Chinese language Char Siu BBQ Pork is one among my favourite dishes. Most of my cooking begins with pure components, moderately than utilizing store-bought. Pesto for example, is so a lot better if you happen to make it your self than store-bought, additionally as a result of a lot of the store-bought variations don’t include the correct components. One of many exceptions is char siu Chinese language bbq sauce, as a result of I couldn’t make it fully from scratch anyway (as a number of the components are usually not out there right here or would require doing my very own fermenting — I’ve not gone there (but)). And the store-bought model is fairly good. However after I noticed a recipe to make char siu (nearly) from scratch on Chinese language Cooking Demystified, I knew I needed to strive it.
Many of the work could also be in sourcing the components, and I couldn’t discover all of them. Fortunately the recipe specifies which components are important and that are elective. The components I didn’t use have been maltose (substituted with honey), crimson yeast rice (for coloration solely, not for taste), rock sugar (substituted with honey), dried and aged tangerine peel, licorice root, and dried luohanguo fruit. Chris’ recipe requires 12 complete cloves as a steered ingredient. I assumed the cloves got here out too strongly within the remaining end result, so within the recipe under I’ve adjusted to make use of solely half the quantity.
Elements
- pork neck or shoulder (often called pork butt within the US), lower into thick strips
- mild soy sauce, to style
- honey, to style
- char siu marinade, from under
- cornstarch
- 3 Tbsp crimson miso
- 6 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp liquor from crimson fermented tofu
- 60 grams (1/2 cup) chopped scallions, white and light-weight inexperienced celebration solely
- 25 grams (1/4 cup) minced ginger
- 3 Tbsp mild soy sauce
- 2 tsp darkish soy sauce
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) shaoshing rice wine
- 8 to 10 star anise
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Shajiang powder (Sand Ginger, Kencur, Cutcherry)
- 6 complete cloves
- 2 pods black cardamom
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil
- 600 ml (2 1/2 cups) water/
Directions
Fry the scallion and ginger within the smallest potential quantity of oil (about 1 tablespoon) for about 1 minute.
Add 60 ml shaoshing rice wine…
…and 600 ml (2 1/2 cups) of water…
…2 teaspoons of darkish soy sauce…
…3 tablespoons of sunshine soy sauce…
…2 cinnamon sticks, 6 complete cloves, 8 to 10 star anise, and a pair of black cardamom.
Carry to a boil and simmer very slowly till it has been decreased to about 250 ml (1 cup), 30 to 90 minutes. The primary objective right here is to extract taste and to not scale back it as rapidly as potential, so it is very important simmer slowly.
Pressure the liquid by way of a sieve and discard the solids.
Pour the strained liquid again into the pan. It is best to now have about 180 ml (3/4 cup).
Add a tablespoon of the liquor from crimson fermented tofu…
…and three tablespoons of miso, in addition to 1/2 teaspoon of kenchur powder.
Stir over low warmth till the miso has dissolved.
Add 6 tablespoons of honey and stir till it has dissolved. Enable the marinade to chill.
Mix the pork with the marinade in a big bowl…
…and stir till the meat is coated with the marinade on all sides.
I desire to arrange the pork sous vide and I’m the fortunate proprietor of a chamber vacuum machine, so I’ve vacuum sealed the pork with the marinade. (With out a chamber vacuum machine, it’s important to use ziploc baggage and the water displacement technique.)
The benefits of utilizing sous vide are usually not solely extra tender and juicy pork, but additionally extra economical use of the marinade, as you should utilize the identical marinade for marinating, basting, and for the sauce to serve with the pork. It’s because the sous vide cooking will pasteurize the marinade after it has been in touch with the uncooked pork.
First enable the pork to marinate within the fridge in a single day, then prepare dinner the pork sous vide for twenty-four hours at 57C/135F. (Due to the marinade, it isn’t wanted to scald the baggage in sizzling water to forestall a nasty scent.)
After sous vide cooking, you’ll be able to chill the baggage in chilly water (ideally with ice) and retailer it within the fridge for some days or within the freezer for as much as a 12 months (enable to thaw within the fridge for twenty-four hours earlier than use).
Preheat the broiler or gasoline grill, or put together a charcoal grill.
Pour the marinade with pork juices out of the sous vide bag right into a saucepan.
Add cornstarch (particularly if the marinade continues to be heat, it’s higher to stir the cornstarch with some chilly water right into a easy slurry first, to forestall lumps). The quantity of cornstarch will depend on the quantity of marinade.
Stir till the cornstarch has dissolved with out lumps.
Carry to a boil, stirring, till the sauce has thickened. This sauce will likely be used each for basting the meat and for serving it with the pork. Add extra honey and soy sauce to the sauce to style. It wanted extra honey than I had anticipated to steadiness out the flavour.
Baste the pork with the sauce, and grill it underneath the broiler or over direct warmth on a gasoline or charcoal grill, till the surface is barely charred and the within is warmed by way of (keep in mind the pork has already been cooked sous vide). Baste the meat sometimes with the sauce.
Slice the meat, and serve with the sauce.
The decision
That is clearly extra work than utilizing a jar of store-bought char siu marinade, however it isn’t a horrible quantity of labor if you happen to can supply the components simply.
The flavour is rather more complicated than with store-bought marinade. As talked about within the introduction, I assumed the cloves got here by way of too strongly, and so I’ll use solely half the quantity subsequent time (already mirrored within the recipe above). It could be fascinating to strive it with the spices that I couldn’t discover, however even with out them I assumed the extra complicated and fascinating taste was well worth the extra effort.
The quantity of soy sauce (saltiness) and honey (sweetness) to be added to the sauce has a significant affect on the ultimate taste. It is a matter of non-public desire, but additionally of steadiness. I had so as to add rather more honey than I had anticipated to get a very good steadiness with the spices. Subsequent time I’ll make this I’ll measure the quantities I used and replace this recipe, so you’ll have my model as a reference.
