What starch to use for stir-frying meat

Many housewives will consciously add some starch when stir-frying meat to make the meat more tender. However, not all starches are suitable. When frying meat, you should add appropriate amount of starch based on the desired taste of the meat. For example, you can add corn starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, etc. The meat prepared with different types of starch will have slightly different tastes. So what kind of starch should be used for stir-frying meat? What are the effects of adding various starches?

What starch to use for stir-fried pork

1. What kind of starch is used for stir-fried pork? Corn starch

Corn starch is also called maize starch. Common name: six-grain powder. White slightly yellowish powder. The corn is soaked in 0.3% sulfurous acid and then processed through processes such as crushing, screening, precipitation, drying, and grinding. Ordinary products contain small amounts of fat, protein, etc. Corn is recognized as the "golden crop" in the world. Its fat, phosphorus and vitamin B2 content ranks first among cereal foods. Cornmeal contains linoleic acid and vitamin E, which can lower the cholesterol level in the human body and thus reduce the occurrence of arteriosclerosis. Cornmeal contains more calcium and iron, which can prevent hypertension and coronary heart disease. Modern medical research shows that cornmeal is rich in glutathione, an anti-cancer factor that can combine with a variety of foreign chemical carcinogens in the human body, making them lose their toxicity and then be excreted from the body through the digestive tract. Coarsely ground cornmeal contains a lot of lysine, which can inhibit tumor growth. Cornmeal also contains the trace element selenium, which can accelerate the decomposition of oxides in the human body and inhibit malignant tumors. The rich dietary fiber in cornmeal can promote intestinal peristalsis, shorten the time for food to pass through the digestive tract, reduce the absorption of toxic substances and the stimulation of carcinogens to the colon, thereby reducing the occurrence of colon cancer.

2. What starch is used for stir-fried pork? Potato starch

Modified potato starch has a high degree of expansion and strong water absorption capacity. During the heating process, the meat protein is denatured by heat to form a network structure. Since there is still some water in the mesh that is not tightly bound, it is absorbed and fixed by the starch particles, making the starch particles soft and elastic, playing a dual role of adhesion and water retention. Meat products with added modified potato starch have uniform and delicate texture, tight structure, elasticity, smooth cross-section, fresh and tender taste, and strong water retention when stored for a long time or refrigerated at low temperature.

3. What starch to use for stir-fried pork? Sweet potato starch

The starch in sweet potatoes becomes a paste after heating, which ensures that the heat-insensitive and water-soluble vitamin C is well protected. The minerals in it play a very important role in maintaining and regulating human body functions. The calcium and magnesium in sweet potato starch can prevent osteoporosis; potassium has the effect of lowering blood pressure. After sweet potatoes are steamed and cooked, part of the starch changes, which can increase the dietary fiber content by about 40% compared to eating them raw. The increase of various water-insoluble fibers can effectively stimulate the intestines and promote defecation. When people cut sweet potatoes, they will find that a white liquid will seep out from under the skin. The mirabilis glycosides in this white liquid have a laxative effect. The combined effects of dietary fiber and mirabilis glycosides make the laxative effect of sweet potatoes have a good effect that is neither too fast nor too slow.

Dry starch method and starch coating method for stir-fried shredded pork

1. Dry starch method

Main force: dry starch

Application: Fried meat dishes

Cut the whole piece of lean meat into strips 5cm wide and 3cm high along the fiber texture of the meat. Cut the meat into slices 0.3 cm thick by cutting perpendicular to the fiber texture of the meat. Put the meat slices in a large bowl, add 2 teaspoons of dry starch and mix well until all the meat slices are thinly coated with dry starch. Let it stand for 30 minutes. Take out the meat slices, shake off the excess dry starch, add seasonings and cook normally.

2. Pulping method

Main force: cornstarch

Application: Fried meat dishes

First, cut the whole piece of meat into slices according to the method of cutting meat slices, and then cut it into shredded meat. Put appropriate amount of salt, cooking wine and cornstarch in a large bowl and mix well to make tender meat paste. The ratio of salt, cooking wine and cornstarch is 1:2:2. Put the shredded pork into the tender meat paste, add appropriate amount of shredded green onion and ginger for seasoning, knead it evenly with your hands, and let it sit for 20 minutes. Before putting the starched shredded meat into the pan, mix it again with your hands. If water comes out, filter out the excess starch water and then fry it.

Is it harmful to eat too much starch?

Starch is a polysaccharide composed of glucose and is an important energy source for the human body. Rice is mostly starch, so eating starch every day is not harmful to the human body. Starch not only plays an important role in cooking and seasoning, but also has rich nutritional value. Starch is the most abundant carbohydrate in the human diet, so there is no need to worry that starch will be harmful to the human body.

Many foods are high in starch but contain only low amounts of fat and calories. For example, bread, rice, pasta, oats, beans, fruit, and potatoes. The reason they make you fat is because you eat too much of them or you add all kinds of high-fat and high-calorie ingredients like butter, ice cream, syrup, etc. Remember, starch is one of the three major energy substances in the human body. The American Dietary Guidelines for Weight Loss recommends consuming 6-11 servings of cereals per day. Of course, you have to be mindful of how big a serving is: just one slice of bread, or an ounce of cooked oats, or half a bowl of pasta or rice. Try to avoid adding various high-calorie seasonings to food.