Char Siu

Ingredients

Pork

• 1.2 kgpork shoulder or neck, in long strips about 5 cm thick

Marinade

• 3 tbsphoisin sauce
• 2 tbsplight soy sauce
• 1 tbspdark soy sauce
• 2 tbspShaoxing wine
• 3 tbspsugar
• 2 tbsphoney
• 1 tbspred fermented bean curd, with a little of its liquid
• 1 tspfive spice
• 4 clovesgarlic, minced
• 1 tspwhite pepper

Glaze

• 3 tbspmaltose, or honey
• 2 tbspof the marinade
• 1 tbsphot water

To serve

• steamed rice
• blanched greens
• a bowl of soup

Directions

1. Use pork shoulder or neck, not loin. Char siu needs fat marbled through it, which bastes the meat and keeps it juicy under the fierce heat. Cut it into long strips about five centimetres thick. Now the red colour, and an honest word about it.
2. Mash it smooth before adding it, since lumps do not disperse. Combine everything and rub it thoroughly into the pork. Now the marinating time it needs. Marinate overnight, and twenty-four hours is better. The strips are thick and the marinade needs real time to penetrate, so a couple of hours is not enough.
3. Turn the pork once or twice while it marinates. Keep some of the marinade aside for the glaze rather than using it all. Maltose is a very thick, sticky malt sugar sold in tubs in Chinese shops. Stand the tub in hot water for a few minutes, which softens it enough to work with. Mix it with hot water and some of the marinade to make a brushable glaze.
4. Set the pork on a rack over a tray of water in the oven. The water catches the drips and stops them burning and smoking, and it keeps the oven humid. Roast at 200°C for about twenty-five minutes, then turn the strips. Now the glazing, which is done in stages.
5. Brush the pork with glaze several times during cooking, turning it each time. Building the glaze in thin layers gives the deep lacquered finish, where one thick coat just burns.
6. Brush it three or four times over the cooking. For the last five minutes, raise the heat or switch to the grill. Let it rest for ten minutes before slicing. Slice it across the grain into pieces about half a centimetre thick.
7. Serve it over steamed rice with blanched greens and a spoonful of the pan juices. It fills char siu bao, the steamed barbecue pork buns, chopped and mixed with a thick sauce.

Technique

• Use shoulder or neck, since lean loin comes out dry.
• The traditional red comes from fermented bean curd, not food colouring.
• Build the glaze in several thin layers rather than one thick coat.

Substitutions

• Honey in place of maltose, which works well.
• Extra hoisin if red fermented bean curd is unavailable.

Variations

• Chopped into char siu bao, the steamed buns.
• Made with pork belly, which is richer.
• Made with a honey-only glaze, for a lighter colour.

History

Cantonese roast-meat shops skewer marinated pork strips over fire; the name means fork-roast, and maltose-honey glazing became standard in Hong Kong.

Frequently asked questions

What is Char Siu?

Char Siu is a main from China: cantonese barbecued pork glazed red with honey and five-spice, served over rice. Cantonese roast-meat shops skewer marinated pork strips over fire; the name means fork-roast, and maltose-honey glazing became standard in Hong Kong.

How long does Char Siu take to make?

Char Siu takes 20 min plus overnight marinating of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Char Siu?

Yes, within limits. Honey in place of maltose, which works well. Extra hoisin if red fermented bean curd is unavailable.

What is the most important thing to get right in Char Siu?

Mash it smooth before adding it, since lumps do not disperse. Combine everything and rub it thoroughly into the pork. Now the marinating time it needs. Marinate overnight, and twenty-four hours is better. The strips are thick and the marinade needs real time to penetrate, so a couple of hours is not enough.