Honey-Glazed Char Siu Pork
Barbecuing is a popular cooking technique that Asia has taken total ownership of. You only have to stroll through Chinatown to see all the tempting barbecued meat and fish on display, draped on S-hooks in the windows of restaurants like beautiful gowns in designer boutiques. Marinated duck with its coat of glossy autumnal browns and caramels; pork belly with its crispy skin that looks like it’s been dipped in precious stones; and elegant soy sauce chicken, proud like the finest cashmere. And finally, the haute couture of the barbecue-world, char siu pork; its marbled hues of red and orange served juxtaposed against simple white rice – Fashion Week eat your heart out!
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp yellow bean sauce optional
- 2 cloves of garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 1cm piece of fresh ginger peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 1 star anise
- 4 tsp caster sugar
- ¼ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 2 tbsp honey plus a little extra for drizzling
- 700 g pork loin
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients apart from the pork loin into a bowl and mix together (or you can place the marinade in a plastic freezer bag and add the pork fillet). Smother the loin with the mixture and place in the fridge to marinate for a minimum of 2 hours, and preferably overnight.
- When ready to cook the meat, preheat the oven to 210°C/410°F/gas 6. Remove the pork from the fridge (best results are achieved if you leave it to warm to room temperature, but this is not essential). Place the marinated meat on a flat baking tray lined with foil. Spoon over as much of the remaining marinade as possible. Put the meat into the oven and roast for 10 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and roast for a further 40–45 minutes, turning and basting the meat with the marinade as it cooks. Remove the meat from the oven once cooked through and glossy.
- Carve the meat and serve drizzled with a little honey.
Notes
Original recipe found in Gok Cooks Chinese