Char Siew 叉燒 (with Hoisin) **

We love Char Siew and I had experimented making them numerous times at home.   Some of the recipe came out bland, some came out dry and some came out just missing that X factor.

I used Food Canon's recipe some time back and it was closed to the X factor.  Even my fussy dad liked it.  I also concluded that I cannot stick to my lean meat belief when making char siew.  

So this weekend, I made a trip to the wet market with my specification.  Of course my regular butcher was looking at me with "are you sure" expression when I asked for a fatty piece.  

Overall, I think I am pretty happy with this result.  Though it should be charred further but I think this is just as good as charred bits are not really healthy for consumption.

Also I didn't dye it as I am not keen on colouring my meat red.  Of course, I had gotten feedback that isn't char siew red?   Well, at the end of the day, this is home made and I will try my best to keep it closer to my heart and that is cooking healthy food for my family.

Verdict: Thanks for this wonderful recipe.  This is definitely a keeper.  The meat turned out tender and the taste is wonderful.  

What you need:

Marinate/Sauce

1 kg fatty meat

1 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp white pepper
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp Hoisin sauce
1 tbsp Chinese wine or liquor
1 tsp 5-spice powder

To cook add:

2 tbsp oil
250ml water or more

Method

Marinate meat overnight.

Add oil to heated wok.

Sear pork and after 5 minutes, add all ingredients into the wok and simmer for 45 minutes or till the pork is tender enough.

Remove most of the sauce.

Glaze meat with honey and caramelise the meat in medium heat. 

After the Char Siew is done, glaze with some honey.