# How does the Chinese restaurant do it?



## callahan9119 (Aug 27, 2011)

They have this dish, sizzling steak in a black pepper sauce, it comes on one of those sizzle plates. It's completely pointless to ask them how they get the steak the way they do, the most helpful response I ever got there was when I asked what was in the brown sauce, she said "brown sauce". Otherwise I get nothing to help me with menu questions, but damn they have good food.

I've recreated the pepper sauce perfectly, what I did was got top round steaks, very quickly browned it in my cast irin skillet and put it in the sauce to slow cook for a while. The steak came out nothing like theirs, it was very "tender", but it had a dryness to it that the restaurant doesn't have. Theirs is so soft and moist it's unbelievable. How do they do it? Some kind of marinade or something?

They can't be using an expensive cut, because the dish only costs 10 bucks.


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## powerplantop (Aug 27, 2011)

callahan9119 said:


> They have this dish, sizzling steak in a black pepper sauce, it comes on one of those sizzle plates. It's completely pointless to ask them how they get the steak the way they do, the most helpful response I ever got there was when I asked what was in the brown sauce, she said "brown sauce". Otherwise I get nothing to help me with menu questions, but damn they have good food.
> 
> I've recreated the pepper sauce perfectly, what I did was got top round steaks, very quickly browned it in my cast irin skillet and put it in the sauce to slow cook for a while. The steak came out nothing like theirs, it was very "tender", but it had a dryness to it that the restaurant doesn't have. Theirs is so soft and moist it's unbelievable. How do they do it? Some kind of marinade or something?
> 
> They can't be using an expensive cut, because the dish only costs 10 bucks.



Velveting creates a very tender and moist beef. To see how I velvet beef watch this. I no longer make this sauce. One time it it is good another not so good. Depending upon how I measure.
Beef with Broccoli - YouTube 

For a brown sauce try the sauce I use in this one.
Mongolian Beef - YouTube


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## callahan9119 (Aug 27, 2011)

Thank You!

I was dumbfounded over how they did that to such cheap "steak".


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## powerplantop (Aug 27, 2011)

callahan9119 said:


> Thank You!
> 
> I was dumbfounded over how they did that to such cheap "steak".



Velveting works, I love the results but it is really a cheat to put out more dishes in a short time. The beef in the Mongolian video was very tender and tasty. By velveting they can cook beef ahead of time and keep it ready to go.


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## CharlieD (Aug 28, 2011)

Thanks for the videos.


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## Aunt Bea (Aug 28, 2011)

Power,
 Thanks for the videos, they are very helpful!


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## powerplantop (Aug 28, 2011)

CharlieD said:


> Thanks for the videos.



Your welcome



Aunt Bea said:


> Power,
> Thanks for the videos, they are very helpful!



Your welcome


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## callahan9119 (Aug 28, 2011)

@Powerplantop

I really like your pictures on flickr, you appear to travel alot.  It looks like you eat a lot of good restaurant food  make a lot of good stuff yourself.


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## powerplantop (Aug 28, 2011)

callahan9119 said:


> @Powerplantop
> 
> I really like your pictures on flickr, you appear to travel alot.  It looks like you eat a lot of good restaurant food  make a lot of good stuff yourself.



Thank you. Yes I travel all of the time, so I eat a lot of meals at restaurants. I try to eat healthy and local. I love to cook and my travels influence my cooking. The mongolian beef video I posted was me cooking in Chile. My next location is Colombia.


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## Kayelle (Aug 28, 2011)

I always enjoy your cooking video's PP!  I really appreciate they are straightforward and non pretentious, and thanks for going to the trouble of making them.  Sometime ago I watched a video about how to do the velveting method and the girl was so annoying I gave up.


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## buckytom (Aug 28, 2011)

great videos ppt!!! it's fun to see the people behind the food pics and recipes. thanks very much.


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## callahan9119 (Aug 28, 2011)

I watched the video and in the comments section you said you had found a better way than that.


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## powerplantop (Aug 28, 2011)

callahan9119 said:


> I watched the video and in the comments section you said you had found a better way than that.



For the meat I do it like I do in the mongolian beef video. For my beef and broccoli I do it more like I do in my pan fried noodles with beef and broccoli video. I am always learning more and updating how I do things.


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## powerplantop (Aug 28, 2011)

Kayelle said:


> I always enjoy your cooking video's PP!  I really appreciate they are straightforward and non pretentious, and thanks for going to the trouble of making them.  Sometime ago I watched a video about how to do the velveting method and the girl was so annoying I gave up.



I started doing them to show friends and family how I made the things that they liked. I have just continued on with that style. 

I think I know the girl you are talking about. I watch her videos but her voice does grate on some peoples nerves. She does do more of the American style Chinese where I am trying to learn the real Chinese methods.


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## powerplantop (Aug 28, 2011)

buckytom said:


> great videos ppt!!! it's fun to see the people behind the food pics and recipes. thanks very much.



Thank you. I don't think I will be doing a lot of cooking for the next few months (hotel living). So I am planning a series on food photography for beginners.


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## Dawgluver (Aug 28, 2011)

powerplantop said:
			
		

> Thank you. I don't think I will be doing a lot of cooking for the next few months (hotel living). So I am planning a series on food photography for beginners.



Unable to view on my iPad, as your video requires Adobe Flash.  Weird, as I can view most Youtube vids.  Will have to check it out on the seldom used PC.


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## callahan9119 (Aug 29, 2011)

I'm semi confused after watching the video. Do you have to deep fry the steaks to achieve the results? You replied to a comment recently in that video that said you had found a better way to do the meat.

Can I simply use this velveting "marinade" then simmer the steaks in the sauce, do I brown it first, deep fry them?


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## powerplantop (Aug 29, 2011)

callahan9119 said:


> I'm semi confused after watching the video. Do you have to deep fry the steaks to achieve the results? You replied to a comment recently in that video that said you had found a better way to do the meat.
> 
> Can I simply use this velveting "marinade" then simmer the steaks in the sauce, do I brown it first, deep fry them?



The better way thatI found is basically what I do in the mongolian beef video. Marinade with corn starch (no egg) hit it with a hot work until 75 to 80% done take out finish the veggies then put the meat back in. 

You can also do the velveting up to the frying part then blanch it in boiling water. Then sear it in the wok. I have not tried that with beef but have read about it. It does work with chicken.


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