Chinatown Char Sui | Authentic Recipes | Ping Coombes | Lee Kum Kee (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between hoisin sauce and char siu sauce? ›

No they are not the same. Hoisin sauce is made from fermented soybeans mixed with garlic, chilli, sesame, Chinese spices and vinegar. Char siu sauce is a condiment made from hoisin sauce, sugar, Chinese five spice powder, Chinese cooking wine, soy sauce, garlic and often also food colouring.

What are the best cuts of pork for char siu? My dad uses pork butt, also known as "Boston butt” or "pork shoulder,” and this seems to be among the most popular cuts for char siu. It's ideal to use more fatty cuts, so some other options would be the pork neck end or pork belly.

Char siu is barbecued roast pork, whereas siu yuk is roasted crispy pork belly. Not only do they use different parts of the pig — my dad likes to use pork butt for char siu and pork belly for siu yuk — but they're also prepared differently and have varying flavor profiles and textures.

Cantonese cuisine

Char siu literally means "fork roasted" (siu being burn/roast and cha being fork, both noun and verb) after the traditional cooking method for the dish: long strips of seasoned boneless pork are skewered with long forks and placed in a covered oven or over a fire.

Soy sauce (jiàng yóu, 酱油), the most common of Chinese sauces, sounds simple, and for the most part, it is. However, there are many types, each unique to different Asian cuisines (Chinese, Japanese, Thai, etc.).

The original sauce uses fermented soybean paste which is quite tricky to find. I cannot always find it, so instead, I use hoisin sauce which is more widely available. Hoisin sauce adds a kick of umami and a subtle tanginess. You can use store-bought or follow my recipe to make your own hoisin sauce.

What is Chashu? Japanese have adapted the famous Chinese barbecued pork called Char Siu (叉燒) as chāshū (チャーシュー). Unlike the Chinese version which requires roasting over high heat, we prepare the meat by rolling it into a log and then braising it over low heat in a sauce seasoned with soy sauce, sake, and sugar.

Char siu is Chinese restaurant-style pork with a deep red, sweet and sticky coating. Char siu literally means "fork roast" and refers to the traditional method of cooking this dish by which strips of seasoned pork were skewered with long forks and roasted in a covered oven or over a fire.

Char siu originally comes from Cantonese cuisine, and the word chā sīu 叉烧 literally means “fork roasted”, which is a nod to the traditional cooking method of skewering seasoned pork with long forks, and placing them in an oven or over a fire.

The red hue on the pork comes from the sticky, crave-able barbecue sauce in which it's marinaded before roasting. Often, this deep crimson hue comes from a combination of Hoisin sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, and fermented red bean curd (aka fermented tofu, bean cheese, or tofu cheese).

What is the red meat in Chinese food? ›

I think you mean char siu pork. It looks like this: Char siu pork is marinated and roasted strips of pork shoulder, pork belly or pork tenderloin. It gets its distinctive red color and unique flavor from an interesting marinade.

Flavors of a dynasty

Despite their contentious relationship, many of Hong Kong's most beloved dishes, including char siu, originated in China, specifically in Guangdong province during the Zhou dynasty. Char siu roughly translates as 'to fork roast,' giving insight as to its origins.

Hoisin is a thick, dark, sweet-savory Chinese condiment. “I would call it the ketchup of Chinese cuisine because it's used as an ingredient but also as a finishing sauce and condiment,” Liu Spellman says. “Hoisin sauce looks like dark brown ketchup but not as viscous; it's thicker and pastier.

The resulting sauce is sweet and salty with a distinct Asian flavor from the fermented soy in the hoisin, and a spicy kick from the five spice powder—a mixture of anise, fennel, cinnamon, cloves, and Sichuan peppercorns.

Hoisin sauce, also known as Chinese barbecue sauce, is a popular ingredient in many Asian cuisines. It's used to marinate and cook meats, and many people add it to vegetables and stir-fry dishes for a sweet and tangy burst of deliciousness.