Char siu is Cantonese barbecue pork at its most irresistible: tender, savoury and glazed until glossy with honey and hoisin. Fermented red bean curd adds depth and its signature colour, while a final blast of heat creates caramelised edges. Served with garlic pak choi and jasmine rice, it makes a wonderfully satisfying meal.
Prep ahead1 step, start the night before
Ingredients
- For the pork
- 1500 g Pork shoulder, skin removed
- For the marinade
- 2 cubes Fermented red bean curd, see notes for substitution
- 1 tbsp (16g) Fermented red bean curd liquid, from the jar
- 3 tbsp (45g) Light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp (36g) Dark soy sauce
- 3 tbsp (60g) Hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp (30g) Shaoxing wine
- 2 tbsp (42g) Honey
- 1 tbsp (13g) Dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp (18g) Oyster sauce
- 1 tsp Five spice powder
- 4 Garlic cloves, finely grated
- 25 g Fresh ginger, finely grated
- 0.5 tsp White pepper
- 1 tsp (5g) Red food colouring, optional
- For the finishing glaze
- 2 tbsp (42g) Honey
- 1 tsp (4.5g) Sesame oil
- For the rice
- 400 g Thai jasmine rice
- 560 g Water
- For the pak choi
- 1 tbsp (15g) Light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp (15g) Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp (4.5g) Sesame oil
- 0.25 tsp White pepper
- 10 g Neutral oil, for searing
- 3 Garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 2 Pak choi, quartered lengthways
Equipment
- Wire rack
- Roasting tray
- Digital probe thermometer
- Saucepan with a tight-fitting lid
- Carbon steel wok or large frying pan →
- Pastry brush
Cut the pork shoulder with the grain into long strips, roughly 5–7cm wide and 3–5cm thick.
Mash the fermented red bean curd with its liquid into a smooth paste — this is essential for even distribution through the marinade.
Add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing wine, honey, dark brown sugar, oyster sauce, five spice powder, garlic, ginger, white pepper, and the red food colouring, if using. Mix until fully combined.
Put the pork strips into a bowl with the marinade, mix to ensure all surfaces are coated. Cover and refrigerate for 12–24 hours, turning the pork once if possible.
Remove the pork from the fridge 1 hour before cooking. Preheat the oven to 140°C fan (300°F). Lift the pork out of the marinade and lay the strips on a wire rack set over a roasting tray, keeping the leftover marinade for basting. Roast for 60 minutes.
Increase the oven to 200°C fan (400°F). Baste the pork with the leftover marinade every 5 minutes for 20 minutes, flipping halfway.
Wash the jasmine rice in cold water until it runs clear. Tip the rice into a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and add the water, weighing it accurately.
Set the pan over a medium-high heat. As soon as it begins to simmer, turn the heat down to the lowest possible setting, cover, and steam for 12 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat keeping the lid on, and rest for 10–15 minutes. Fluff with a fork just before serving.
Mix the honey and sesame oil and brush heavily over the pork. For a properly lacquered surface, flash the pork under a hot grill for 1–2 minutes or give it a blast with a blowtorch.
Rest the pork for 15–20 minutes before slicing.
Stir together the light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, and white pepper in a small bowl.
Heat the neutral oil in a carbon steel wok over a high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 15 seconds until fragrant. Add the pak choi and stir-fry for a minute, letting it pick up some char. Pour the sauce around the rim of the wok and toss until the sauce has reduced and the pak choi is wilted but still crunchy. See how to cook with a wok for technique guidance.
Slice the pork against the grain into thick strips. Serve over the rice with the pak choi alongside, spooning any resting juices and glaze from the board over the pork.
Notes & Substitutions
Fermented red bean curd: Sold in jars in Chinese supermarkets, usually labelled red fermented bean curd or nam yu, they are small red cubes in brine. It keeps in the fridge for months and is the backbone of the marinade. If you can’t find it, 13g of miso per cube of bean curd gives a similar fermented depth, though you lose the red colour so the food colouring becomes more worthwhile.
Food colouring: Entirely optional. The bean curd gives a natural reddish edge; the colouring gives the full barbecue-shop crimson. The flavour is identical either way.
Leftovers: The pork keeps for 3–4 days in the fridge and is arguably at its best chopped into fried rice or noodles. Slice only what you’re serving and store the rest whole — it stays juicier.
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Char Siu Pork
COOKED
PROPERLY
Ingredients
- 1500 g Pork shoulder (skin removed)
- 2 cubes Fermented red bean curd (see notes for substitution)
- 1 tbsp Fermented red bean curd liquid (from the jar)
- 3 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Dark soy sauce
- 3 tbsp Hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 1 tbsp Dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tsp Five spice powder
- 4 Garlic cloves (finely grated)
- 25 g Fresh ginger (finely grated)
- 0.5 tsp White pepper
- 1 tsp Red food colouring (optional)
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
- 400 g Thai jasmine rice
- 560 g Water
- 1 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
- 0.25 tsp White pepper
- 10 g Neutral oil (for searing)
- 3 Garlic cloves (finely sliced)
- 2 Pak choi (quartered lengthways)
Equipment
- Wire rack
- Roasting tray
- Digital probe thermometer
- Saucepan with a tight-fitting lid
- Carbon steel wok or large frying pan
- Pastry brush
Method
Prepare the pork
1500 g Pork shoulder
Cut the pork shoulder with the grain into long strips, roughly 5–7cm wide and 3–5cm thick.
Keep the strips an even thickness. A mixed batch cooks unevenly.
Make the marinade
2 cubes Fermented red bean curd · 1 tbsp Fermented red bean curd liquid · 3 tbsp Light soy sauce · 2 tbsp Dark soy sauce · 3 tbsp Hoisin sauce · 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine · 2 tbsp Honey · 1 tbsp Dark brown sugar · 1 tbsp Oyster sauce · 1 tsp Five spice powder · 4 Garlic cloves · 25 g Fresh ginger · 0.5 tsp White pepper · 1 tsp Red food colouring
Mash the fermented red bean curd with its liquid into a smooth paste — this is essential for even distribution through the marinade.
Add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing wine, honey, dark brown sugar, oyster sauce, five spice powder, garlic, ginger, white pepper, and the red food colouring, if using. Mix until fully combined.
Marinate the pork
Put the pork strips into a bowl with the marinade, mix to ensure all surfaces are coated. Cover and refrigerate for 12–24 hours, turning the pork once if possible.
Roast low and slow
Remove the pork from the fridge 1 hour before cooking. Preheat the oven to 140°C fan (300°F). Lift the pork out of the marinade and lay the strips on a wire rack set over a roasting tray, keeping the leftover marinade for basting. Roast for 60 minutes.
Raise the heat and baste
Increase the oven to 200°C fan (400°F). Baste the pork with the leftover marinade every 5 minutes for 20 minutes, flipping halfway.
A temperature probe should read 85–90°C (185–194°F) in the thickest part. See how to cook pork to temperature for a full guide. This is the temperature where the connective tissue has broken down.
Cook the rice
400 g Thai jasmine rice · 560 g Water
Wash the jasmine rice in cold water until it runs clear. Tip the rice into a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and add the water, weighing it accurately.
Set the pan over a medium-high heat. As soon as it begins to simmer, turn the heat down to the lowest possible setting, cover, and steam for 12 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat keeping the lid on, and rest for 10–15 minutes. Fluff with a fork just before serving.
Glaze the pork
2 tbsp Honey · 1 tsp Sesame oil
Mix the honey and sesame oil and brush heavily over the pork. For a properly lacquered surface, flash the pork under a hot grill for 1–2 minutes or give it a blast with a blowtorch.
Rest the pork
Rest the pork for 15–20 minutes before slicing.
Rest it uncovered. Tenting with foil traps steam, which softens the glaze you just spent 20 minutes building.
Stir-fry the pak choi
1 tbsp Light soy sauce · 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine · 1 tsp Sesame oil · 0.25 tsp White pepper · 10 g Neutral oil · 3 Garlic cloves · 2 Pak choi
Stir together the light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, and white pepper in a small bowl.
Heat the neutral oil in a carbon steel wok over a high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 15 seconds until fragrant. Add the pak choi and stir-fry for a minute, letting it pick up some char. Pour the sauce around the rim of the wok and toss until the sauce has reduced and the pak choi is wilted but still crunchy. See how to cook with a wok for technique guidance.
Slice and serve
Slice the pork against the grain into thick strips. Serve over the rice with the pak choi alongside, spooning any resting juices and glaze from the board over the pork.
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