Roast Char Siew Sauce

Char Siew Roast Pork or Chicken is definitely one of the best loved meat of my family. BBQ-charred on the outside, honey sweet and juicy from inside, this is one of the best meals one can have with hot rice or noodles.

There are many versions of the marinating sauce from 3-ingredients to very complicated combination, all are said to be mouth-watering recipes. I have tried them all. True, you could cook the meat to tender with 3 ingredients of soy sauce, sugar and garlic but it will be a simple taste. If you like a lingering flavour in your mouth, a bit like melt in your mouth sensation, the sauce is good withe rice, then you just have to have more ingredients.

Here are some recipes that I have read and tried, copied from cooking classes, book and internet :-

Char Siew Roast Pork

Recipe 1

1 Kg Pork
120 gm Sugar
100 ml Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
5 Tbsp Rice Wine
1/2 tsp Five Spice Powder
1 Tbsp Garlic Chopped
1 Tbsp Fermented Bean Curd
1/4 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Maltose Sugar
1 Tbsp Water

Marinate for overnight in fridge
Roast 220 C for 15 mins, turn 5 mins
Brush Maltose liquid 230 C 5 mins - Repeat 2-3 times until slightly charred.

Comment :- A bit more work

Recipe 2

1 Kg of Pork
2 pcs Fermented Bean Curd
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
1 tsp Five Spice Powder
1/4 tsp White Pepper
100 gm Sugar
5 Tbsp Rice Wine

1) Mix or marinate overnight or warm up sauce & marinate
200 C 15 mins and turn a few tines.

Personally, I like Recipe 2, somehow after the soft boiling of the sauce, the fragrance is well mixed and stronger, marinating them in strong zip lock bags and put in the fridge. It can be stored for a few times and the taste is even better. The wine makes the meat a lot nicer.

I have made 3 portions of Recipe 2 and soak them with 2 Kg of pork and found that I could add more meat and the good thing, the sauce can be used for a second batch as they are thick and store in the fridge.