homemade char siew (叉燒) – Wok Method

I used to buy char siew from the char siew lady at the market. It is really good char siew, but when I discovered I could make my own char siew for about a quarter of the price, well, being an al cheapo home maker, I decided that it was way better to make my own char siew.

All this time, I made char siew by grilling the meat in the oven. My problem with the char siew that I made was that the meat tended to be dry by the time I managed to get char marks on the meat. I thought there MUST be a way to retain the meat’s natural moisture yet get a nice char on the outside.

Well, I found out how I can do that today!

Lovely reddish moist char siew using no food coloring with bits of char marks here and there. I could have made more char marks if I had wanted to but I was really happy with the results.

The LAM liked it, my mom said it was very good and my two little kids absolutely loved the char siew. That is saying a lot, since they normally would not even go near char siew!

And best of all, this is really very easy to make!

Here’s how.

Start with your preferred cut of meat. If you like your char siew to be more fatty, use the belly. If you prefer it to be leaner, use pork shoulder (aka pork collar). I have also seen folks using pork arm pit – I think I shall give that a try the next time I make this. For today’s char siew, I used pork shoulder.

To make the marinade, place all the ingredients in a bowl.

Whisk to combine.

Pour the marinade over the pork. Yes it is a lot of liquid but don’t worry, all is good.

Place this in an air tight container then into the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours, but preferable over night.

When you are ready to cook, add a little oil to your wok, then transfer the meat and all the marinade into the wok.

Cook, on medium heat for about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how tender you like the meat to be. Turn the meat at (roughly) 10-minute intervals, and add more water if necessary.

Once the meat is near the tenderness that you like, continue cooking until the liquid has reduced. If there is too much liquid, you can remove some. Turn off the heat, and transfer the meat into a bowl.

Use a ladle to remove most of the liquid. 

Place the liquid in a small heavy-bottom saucepan. Boil the liquid until a thick, syrupy char siew sauce remains. You can serve this with the char siew later.

Turn the heat to medium high. Add a little oil to the wok. Place the meat back into the wok.

Drizzle honey on the pork.

Flip the meat and sear it. You can adjust the amount of honey and how much char marks you want according to your preference.

Once both sides have been seared, the char siew is done.

Can you see how tender and juicy the meat is?

I think I will cook char siew in this way from now. I definitely prefer the resulting char siew which is both tender and moist!

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE MY AVAILABLE WORKSHOPS!

 

Homemade Char Siew 叉燒
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Ingredients
  1. 1kg (2.2lb) pork shoulder/ belly/ collar
  2. 1 teaspoon salt
  3. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  4. 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
  5. 1 teaspoon white pepper
  6. 2 tablespoons honey
  7. 2 tablespoons sugar
  8. 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, or Hoi sin sauce
  9. 1 tablespoon Chinese (Shaoxing) wine, or rose wine
  10. 2 cups (480ml) water
To finish
  1. 2-3 tablespoons oil for searing
  2. 2-3 tablespoons honey
Instructions
  1. 1. Start with your preferred cut of meat. If you like your char siew to be more fatty, use the belly. If you prefer it to be leaner, use pork shoulder. I have also seen folks using pork collar - I think I shall give that a try the next time I make this. For today's char siew, I used pork shoulder.
  2. To make the marinade, place all the ingredients in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
  3. Pour the marinade over the pork.
  4. Place this in an air tight container then into the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours, but preferable over night.
  5. When you are ready to cook, transfer the meat and all the marinade into the wok.
  6. Cook, on medium heat for about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how tender you like the meat to be. Turn the meat at (roughly) 10-minute intervals, and add more water if necessary.
  7. Once the meat is near the tenderness that you like, continue cooking until the liquid has reduced. If there is too much liquid, you can remove some. Turn off the heat, and transfer the meat into a bowl.
  8. Use a ladle to remove most of the liquid.
  9. Place the liquid in a small heavy-bottom saucepan. Boil the liquid until a thick, syrupy char siew sauce remains. You can serve this with the char siew later.
  10. Turn the heat to medium high. Add a little oil to the wok. Place the meat back into the wok.
  11. Drizzle honey on the pork.
  12. Flip the meat and sear it. You can adjust the amount of honey and how much char marks you want according to your preference.
  13. Once both sides have been seared, the char siew is done.
Adapted from foodcannon
Adapted from foodcannon
The Domestic Goddess Wannabe http://thedomesticgoddesswannabe.com/