.

[@brandoncarpenter9681]

Chinese restaurants still use a ton of msg in my area. Awesome that you have all the ingredients and made the trip to your local China town! Good luck!

[@krusher181]

Stopped using it? No one stopped using msg. I’m pretty sure McDonald’s use it too… nobody seems to understand it due to all the racist propaganda It’s literally a type of sodium, like salt is. It’s found in tomatoes, mushrooms… lots of natural things. So you should also be getting headaches from eating tomatoes. Truffles should bother you too. The whole msg headache thing doesn’t add up. Oh also soy sauce should give you headaches, it’s got a ton of msg.

[@krusher181]

@@brandoncarpenter9681they still use it in every area…

[@reb5824]

You totally made me remember the time. We moved to SF, CA. We fell in love with beef and broccoli, too! Back home. We borrowed a Japanese cookbook with an authentic recipe from our local library. We also had an authentic steel wok back then; it tasted just as good! I'm not sure if I remember it also requiring a bit of spice powder. I recently made it again. But altered the recipe. So it wasn't as good.😢😂 Thanks for the great video and tips on how to slice the beef up. I've heard it really makes a difference in which direction you slice it too.

[@charliebrown1828]

Velveting bro! You nailed it as usual thanks‼️

[@ryanbent9368]

This was amazing. I made a chinese dish last night in our wok and it tasted dry and very little sauce, but that' probably because I cooked four servings which crowded the pan. Thanks for the content!

[@__8868]

Your videos have gotten so much better

[@MHarenArt]

Exactly the way I make Pepper Steak. Just add one big onion cut into big pieces. Great recipe, using a technique that you can use to make all kinds of dishes.

[@giraffesinc.2193]

Happy New Year, Steve! Great to see you back! I have MadeIn's glorious wok and LOVE it! Thank you for another great video.

[@iQuasar]

BEST cooking SHOW 🙂

[@enzo9656]

Thanks for the inspiration. Great video

[@songulmcphee2669]

This looks close to perfect Chinese to me definitely try it,it’s my daughter’s favourite when we were in Hawaii every lunch time she would want Broccoli and Beef from “Panda Express “.Thanks for sharing appreciate it.:))))

[@olavschioett4101]

Thank you for teaching me this, dont have too many good brockly dishes in my arsinal ❤

[@mskraft2408]

you can also just grate up garlic and ginger with a microplane... you dont even need to peel the ginger! great recipe - keep it up!

[@christopherkarr1872]

You certainly *can*, but I'd recommend having a separate microplane for ginger and softer foods, like citrus - I've ruined a couple microplanes by grating ginger on them. The fibrous nature really dulls them quickly.

[@bobbrown6430]

simply thank you

[@L2.Lagrange]

Gonna have to try your version

[@JCrozier1]

first time viewer. nice techniques.

[@jadesmith6823]

Thanks from Australia 🦘

[@camillethompson6686]

Surprise, Surprise, looks delicious! Can't wait to try this. Thanks Stephen!😊

[@siapnotsiap3992]

Amazing recipe. I've seen another that coats the beef with an entire raw egg to improve the velvety texture. The sauce and marinade can be adjusted to your liking and kitchen availability, if you don't want it sweet, or are missing things like oyster sauce, chicken stock, sesame oil, cooking wine etc. Only the light soy sauce and cornstarch slurry are non-negotiable. The last element that adds the "smokiness" or the "wok-hey" is the heat itself. Try to have the flame in contact with your food as you toss near the edge of your pan, to get that effect without having to rely on a wok and massive fire.

[@jennifervoitic7183]

Can't wait to give this one a go - also definitely used your code to score my husband and I a carbon steel wok from Made In a couple years ago and I can't speak highly enough about it!

[@michaelchin3550]

Great job! The cheaper cuts of meat are also less fatty. Less on the heart. I love beef/chicken and broccoli. My "go to" meal.

[@Thexdmattx]

What a coincidence. I was gonna make some beef and broccoli today. Score!

[@MzJaySteve]

Love the content "switch"! I'm always trying to find ways to copy Chinese takeout...looks delicious 💜

[@LyonTheGreat]

I literally made this EXACT dish last night on impulse. I swear you read my mind.

[@poohbop]

Looks great. Will try. Thanks

[@richardly3159]

A succulent Chinese meal.

[@bliss252]

"WHAT is the charge!?" 😅

[@SunnyBlueSkyDay]

Happy New Year, Yum and thank you🎉

[@skipdog9912]

Great video, great content always! 🙌

[@josephkasprzyk4758]

Looks great!! Thanks for video!

[@andreasfjellborg1810]

I make it similar, but can be beef and asparagus tips, beef and broccoli, beef and bell pepper... whatever i have at home, think they all are awesome combinations.

[@deavonntebostick3324]

😌❤❤❤ my friend that look delicious.

[@izzlabel]

dude i just made this but i added 1tsp of hoisin and this bad boy impressed my mom (but she wont say it,i can just tell LOL). thank you sensi