Authentic Cantonese Char Siu

1h 30m
Serves 4
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Directions

  1. 1Lightly stab all over the pork with a fork.
  2. 2In a bowl, add all the seasonings for the marinade.
  3. 3Add ginger, garlic, scallions, cilantro stems, and shallot to the seasonings and mix well.
  4. 4Transfer the pork into a large ziplock bag.
  5. 5Pour the marinade into the bag with the pork and massage it all over.
  6. 6Marinate the pork in the fridge overnight.
  7. 7On the second day, preheat the oven to 400°F.
  8. 8Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil.
  9. 9Place the pork on a roasting rack on the baking pan.
  10. 10Pour the rest of the marinade sauce into a bowl for later use.
  11. 11Transfer the pork into the oven and bake for 30 minutes at 400°F.
  12. 12Remove the roasting pan from the oven.
  13. 13Brush the reserved marinade sauce all over one side of the pork.
  14. 14Turn the pork and brush the marinade sauce on the other side.
  15. 15Place the roasting pan back in the oven and bake for another 30 minutes at 400°F.
  16. 16In the meantime, add the ingredients for the syrup (maltose or honey, sugar, water) to a small saucepan.
  17. 17Stir the syrup ingredients until dissolved on low heat.
  18. 18Take out the roasting pan from the oven.
  19. 19Brush the syrup all over one side of the pork.
  20. 20Turn the pork again and brush the syrup onto the other side.
  21. 21Place the roasting pan back in the oven and bake for another 20 minutes at 400°F.
  22. 22Remove the pork from the oven and let it cool down slightly.
  23. 23Slice the chashu into bite-sized pieces.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 pounds pork butt
  • 2 pieces fermented red bean curd
  • 2 tbsp sauce from the jar of fermented red bean curd
  • 2 tbsp chu hou paste
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp rose cooking wine
  • 4 tbsp sugar
  • 0.5 tsp five-spice powder
  • 0.5 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tsp minced ginger
  • 3 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 stalk scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces, lightly smashed
  • 1 bunch cilantro, cut into 2-inch pieces, lightly smashed
  • 1 shallot, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch pieces, lightly smashed
  • 3 tbsp maltose or honey
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 6 tbsp water

Equipment

forkbowllarge ziplock bagbaking panaluminum foilroasting racksmall sauce pan

Tips

  • To marinate the pork, turn the bag around after 4 to 6 hours to ensure even flavoring.
  • For the glaze, stir until the ingredients are dissolved quickly on low heat.
  • Allow the chashu to cool down slightly before slicing into bite-sized pieces.