Chinese Barbeque Pork (Char Siew)

Char Siew (Aug 2011)

My eldest son, Darren, has a thing for Char Siew or BBQ pork, so I try do prepare it at least once a month. Not that the rest of the family are complaining! I've made Char Siew with the oven, simmered in a wok, even fried in a Philip Airfryer. Now I use a combination of cooking methods to achieve the best juicy tender Char Siew.

There's not one recipe for a good Char Siew. Everyone has their own preference in terms of flavour and texture. What matters most is that you enjoy every morsel of it! Modify the recipe as you go along to suit your own taste. Happy trying!

Two different pieces of pork used - pork belly & shoulder loin

Char Siew Recipe

Ingredient:
500gm pork (belly/shoulder)

Marinade:
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rose wine
1/2 tsp 5 spice powder
1 tsp maltose syrup
1 tbsp castor sugar
1/2 tsp of dark soy sauce for colouring

Glazing (mixed together):
Hoisin sauce
Maltose syrup
Oil

Method:

1. Marinade pork at least 2 hours before.
2. To cook pork, you could either place pork in tray into the oven @ 220 deg celcius for 15 min or simmer pork in wok for 10 min.
3. To grill pork till slightly charred, you could either place pork on grilling rack of the oven for another 15min or place pork in airfryer for 15 min at 160 deg celcius. For both methods, glaze meat frequently with the marinade on both sides of meat.

Note: You do not get a lot of sauce at the end with this recipe. If you like more sauce, you can cook the balance marinade with 1/4 a cup of water.