Juicy pork belly cooked in a sweet and sticky red glaze, my version of Char siu aka BBQ pork is so easy and comes together in half an hour without an oven!

What is char siu?

Char siu, cha siu, or cha shao (叉烧) is a Cantonese-style roast meat originating from the Guangdong province in the south of China. It’s a roast meat dish that is a staple in Cantonese cuisine.

The BBQ pork is known for its sweet and sticky marinade that is shiny and deep red in color. It can be found in all Chinese BBQ shops or noodle restaurants.

The name char siu directly translates to ‘fork roast’, referring to the method in which the pork is traditionally prepared. After the pork has marinated in a sweet, spiced sauce it is hung on a ‘fork’ and roasted in the oven. While the pork is cooking it is continuously being basted in the glaze to create that signature glossy appearance.

What cut of meat should I use to make char siu?

Many different cuts of meat can be used to make char siu. The most commonly used are tenderloin, pork shoulder, or pork butt. This all depends on how fatty you want the final pork to be. Personally, I prefer to use a fattier cut of pork as the meat is juicier, has more flavor, and gives the final glaze a shinier look.

This recipe uses pork belly rather than the cuts that I mentioned above. I grew up in Malaysia and Malaysian char siu is slightly different from the Cantonese counterpart. It is brown in color, less sweet, and made with pork belly. In my opinion, the texture of the char siu in Malaysia is superior because of the cut of meat used. That’s why personally I love using pork belly for this.

Feel free to substitute it with whatever cut of pork you prefer!

How to cook char siu in a pan

I came up with this easy technique to cook char siu at home without an oven. Making char siu can be an extremely time-consuming process. Especially as the meat has to be basted in the marinade as the pork is roasting.

This recipe uses a household frypan to cook the pork, reducing the cook time by half and getting an equally as delicious result.

Place the pork belly, or your choice of cut, in a large bowl with all the marinade ingredients. Then mix the marinade into the pork. I recommend wearing gloves and using your hands to massage the marinade into the pork. Then place the pork into a frypan heated over low heat.

Continue to cook the pork, turning it occasionally so it is always coated in the marinade. Slowly the marinade will become stickier and darker in color.

Once the pork is completely cooked through and the marinade has been absorbed by the pork it’s ready to be served. Simply chop it up and serve it with your choice of veggies and rice.

Ingredients

• Pork belly: I used pork belly rashers from my local supermarket. You can get a large slab of pork and cut it into long 4-5cm wide strips
• Char siu sauce: You should be able to find char siu sauce at any Asian market. I used Lee Kum Kee brand as I prefer the flavor, but feel free to substitute it with whichever one you can find
• Dark soy: Dark soy is used here to deepen the color of the pork, and give it a deeper flavor
• Granulated sugar: The char siu sauce is already quite sweet but a little extra sugar will help to give the pork a stickier glaze
• Soy sauce: Soy gives the pork saltiness and flavor, as well as adding a little color
• Oyster sauce: Oyster sauce adds a beautiful depth of flavor to the pork
• Honey: Honey gives the glaze that extra shiny look and sticky feel
• YumYum: YumYum is my special seasoning blend that gives the dish that extra oomph of flavor and umami, you can purchase YumYum seasoning here
• Baking soda: Baking soda helps to tenderize the pork for a softer, less tough mouthfeel
• Red food coloring: I use powdered food coloring as that is what most Chinese restaurants use, however, any kid of red food coloring will work here. Just add as much as you need for it to reach a deep red color.
• Cucumber: Cucumber is completely optional, however, it’s the perfect pop of freshness to go with the fatty pork. Feel free to replace this with your favorite green vegetable!
• Steamed rice: Steamed rice is optional, but personally a must when eating roast pork. The rice soaks up the sauces from the pork and they are a pair made in heaven

Easy Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)

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Juicy pork belly cooked in a sweet and sticky red glaze, my version of Char siu aka BBQ pork is so easy and comes together in half an hour without an oven!

• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 Servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 500g Pork belly, cut into long strips
• 120g Char siu sauce (I used 1/2 jar of Lee Kum Kee Char Siu sauce)
• 1 tbsp Dark soy
• 1 tbsp Granulated sugar
• 2 tsp Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp Honey
• 1 tsp YumYum, you can purchase it here, or use MSG
• 1/2 tsp Baking soda
• 1/4 tsp Red food coloring, powder or liquid
• Cucumber, to serve
• Steamed rice, to serve

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Instructions

1. Place the pork belly in a large bowl
2. Add the char siu sauce, dark soy, sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, YumYum, baking soda and red food coloring to the bowl
3. Wearing a pair of food-safe gloves, mix the sauces into the pork
4. Meanwhile, heat a large frypan over low heat
5. Add the pork to the pan and cook, turning occasionally, for 20 minutes until the sauces have completely absorbed into a sticky coating and the pork has cooked through completely
6. Make sure you are turning the pork in the sauce to prevent the sauce from burning
7. Cut up the pork into bite-sized pieces and serve on a bed of warm rice with sliced cucumbers

• Author: Vincent Yeow Lim
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Category: Pork
• Method: Easy
• Cuisine: Chinese

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 728
• Sugar: 13.3 g
• Sodium: 811.2 mg
• Fat: 66.3 g
• Carbohydrates: 20.2 g
• Protein: 12.4 g
• Cholesterol: 90 mg