There are many reasons to love stir fries, from the healthy veggies and flavorful protein to the sweet, savory, tangy sauces and quick and easy prep time. If you want to love your stir fry even more, try this classic Chinese cooking technique, called velveting, to make your protein of choice even more tender, silky, and smooth.

Velveting is a marinating technique that helps lock in moisture in meat and seafood before it’s cooked. The velveting process starts by slicing the protein into strips before tossing them in a mixture of egg white, cornstarch or corn flour, rice wine, and salt, and marinating all of that for about 30 minutes.

After marinating, quickly cook your protein in oil so that it is par-cooked before tossing it into your final stir fry. For a healthier, less oil-based alternative, try water-velveting: take your marinated protein and blanch it for about 30 to 40 seconds in a pot of boiling water with just a bit of oil added.