Honey Glazed Char Siu 蜜汁叉燒 - "Malaysian Monday 55"

Char siu (叉燒) or Chinese bbq pork originated from the southern province of Kwangdong in China but mass Chinese migration to the south (late 19th century - early 20th century) had brought this wonderful dish to almost every corner of Southeast Asian and beyond. Known as muu daeng in Thailand and babi merah in Indonesia (meaning red pork in both languages), it managed to keep it's original name in Malaysia due to it's more relaxed policies towards the Chinese populations. 

Many recipes call for pork fillet which tends to turn out dry and tough, to me it is a crime punishable by public "stoning" using those inedible hard pork pieces.  Instead I go for pork shoulder, a slightly cheaper cut that has the right amount of fat which is crucial for the juiciest and tenderest char siu.

This delicious pork once sliced can be eaten as it is (with a beer or two), as topping for rice or noodles, in stir fries and as filling for many yum cha favourites.

P.S I have seen halal version using both beef and chicken back in Malaysia. To check out my chicken version, simply click here.

oven preheated at 240 C (conventional)
you'll need;
1.5 kg of pork neck
1/2 jar of Lee Kum Kee cha siu sauce*
4 tbs of good quality oyster sauce
4 tbs of tomato ketchup
3 tbs of light soy
a dash of Chinese cooking wine
4 garlic cloves, grated
3 cm knob of ginger, grated
honey for glazing
*you may replace this with 5 tbs of hoisin sauce and a little red food colouring.

Cut pork neck into long strips.

Place all other ingredients (except for honey) in a large bowl and mix well.

Place pork strips into the bowl and massage the pork strips with the marinade. Cover and marinate in the fridge overnight.

Place marinated pork pieces onto an oven tray and cook in the pre heated oven for ~45 to 60 minutes, basting with the marinade from time to time.

Glaze pork strips with honey using a brush during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Cool and rest char siu slightly before slicing.

I am hosting this month's event, please send all your entries to sureshchong@yahoo.com. To find out more about MMM and on how to enter, simply click HERE