This is a traditional Chinese dish and can be found in ANY Chinese restaurant that sells "Chinese BBQ". This stuff is usually pretty cheap, so why should you bother to make it at home? So that you can be more bold with the flavours, that's why! Did you know that char siu has ginger in it? Can you actually taste the soy in the soy sauce? Why not amp it up a little?
This is my variation on the traditional recipe which has a more pronounced ginger and soy punch. Sous-vide'ing the pork prior to cooking is definitely not traditional - it allows me to use a less fatty cut, so it is healthier. The prolonged cooking time also packs the meat full of flavour - which makes up for the lower fat content. If you are planning to cook it the traditional way, you need a cut which has more fat. Pork belly is the traditional cut.
INGREDIENTS
The quantities given below are for my recipe. For a traditional method, see comments.
- Japanese soy sauce (3T) - use 6T if omitting the fermented soybean paste
- Oyster sauce (5T)
- Sesame oil (1t)
- Fermented soybean paste (3T) - optional
- Honey (3T)
- Malt extract (3T)
- Five spice powder (1T)
- White pepper (1T)
- Hsiaoxing wine (5T),
- Ginger (3cm, minced) - either omit or reduce the quantity if you do not like ginger
- Garlic cloves (4, minced)
- Pork neck (2kg) - use pork belly if not planning to sous-vide
METHOD
Mix all marinade ingredients together and leave to marinade in a sealed plastic bag overnight. Preheat a sous-vide bath to 62C, then sous-vide for 18 hours. After the sous-vide, allow the pork to rest to room temperature. Drain off the liquid from the bag, then reduce over high heat until thick and sticky. Return the pork to the marinade and fire up the BBQ.
If using pork belly, make sure you trim all the skin and as much fat as possible before marinading.
If not using sous-vide, simply remove the pork from the marinade and reduce the marinade over high heat as above, then return the pork to the marinade and proceed to the next step.
Chargrill over open flame, basting frequently. When you get little burnt bits, the pork is ready. Slice thinly as shown above.
Dinner tonight: chicken rice with char siu and choy sum.
This is my variation on the traditional recipe which has a more pronounced ginger and soy punch. Sous-vide'ing the pork prior to cooking is definitely not traditional - it allows me to use a less fatty cut, so it is healthier. The prolonged cooking time also packs the meat full of flavour - which makes up for the lower fat content. If you are planning to cook it the traditional way, you need a cut which has more fat. Pork belly is the traditional cut.
INGREDIENTS
The quantities given below are for my recipe. For a traditional method, see comments.
- Japanese soy sauce (3T) - use 6T if omitting the fermented soybean paste
- Oyster sauce (5T)
- Sesame oil (1t)
- Fermented soybean paste (3T) - optional
- Honey (3T)
- Malt extract (3T)
- Five spice powder (1T)
- White pepper (1T)
- Hsiaoxing wine (5T),
- Ginger (3cm, minced) - either omit or reduce the quantity if you do not like ginger
- Garlic cloves (4, minced)
- Pork neck (2kg) - use pork belly if not planning to sous-vide
METHOD
Mix all marinade ingredients together and leave to marinade in a sealed plastic bag overnight. Preheat a sous-vide bath to 62C, then sous-vide for 18 hours. After the sous-vide, allow the pork to rest to room temperature. Drain off the liquid from the bag, then reduce over high heat until thick and sticky. Return the pork to the marinade and fire up the BBQ.
If using pork belly, make sure you trim all the skin and as much fat as possible before marinading.
If not using sous-vide, simply remove the pork from the marinade and reduce the marinade over high heat as above, then return the pork to the marinade and proceed to the next step.
Chargrill over open flame, basting frequently. When you get little burnt bits, the pork is ready. Slice thinly as shown above.
Dinner tonight: chicken rice with char siu and choy sum.
