Chicken velvet

A preparation of finely minced chicken breast, which is made light and fluffy by the addition of egg white. It is used to add taste, texture and substance to soups, such as Winter melon soup and Bird’s nest soup.

2 chicken breasts, about 450g (1 lb), skinned and boned
2.5ml (1/2 tsp) salt
10ml (2 tsp) iced water
10ml (2 tsp) corn flour
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Method

1. Turn the chicken breast inside out and pull off the 2 fillits.

2. Hold the end of the white tendon of each fillet with the fingers of one hand and scrape the flesh away from it with a Chinese cleaver or knife. Discard the tendons.

3. Holding the large end of one chicken breast, scrape the flesh going with the grain from the small end all the way to the large end, discarding membranes and fat as you go. Repeat with the other breast and then with the 2 fillets.

4. Gather together the chicken flesh, sprinkle with the salt and start chopping, adding drops of the iced water and folding the flesh back to the centre from time to time. Chop for about 3 minutes or until the meat is very finely minced.

5. Scrape up the meat and transfer it to a bowl. Blend in the cornflour and egg and stir in the same direction until a light purée – the velvet – is achieved. This can be refrigerated, covered, for a few hours before it is used.

Steps 3 and 4 can be done in a food processor or blender, adding all the iced water and salt to the roughly cut up chicken breast before mincing.

Taken from Yan-kit So’s book “Yan-Kit’s Classic Chinese Cookbook” with permission. © Yan-kit So. Published by Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 0-7513-0563-4.