Cantonese Char Siu
CANTONESE · CHINA

Cantonese Char Siu

叉燒Main

Char siu is Cantonese barbecue pork: a fatty shoulder or collar lacquered with maltose, red fermented bean curd and five-spice, then roasted until the surface blackens at the edges and the meat stays juicy under a sticky amber crust. The signature contrast is smoky char over sweet-savoury glaze — and the true test is a slice that bends without breaking.

Total
70 min
Heat
0/5
Serves
4

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Flavour profile

Heat
Funk
Acid
Richness
Umami
  • Charred
  • Smoky
  • Sweet
  • Sweet Sour

The real deal

Region
Cantonese, Guangdong province, China — specifically from the roast meat shops of Guangzhou and Hong Kong.
Technique
Marinated pork shoulder is roasted at high heat, basted repeatedly with a maltose and red fermented bean curd glaze, then rested. Charring at the edges is intentional.
We kept
Red fermented bean curd, rose wine, five-spice, maltose, and the high-heat roast-baste-rest rhythm are all kept. Nothing is simplified for politeness; the funk and colour are real.

Ingredients

4 Serves

Main

  • 1 kg · cut into long strips, about 4 cm thick

Marinade

  • 80 g
  • 1 tsp
  • 3 tbsp
  • 1 tbsp
  • 2 tbsp
  • 2 tbsp
  • 2 · mashed with a little liquid
  • 2 tbsp · or Shaoxing wine
  • 1 tsp
  • 1 tsp
  • 1 tbsp
  • 4 cloves · minced
  • 3 cm · minced

glaze

  • 3 tbsp · or maltose
  • ½ tsp · optional · optional, for the iconic lacquered red
  • 1 tbsp

Garnish

  • 2 · optional · thinly sliced

Method

  1. Cut the pork shoulder lengthwise into long strips about 4 cm thick. This gives more surface area for the glaze to catch and keeps pieces small enough to cook evenly.

    Slightly frozen pork is easier to cut into even strips.

  2. In a bowl, mash the red fermented bean curd with a little of its liquid. Whisk in the sugar, salt, light soy, dark soy, oyster sauce, hoisin, rose wine, five-spice, white pepper, sesame oil, garlic and ginger until smooth. Taste — it should be salty, sweet, funky and aromatic.

    The red fermented bean curd is what gives char siu its colour and savoury depth. Do not skip it.

  3. Add the pork strips to the marinade and turn to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 h, ideally overnight. The long rest is what seasons the meat to the centre and tenderises it slightly.

    A vacuum bag or a zip-top bag with the air pressed out speeds this up and distributes the marinade better.

  4. Stir together the honey, red food colouring (if using) and water into a thin brushable glaze.

    If your honey is very thick, warm it briefly so it brushes on evenly.

  5. Heat the oven to 220 °C. Lift the pork from the marinade, letting the excess drip off, and lay the strips on a rack set over a foil-lined tray. Roast for 20 min, turning and brushing with glaze every 5 min, until the outside is lacquered, charred in spots and the internal temperature reads at least 70 °C in the thickest part.

    Keep an eye on it — the sugar in the marinade can catch and burn quickly. If the edges blacken too fast, lower the heat to 200 °C.

  6. Transfer the pork to a board and rest for 10 min before slicing. Resting lets the juices redistribute so the slices stay moist. Slice thinly against the grain. Slice the rested pork thinly against the grain and pile onto a plate. Scatter over the sliced spring onion. Serve with steamed rice and a cool cucumber salad on the side.

    If you want extra char, run the rested strips under a hot grill for a minute on each side before slicing.

    Char siu is also excellent cold the next day, sliced into noodles or stuffed into bao.

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