THE STICKY QUESTION OF COATINGS
The only coating that beef and pork usually get is a simple corn starch slurry used for marinating the raw meats. But with deep-fried fish and chicken there are a number of different coating that are determined by the effect you’re trying to achieve and your personal taste. The thicker the coating the more sauce it will absorb. The thicker the coating the more steam plays a role in the cooking method. If you like the food severed at your local mall food court you’ll want to use a thicker coating. That not to say that thick coatings are bad and in fact some they’re important parts of many dishes that showcase sauces like lemon chicken or sweet and sour pork.
CHICKEN
- Corn starch, rice wine, soy, water or stock is the second most frequent method
- Egg then dredged in corn starch
- Corn starch and egg beaten to a batter
- Corn starch, ginger, green onion, rice wine and water or stock
- Whole egg, ginger, green onion, rice wine, flour or corn starch
- Whole egg, ginger, green onion, rice wine, flour or corn starch and soy
- Whole egg, ginger, green onion, rice wine, flour and corn starch and soy
- Egg whites and any of the above combinations
- Whipped egg whites when you want a soft covering
- A little baking powder when you want a really aerated coating
- Traditionally rendered chicken or pork fat is sometimes used or try sesame oil
Instead of using water I prefer stock
Instead of using salt I prefer chicken, fish or pork base and it’s needed in all of the above
I also prefer white pepper to black and it also belongs in the above
FISH FILLET
- Dredged in cornstarch or flour
- Cornstarch and water or stock batter
- Egg, soy, salt then cornstarch dredge
- Flour, baking powder and water or stock batter
- Flour and egg batter
- You can add soy sauce or rice wine to any of the above and I often use dry mustard,
- ginger, celery salt or garlic powder in my batters
FRIED SHRIMP IN BATTERS
- Egg, water or stock, flour and shrimp base
- Flour, baking powder, water or stock, shrimp base or salt, white pepper
- Whip 3 egg whites and 2 Tablespoons cornstarch till peaked, dredge shrimp in cornstarch then coat in the beaten egg whites
