Chinese BBQ Pork Char Siu
Serves 1
Directions
- 1Add 5 tablespoons of sugar and 3 tablespoons of honey into a pot.
- 2Add fermented bean curd and mash it with a spatula.
- 3Add 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, half a teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of five-spice powder, 1 tablespoon of grated garlic, and 1 tablespoon of red yeast powder.
- 4Stir the sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes to reduce the liquid.
- 5Mix 1 tablespoon of tapioca starch with 1 tablespoon of water.
- 6Thicken the sauce with the tapioca starch water, stirring until it forms a syrup-like texture.
- 7Let the sauce cool on the side.
- 8Cut 2.5 lb of boneless pork shoulder into 1.5-inch thick slabs.
- 9Make a cut in the middle of each pork slab, but don't cut it off completely.
- 10Grab a fork to poke a lot of holes in the pork.
- 11Drizzle 3 tablespoons of Chinese cooking wine (or rose cooking wine/dry sherry) and rub it all over the meat.
- 12Use paper towels to absorb excess moisture on the surface of the pork.
- 13Place the pork into a bowl and add the cooled char siu sauce.
- 14Mix the pork thoroughly with the sauce.
- 15Cover the bowl and leave it in the fridge overnight. Optionally, you can mix it again in the middle of the night.
- 16Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C).
- 17Put the marinated meat on a baking rack.
- 18Stick the meat into the oven and roast for 20 minutes.
- 19Take the char siu out of the oven and brush the leftover sauce on the surface. Flip and brush the other side.
- 20Stick the meat back into the oven and bake for another 20 minutes.
- 21Take the meat out again and brush a thin layer of 2.5 tablespoons of honey on the surface. Flip and brush the other side.
- 22Put it back into the oven and continue to cook for 5 to 10 more minutes until the meat is beautifully charred.
- 23Slice the char siu into pieces.
- 24Serve it with a mound of white rice and some blanched choy sum on the side.
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoon Sugar
- 3 tablespoon Honey
- Fermented Bean Curd
- 3 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 0.5 teaspoon Salt
- 0.5 teaspoon Five-spice Powder
- 1 tablespoon Grated Garlic
- 1 tablespoon Red Yeast Powder
- 1 tablespoon Tapioca Starch
- 1 tablespoon Water
- 2.5 lb Pork Shoulder or Pork Butt
- 3 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine Or Rose Cooking Wine
- 2.5 tablespoon Honey
- White Rice
- Blanched Choy Sum
Equipment
potspatulaknifecutting boardforkpaper towelsbowllidovenbaking racktongsbrush
Tips
- If you don't have access to buy fermented tofu, you can use 1 tablespoon of Japanese miso paste. Although the flavor may be different, considering miso is also a fermented soy product, it will level up the flavor of your roasted pork.
- Red yeast powder is just for the color, it has no flavor, so it doesn't affect the taste at all. You can replace it with 12 drops of red food coloring or skip it if you don't care about the presentation.
- Poking holes in the meat helps the marinade infuse into the meat evenly.
- Cantonese restaurants would use a special cooking wine that is infused with a rose fragrance, which pairs really well with the honey flavor. If you can't find it, you can use regular cooking wine or dry sherry.
- Use paper towels to absorb the excess moisture on the surface of the meat so it doesn't dilute the sauce.
- Using a baking rack allows better air circulation during baking.
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