Char Siu (Chinese) or Chasu (Japanese) is pretty much the same thing, made from the same cuts of pork with the only difference being the ingredients used in the marinade. Since I go both ways, I've mixed up the Chinese and Japanese ingredients for my own take on the delicious "halfie" char siu.
I love Char Siu as it's so yummy and super convenient. I was intimidated by the idea of cooking it myself at first, but turns out its much easier than I expected!
Ingredients:
2 pounds of fresh boneless pork
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup honey
3 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp red food coloring
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder (optional)
Directions:
Let's start by preparing the pork, make sure you do get it fresh and boneless. In English, the cut is called "pork butt"...I have no idea which butt it's referring to but to Chinese readers, its straight up called "Char Siu Meat".
Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan as you do need to heat it up for a while, I'm doing it in a glass bowl because it's prettier for pictures. Notice that glass jar to the right of the bowl, that's what Chinese five-spice powder looks like, you can choose to skip it if you'd like.
The cornstarch in the marinade helps with keeping the pork moist and juicy.
I'm from Beijing and we like our foods flavourful so its always a must-have when dealing with meats for me. I'm not 100% sure how to describe what it does to the flavour, or if there is even an English word to explain it...but it makes it very savoury and aromatic in a very good way.
Using medium-low heat; cook and stir the marinade for 2-3 mins until just combined and slightly warm.
Wow...this photo filter just does not work with this image, sorry it looks kind of gross and purple-y here but I promise you its the same chunk of pork from the first image.
Go ahead and split that into about three even-sized portions.
Once the marinade has cooled, put the pork in and make sure its well coated throughout. A large Ziploc bag also works well for the marinating portion, but again, I've stuck with the glass bowl cause it's less messy and looks better in pictures.
Marinate pork in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours before cooking, I prefer leaving mine to sit over night for more taste.
If you guys don't have a convection/ Halogen oven yet, I STRONGLY recommend one. It's small and portable, highly convenient, and could even fit a medium sized turkey if needed. Best of all, it's definitely magical as it cooks everything to perfection, and doesn't even dry out chicken breast!
Meet my sous-chef Karat, he likes to think he's helping =)
Cook at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, and turned it up to 350 for the last 5 minutes just to get a better char on the outside.
You could also cook it on a preheated grill for about 45 minutes turning frequently until cooked through - a meat thermometer can be inserted and the core temperature should be at least 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mmm meat =)
Chinese people like to slice it thicker
and Japanese people like to slice it thinner, but really the choice is all up to you!
To keep up with the "Halfie" theme, check out my dinner served with Japanese style eggs and ramen, Chinese thick cut char siu and spicy bamboo shoots.
I'm totally ready to eat, いただきます～♪
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