The way that I did my Char Siew is the simplest method that you can find. And because it is so simple you can never go wrong with it. I don't use honey, oyster sauce, Hoisin sauce, dark soy sauce, maltose, rice wine nor colouring for my Char Siew and yet it tasted good and smelled fantastic. I use only 2 seasoning - light soy sauce and sugar.
Let us start with the ingredients:
- 350 g of pork belly in a long strip with skin removed. (Just ask the seller to do it for you.) Some people like to have lots of fat but my family prefers leaner meat.
- 50 ml light soy sauce.
- 100 ml water
- 2 tbsp sugar.
The method:
- Wash the pork belly and put it into a pot.
- Pour in 50 ml of light soy sauce into the pot.
- Pour in 100 ml of water.
- Put in 2 tbsp of sugar.
- Turn on the fire at high heat and let the sauce boil.
- Then turn the fire to low heat, cover the pot and let the sauce simmer for about 45 minutes.
- Every 10-15 minutes, turn the meat so that both sides will be cooked evenly.
- Once the meat has softened, turn off the fire.
- Transfer the meat and all the sauce into a wok.
- Turn on the fire and stir the meat, turning it a few times. The aim of this method is to caramelise the sugar in the sauce so that the meat is coated with caramel and becomes sticky.
- Once this is achieved, the Char Siew is done.
- Slice it thinly to serve with hot rice.