Once you learn how to make Chinese BBQ (Char Siu) Pork at home, you’ll be whipping it up for your loved ones all the time. You’ll find most of the ingredients in mainstream supermarkets.
WATCH VIDEO: if you’re a visual learner, watch me make it here!
Serve with seasoned sesame rice
Growing up, we’d always go to this one Char Siu Pork vendor at the local Chinatown just 10 minutes from my house. He made the best Char Siu and BBQ Pork. It wasn’t just the meat I loved, but the whole experience, particularly the fragrant, fluffy rice. Because of this, I always serve Char Siu pork with rice that has been seasoned with a bit of sesame oil and salt. This simple addition makes a subtle yet distinguishable difference, creating a fragrant, yummy rice. A little goes a long way, leaving you with a restaurant-style dish!
Easy roast method
The method for cooking Char Siu pork is fairly straightforward. In summary, add all your marinade ingredients and a dash of red colouring (optional) into a small pot on low heat and stir. When the marinade is done, mix it in with the pork and leave to marinate overnight. When ready to cook, brush over some extra glaze and then pop in the oven until cooked through (total ~40 minutes). Finally, remove from the oven, let it rest for 15 minutes and slice. Dish up with fresh cucumber slices and fluffy rice. I’ve tried a number of Char Siu pork recipes, and have landed on this one being the best. It’s unsurprisingly, from Marion’s Kitchen.
Chinese BBQ (Char Siu) Pork with Fluffy Sesame Rice
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
BBQ Pork
- 1.5 kg Pork neck or shoulder
- Salt
- ½ teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
- 3 Garlic cloves
- ¼ cup Chinese Shaoxing Wine (substitute: Mirin, Sherry)
- ¼ cup Brown or coconut sugar
- ¼ cup Honey
- ¼ cup Hoisin Sauce
- 3 teaspoon Light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Oyster sauce
- Red food colouring (optional. this will give it a restaurant-style red gloss)
Sesame Rice
- 2.5 cups Jasmine rice
- Sesame oil
- Salt
Veges
- Cucumber sliced
Instructions
Char Siu Pork
- Slice the pork in half or into thirds lengthways, so you have two or three long strips. You'll end up slicing each strip to plate up at the end. I usually do three (I prefer this size).
- Add marinade ingredients to a small pot on low heat. Stir and mix together for 5 minutes.
- In a zip lock bag or container, add pork and marinade together. Leave in fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. The longer the better so both the colour and flavour come through!
- Set any remaining marinade aside. Don't throw it away! You're going to use this to re-glaze the pork a little later.
- When ready to cook, remove from fridge. Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Line your roasting tin with foil, place a rack on top. Place your pork on the rack. There should be some space between the rack and the bottom of the tray. Pour water into the tin, filling this space but make sure the water doesn't touch the pork. This stops the marinade dripping and burning your tray.
- Place tin into the oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove and flip the pork upside down. You'll noticed there isn't as much marinade on this side. Using the leftover marinade, you set aside, glaze the pork. Place back into the oven for another 20 minutes or until cooked through. Note if you are using less pork than specified, it may only need an additional 10-15 minutes so keep an eye on it!
- Start cooking the rice (instructions below). When the pork is done, remove from oven and let it cool for 10-20 minutes.
Sesame Rice
- Rinse & drain your rice to wash off the excess starch. Repeat 3-4 times until the water looks clearer.
- Place in a rice cooker. The rice : water ratio for Jasmine rice = 1 cup rice: 1¼ cup water. So if you're adding 2 cups of rice, then add about 2½ cups water.
- Add a teaspoon of sesame oil and pinch of salt.
- When the rice is done, use a spatula or fork to fluff it up and let it rest with the lid open for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Serve
- Add rice, sliced pork and sliced cucumber onto a plate. Enjoy!
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