first posted feb 2018
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| Home-made Char Siu Pork, easy 'Perfectly flavoured & melt in the mouth.' Hard to believe it's low fat/sugar/salt.' Tasters |
Unmistakeable sweet and savoury sauce plus crisp edges make the pork a popular restaurant choice but some offerings are laden with sugar & salt, and hide thick layers of fat.
67goingon50's version uses extra-lean pork fillet which has less fat than skinless chicken breast. Though a little more expensive, it goes a long way.
67's marinade reduces sugar, soy sauce & salt to minimise blood pressure/blood sugar issues.
It does not include the usual red or yellow bean sauces, often considered necessary for authenticity, because they're likely to sit at the back of a westerner's cupboard. Instead 67 introduces hoisin sauce*. No apologies because a jar of this dark, salty-sweet smokey condiment will be used again and again -- as a glaze, a dipping sauce or (like oyster sauce) a flavouring for fried rice.
Preparation of the meat is simple but needs to be done a day in advance.
Cost: £3-4, depending on meat
Serves: 4-6 as a snack at a picnic or buffet
Ingred:
400-500gm/12-16oz pork fillet, trimmed of fat & sinew
Char Siu Marinade:
1 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp reduced-salt soy sauce
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil (or peanut oil)
3/4 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
2-3 tbsp brandy or sherry
1 tbsp tahini or smooth peanut butter
2 med cloves garlic, peeled & grated
2 tbsp peeled & grated ginger
1 tsp 5-spice powder
1/2 star anise
red food colour without e numbers* (opt) (67 didn't bother)
Method:
Equipment: a small roasting tin 5cm/2inches deep and a roasting rack that sits comfortably in it
- The day before: Cut the fillet into two equal sized pieces
- Mix all the marinade ingredients, whisking or processing to blend
- Pour the marinade into a plastic zip-lock storage bag or a large plastic bag (placing the bag in a deep bowl first will reduce leakage)
- Put the pork into the bag, mushing it round so the fillets are well coated
- Refrigerate 4-6 hours or overnight, turning when you remember
- When ready to cook, bring pork back to room temperature
- Preheat oven to 200c/400f
- Fill tin half full with hot water
- Drain and reserve marinade; rinse and dry star anise which can be re-used
- Place pork fillets on the rack
- Bake 20 min, brushing marinade on the meat halfway through
- Reduce temperature to 180c/350c; bake another 20 mins, basting every 5 mins or so. If you have a meat thermometer, the inner temperature should be 65-70c/145-160f
- To give the fillets a charred look, turn temp up to max (OR turn on the grill) and cook until edges are slightly charred
- Leave to cool
- Mix 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey with a drop of red colouring, if using; brush it all over the fillets until they glisten
- Serve at room temperature; slice thinly on the diagonal
Comments:
- 'The pork was perfectly flavoured and melted in the mouth.' Political Agent
- 'The sauce was so like restaurants in London's Chinatown, you wouldn't know fat, salt & sugar were reduced. The meat was very tender.' Retired writer
Tip:
The marinade can also be used on a less expensive cut of pork like butt or shoulder, sliced into strips 2in/5cm wide, but the meat will be higher in fat
Ways to Serve Char Siu pork:
- over a mound of white rice with Honeyed Chinese leaves and gravy made with the leftover marinade plus stock
- sliced, on noodles in hot broth
- over a salad of Chinese leaves & cucumber with Oriental dressing
- as a snack, sliced
*Lee Kum Kee £2/400gm
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More pork on NavBar/RecipesII
This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises. It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.
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