#charsiu #deliciouscharsiu #homemadecharsiu
The Cantonese have this expression - 生嚿叉烧好过生你! (Mandarin version: 生块叉烧好过生你). The English translation for this is “Its better to give birth to char siu than to a child like you!”. It is a comical (and common) expression for parents to utter towards their misbehaved or under-achieving kids. The fact that Hong Kongers have incorporated the dish into an expression is testament to how well-loved this dish is.
I have tried the Guangdong and Hong Kong version and I still prefer to the version that have evolved in Malaysia. The Malaysian-Chinese char siu is usually made with the pork belly. On top of that, when done right, the sauce coating the char siu is charred (not burnt), perfectly caramelized with a hint of smokiness and have fully incorporated the flavour of the pork. It is absolute heaven when you bite into that perfect piece, the combination of flavour, sauce, meat and rendered fat.
Check out my version below! Got this recipe from my mom. :D
Main Ingredient
• 500gm Pork belly (if you want more succulent meats, go for the fattier parts of the belly)
Marinade
• 1 teaspoon Five Spice powder
• 75gm Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Light Soy Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
• ½ teaspoon Yellow Bean Paste
• 1 tablespoon Hoi Sin Sauce
• ½ a cube of Spicy fermented Bean Curd
• 1 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
• ½ tablespoon Sesame Paste
• 1 tablepoon Sesame Oil
• 4 cloves Garlic
• ½ tablespoon Shao Xing Rice Wine
• 1 Egg (Optional)
For the Sauce
• 50 ml of Malt Sugar
• 25 ml of water
Putting it all together:
1. Mix all the ingredients for the marinate in a container
Note: In the video, I made the mistake of using less sugar compared to what I’ve given in this recipe. If you prefer your char siu to be on the salty side, then adjust accordingly. The Malaysian Chinese version is always on the sweet side.
2. Pat dry the pork belly and with a fork, lightly pierce the pork all over. This is to really allow the marinade to get into the pork
3. Marinate for at least 4 hours (best if overnight)
4. Pre-heat oven to 220 Celsius
5. While the oven is pre-heating, prepare the malt sugar mix. In a pan, pour the malt sugar and water and heat pan on low heat. Here we just want to make sure the sugar is melted and fully incorporated with the water. Set aside
6. Place char siew on a tray (if using a rack, make sure there is a tray underneath to capture all the drippings) and put into oven to bake for 15 minutes
7. While that is happening, lets prepare the char siew sauce. Pour the marinade into the pan and mix in the malt sugar mix. Heat pan to a simmer for about 2 minutes and it is ready
8. After 15 minutes, take char siu out and coat it with a layer of the sauce and put it into the oven again for another 7 minutes
9. Repeat this another three times (total four times) until you it sufficiently charred at the edges
10. Let the char siu rest for about 15 minutes before slicing into it
11. Its ready to be served immediately
Serve this on a bed of white rice, they’re delicious! 吃饭咯 了!
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About Us: Your food life is just as important as mine. My goal is to try and make yours better by sharing my favourite recipes and showing you that making them isn't that hard - whether you are cooking for yourself, for your family or to impress someone - I want to be there to help ya!