What issues should be noted when making shredded meat
Pork shreds "is a common home cooked dish with various methods (such as stir frying, dipping, mixing, etc.), but regardless of the method, in order to make the pork shreds fresh, tender, and evenly flavored, the following key issues need to be noted when making:
Pork shreds "is a common home cooked dish with various methods (such as stir frying, dipping, mixing, etc.), but regardless of the method, in order to make the pork shreds fresh, tender, and evenly flavored, the following key issues need to be noted when making:
1、 Food processing: Selecting meat and cutting into shreds are the foundation
1. Choose the right part of the meat
Different parts of meat are suitable for different cooking methods. For stir fried shredded meat, it is recommended to choose pork tenderloin, pork tenderloin, or plum blossom meat:
Pork tenderloin: the most tender, suitable for quick stir frying and stir frying;
Tong Ji Rou: The meat is slightly firm and cost-effective, suitable for stir frying with vegetables;
Plum blossom meat: a combination of fat and lean, with a strong aroma after stir frying, suitable for those who do not like the taste of pure lean meat.
Avoid choosing parts with more fascia and older meat texture (such as pork belly and elbow meat), otherwise it will be easy to stir fry and difficult to chew.
2. Cutting technique: Straight line cutting or reverse line cutting?
The key is to look at the texture of the meat: muscle fibers (patterns) are clearly visible, and when cutting, it is necessary to "reverse cut" - that is, the knife is perpendicular to the texture of the meat at a 90 ° angle, cutting off the long fibers. This way, after frying, it will be more tender to bite and there will be no "stuck teeth" long fibers.
For example, if the texture of the meat is vertical (from top to bottom), cut horizontally and cut into horizontal shredded meat.
3. Uniform thickness of shredded meat
When cutting silk, try to cut it evenly in thickness and length (about 0.3-0.5 centimeters wide and 5-6 centimeters long), to avoid some being cooked, some still being raw, or uneven heating causing some parts to become too old.
2、 Marination: a key step in determining the tenderness of shredded meat
The purpose of marinating is to make the shredded meat more tender and flavorful in advance, avoiding dehydration and discoloration during direct frying. Specific steps:
Basic seasoning: Add a little salt, soy sauce (or cooking wine), and white pepper powder (optional, to remove fishy smell) to the shredded meat. Use your hands to mix well and let the seasoning penetrate into the meat.
Lock water to enhance tenderness: Add 1-2 tablespoons of water (or scallion ginger water), grab until the shredded meat absorbs moisture (feels sticky), then add 1 tablespoon of starch (corn starch, potato starch can both be used), grab evenly to form a protective film, lock in moisture; Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and mix well to further isolate moisture, making it less likely to stick to the bottom of the pan when stir frying.
Attention: Do not add too much salt to avoid dehydration of shredded meat; Don't overdo it with starch, otherwise the taste will become sticky after stir frying.
Add bonus points for removing fishy smell: If it's pork, you can add a little scallion ginger water; Beef can be mixed with a little baking soda (but not too much, otherwise it will have an alkaline taste); Lamb can be mixed with a little cooking wine or lemon juice to reduce the fishy smell.
3、 Stir fry: Control the heat and timing
1. Oil temperature and heat
Stir fry shredded meat quickly over medium high heat to avoid dehydration and discoloration caused by slow frying over low heat.
When the oil temperature is 60% hot (about 180 ℃, the oil surface is slightly smoking, and there are small bubbles around the chopsticks), pour in shredded meat and stir fry quickly until the surface changes color (about 10-15 seconds). Immediately remove and set aside (i.e. "stir fry"), avoiding prolonged frying.
If paired with vegetables, stir fry the vegetables until they are half cooked and serve; Stir fry the shredded meat until it changes color, pour back the vegetables, add seasonings and stir fry evenly to reduce the time the shredded meat stays in the pot.
2. Avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot
Boil the pot in advance until it smokes, then pour a little oil to moisten the pot (i.e. "hot pot and cool oil"), or add cooking oil when marinating, which can reduce sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Don't flip the shredded meat quickly after putting it in the pot. Wait until the bottom is slightly set before using chopsticks to spread it apart and avoid stirring it up.
3. Seasoning timing
Basic seasonings have been added during pickling, and when stir frying, only additional seasonings need to be added based on the ingredients used (such as vegetables, sauces) (such as dark soy sauce coloring, oyster sauce to enhance freshness), to avoid adding salt repeatedly and causing excessive saltiness.
Add a little light oil (cooked oil) to brighten the color, stir fry for 1-2 seconds before serving, do not stir fry for too long.
4、 Match and Detail: Enhance Taste and Flavor
1. Preparation of food ingredients for pairing
If paired with vegetables such as green peppers, celery, garlic sprouts, etc., they need to be processed in advance:
Cut vegetables into shreds that match the thickness of the shredded meat;
Vegetables that are not easy to ripen, such as carrots and bamboo shoots, can be blanched in advance; Easy to cook (such as green peppers and onions) can be stir fried directly to avoid softening and releasing water after frying for too long.
2. Avoid the misconception of being too rigid
Don't stir fry until fully cooked before serving: When the surface of the shredded meat changes color and the inside is slightly pink, it can be served (later when stir fried with vegetables, it will continue to be heated until fully cooked), otherwise it is easy to age.
Don't heat it repeatedly: It's best to finish stir fried shredded meat at once, as reheating it again can cause water loss and make the taste worse.
3. Taste adaptation
Likes tender taste: when marinating, grab more water, slightly more starch, stir fry quickly to remove;
Likes to have chewiness: can reduce starch, stir fry for a slightly longer time (but not too long), suitable for pairing with heavy flavored seasonings (such as chili, Douban sauce).