Chinese · Lunch · Dinner
Char Siu (Cantonese Barbecue Pork)
叉燒
Sticky, glossy strips of pork tenderloin roasted in a sweet-savoury hoisin, honey and five-spice glaze, with charred edges and a juicy centre. This lean take on the Cantonese barbecue classic uses tenderloin and less sugar.
- Prep
- 135 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 165 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 25% · Fat 25% · Protein 50%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 600 g (about 1 1/3 lb)pork tenderloin
- 3 tbsp48 ghoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp32 glow-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp42 ghoney
- 1 tbsp15 gShaoxing rice wine
- 3 cloves9 ggarlic, finely grated
- 1 tsp5 gfresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 tspChinese five-spice powder
- 1/4 tspground white pepper
- 1 tsp5 gtoasted sesame oil
- 1 cup240 gwater, for the roasting tray
- 2 stalks15 gspring onions, sliced (optional)
Steps
- 1
Trim any silver skin and visible fat from the pork tenderloin.
- 2
Cut the tenderloin lengthwise into two long strips so the glaze coats more surface.
- 3
In a bowl, whisk the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, 1 tbsp of the honey, rice wine, garlic, ginger, five-spice, white pepper and sesame oil.
- 4
Spoon 2 tbsp of the marinade into a small cup, stir in the remaining 1 tbsp honey, cover and refrigerate; this is the glaze.
- 5
Put the pork in a dish or zip bag with the rest of the marinade and turn to coat.
- 6
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight for deeper flavour.
- 7
Heat the oven to 200 °C / 400 °F and set a rack over a foil-lined roasting tray.
- 8
Pour the water into the tray to stop drips from burning.
- 9
Lay the pork on the rack, letting excess marinade drip off, and discard the used marinade.
- 10
Roast for 12 minutes, then turn the strips over.
- 11
Brush the pork with half the glaze and roast for another 10–12 minutes.
- 12
Check the thickest part reaches 63 °C / 145 °F on a meat thermometer.
- 13
Brush with the remaining glaze and grill under a hot broiler for 2–3 minutes until the edges char lightly, watching closely.
- 14
Rest the pork for 5 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain.
- 15
Scatter with spring onions, if using, and serve.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- For a gluten-free version, use tamari labelled gluten-free instead of soy sauce, choose a hoisin sauce labelled gluten-free, and replace the Shaoxing wine with dry sherry or leave it out.
- Use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of pork tenderloin, roasting until the thickest part reaches 74 °C / 165 °F.
- Swap the honey for maple syrup or brown sugar if that is what you have in the cupboard.
- If you can't find Shaoxing rice wine, dry sherry works well in the same amount.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot or enjoying cold in sandwiches. Cooked char siu can be frozen for up to 2 to 3 months, then thawed in the fridge before reheating.
Make ahead
Mix the marinade and glaze and marinate the pork in the fridge up to a day ahead, so it is ready to roast. You can also roast it a day early and reheat slices in a hot pan or oven until steaming.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: GlutenSoySesameSulphites
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (250 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 264 kcal | 106 kcal |
| Protein | 32.3 g | 12.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 15.9 g | 6.4 g |
| of which sugars | 12 g | 4.8 g |
| Fiber | 0.6 g | 0.2 g |
| Fat | 7 g | 2.8 g |
| of which saturated | 2 g | 0.8 g |
| Sodium | 564 mg | 226 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
