Chinese recipes: char siu (barbecued pork)

Char siu is a very popular dish in Cantonese cuisine. Its name literally means “fork roast” as the traditional way of preparing the dish is to skewer the long strips of the seasoned pork with long forks and cook them in a covered oven or over a fire. The marinade used in making char siu gives it a distinct deep red color and some cooks even use red food coloring to heighten the color, but it's really not necessary.

Classified as a type of sui mei or Cantonese roast meat dish, char siu is usually bought in specialty shops that offer other types of roasted meat such as goose and duck. Sui mei is made in large rotisserie ovens to ensure that the meat cooks evenly on all sides. This makes these dishes a takeaway staple, as most people don't have the equipment for it.

A way to achieve the same cooking method at home is to hang the meat from metal S-hooks found in hardware stores. If this sounds too complicated, just put the meat straight onto the oven rack, so that the hot air cooks it on all sides.

When making char siu, choose meat with a bit of fat, so that the dish remains moist while cooking. Pork shoulder is the cut usually used when making char siu. Hoisin sauce, as well as light and dark soy sauce, is readily available in Asian stores. You can make your own five-spice powder or buy a pack from a grocery store. If you can't find Shaoxing rice wine, substitute dry sherry.

Char sui is usually placed inside a steamed bun to make the Cantonese dish cha siu baau. It can also be served with noodles, rice, or mixed with vegetables to make a main dish.

The following recipe from Wikipedia is enough to make several dishes. Try some as a filling for baozi. It can be kept in the refrigerator for several days or frozen in small batches until needed.

Char siu

Steamed buns with char siu filling (Image: Wikipedia)Ingredients:

1 kg pork shoulder
2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
2 Tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
2 Tbsp clear honey
4 Tbsp hoisin sauce
½ tsp five spice powder

Method:

1. Slice the meat into strips about 1 inch wide by 6 inches long. A long thin strip like this will keep its shape better when hanging.

2. Pierce the pork all over thoroughly with a fork. This make the pork more tender and allows the marinade to penetrate the meat to give flavour all the way through.

3. Mix all other ingredients together.

4. Place pork strips in a tray and cover with marinade. Ensure strips are covered completely in marinade.

5. Cover tightly with cling film and place in the refrigerator for several hours. Overnight or for 24 hours is preferable.

6. Preheat the oven to 230°C and place a pan in the bottom to catch drippings. Line this pan with aluminium foil to make cleaning easier.

7. Hang the meat on hooks in the oven or lay them on a rack. Depending on the method and the size of your oven, it may be easiest to do this in two or three batches, rather than all at once.

8. Roast for 20 minutes, until pork is cooked all the way through. Baste at least twice to build up a good layer of marinade on the outside of the meat. The pork should turn a golden-red colour as it cooks.

9. Allow to cool while still hanging, or lay on wire rack to cool. Avoid laying on top of other meat or on a flat surface until cooled.

10. Cover and refrigerate until needed.