How many of you out there who love Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)? When you walk around China town, you definitely have seen it and you walked past thru this window full of savory meats like chicken, duck and this Char Siu. It literally means pork roast and that’s how people used to cook it and it has so many applications, you can put it in fried rice, noodles and a lot more.
This is a very distinctive food item, it has a red color and when you bite into it, that’s where the magic happens. It’s a little charred and if cooked right, it should never be dried, you might think that it’s complicated to cook but I’m here to tell you that it’s not actually.
The pork that you need to cook is very important, so what I can recommend is the pork shoulder because it contains a lot of connective tissues that becomes tender after cooking. I bought mine from Costco which are already cut into strips and ready for marinating.
You’ll need an oven tray lined with foil and rack so that the Pork Cha Siu isn’t touching of the tray otherwise, it’s gonna get burned in one side and you don’t want that. It all depends on the thickness of your pork, so adjusting the cooking time is important.
For Leftovers – I tried to freeze the leftovers for future use (you can freeze it for up to 2 months, just wrap it with baking paper and cling wrap).
Char Siu is also used in Singapore Noodles, Chinese Fried Rice or Egg Fried Rice and is also perfectly served on Chinese Noodle Soup.
Sticky, tender Char Siu Pork Belly is surprisingly easy to make. Char Siu Pork is one of the most popular dishes in Chinese restaurants. 1.) For Leftovers: Wrap Char Siu pork in a baking paper and cling film and freeze for up to 2 months. 2.) You can find Chinese Shaoxing wine in the Asian aisle of many supermarkets or from any Asian grocer. Or you can substitute it with dry sherry. 3.) The red food coloring is to make the Char Siu red same as what you get in any Chinese BBQ shop (this is optional). But the authentic recipe for Char Siu uses red bean curd for color and flavor (this can be found at the Asian grocer). However, you can use Beetroot powder which is a natural alternative to the red food coloring typically used to make this dish. You can buy it in health food stores or the health food section of the supermarket. 4.) You can get Chinese five spice powder (a mix of spices) in the herb and spice section of supermarkets. Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
10 thoughts on “Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)”
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This looks so yum and tempting, I want to try this later. Thank you for sharing.
I made this last week and it was a huge hit with my family!! Im not a big fan of 5 spice so I left it out but it still came out great. Thank you for the recipe
This is the easiest Char Siu recipe I’ve ever read and I love the fact that you can use “beetroot powder” as an alternative to food coloring.
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This is genius.. I followed your instructions and it came out so delish. Now, I have leftovers perfect for my ramen noodles. Yes!!
I really want to try this dish as this looks so tempting. Will try to check the beetroot powder instead of using food coloring.
This looks yummy, I cant wait to try this. I guess, will try to use the fermented tofu as I found it in our local Asian market. Thank you for sharing.