Char Siu
(Chinese Barbecued Pork) Recipe

Origin: Chinese      Period: Traditional

This sweet and sticky barbecued pork dish is one of the delights of Chinese cookery. It is also integral to much of Chinese cookery as we know it (this is the basis for the pork in special fried rice). It can also be used as a filling in Dim sum steamed pork buns. You can eat it on its own as a roast meat or you can shred add to a whole range of rice and noodle dishes (even Chinese soups).

Ingredients

2 pork fillets
150ml light soy sauce
90ml dark soy sauce
150ml runny honey
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp Chinese Five Spice powder
250ml Chinese rice wine
90ml hoisin sauce
2 x 3cm lengths of ginger, crushed
8 garlic cloves, crushed

For the glaze
4 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Char Siu
(Chinese Barbecued Pork) Preparation:

Method:

Set the pork aside in a bowl and mix the next 10 ingredients together in a saucepan. Warm gently until all the sugar has dissolved then pour the mixture over the pork. Cover and set aside in the fridge for at least 8 hours, turning every now and then to ensure even coating.

Transfer the meat to a rack in a roasting tin and baste with a little of the marinade (put about 2 cm of water in the base of the tin). Set in an oven pre-heated to 210°C and roast for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, baste the top of the meat then turn over and baste again. Reduce the oven to 180°C and roast for a further 10 minutes before repeating the basting process once more. Return to the oven and cook for a final 10 minutes.

Transfer the meat to a plate then drain the water from the roasting tin. Beat together the glaze ingredients to mix and use this to brush the meat liberally. Pre-heat a grill to high and line a grill rack with foil. Sit the meat on this and cook under the grill for about 5 miutes, or until the glaze begins to appear glossy. Turn the meat, glaze again and cook again until this side begins to caramelize.

The meat can be served hot on a bed of rice (allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving) or it can be cooled and used in other recipes.

Read: Recipe Articles and Reviews

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