叉烧叉燒
chā shāo caa1 siu1
The lacquered red pork hanging in every Cantonese roast-shop window. 叉燒 means “fork-roasted” — once cooked on forks over open fire; today it tops rice boxes, fills steamed buns and anchors a thousand 茶餐廳 menus.
The story behind it
Roast-meat shops (烧腊店) with lacquered ducks and red pork in the window are the postcard image of Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Char siu’s red comes traditionally from fermented red bean curd; the burnished sticky edges are fought over at the table.
Ingredients
- 600 g pork shoulder or belly strips
- Marinade: 3 tbsp hoisin, 2 tbsp soy, 2 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp five-spice, 2 cloves garlic
- Extra honey for glazing
Steps
- Marinate the pork overnight.
- Roast at 200 °C for 20 minutes on a rack over water.
- Brush with honey, flip, roast 15 minutes more until charred at the edges.
- Rest, slice thick, and spoon pan juices over rice.