Char Siew Attempt No 1

Having recently redeemed a "xue di zi" using Citibank credit card reward points, I decided to put the appliance to the test by making char siew.

It's hard to think of a better char siew than Kay Lee's. However, I was determined to come up with something decent on my own and was highly inspired after reading this post.

Here's my adapted version:

Ingredients:
1kg pork shoulder butt cut lengthwise (I got mine from NTUC..choose those cuts with more fats and of a thinner width...they cook and taste better)
500g sugar
300g oyster sauce (use good quality Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce for better results)
200ml light soy sauce
3 tsp rice wine (Hua Tiao Jiu)
1 tsp rose wine (good for added fragrance but optional. I got mine from Sheng Shiong)
2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp of red colouring (I use battleship brand and it comes in powder form)
3 cubes of mashed fermented red beancurd

1. Mix all the above ingredients together in a dish (use plastic gloves to avoid getting your fingers stained with coloring). Cover with clingfilm and leave it in the refrigerator for 24 hours. (If you want to be extra kiasu, take the marinated meat out and massage it again with the liquid during halftime)

Gooey mess

2. Place the meat in the xue di zi. Use a brush to generously coat all surfaces thoroughly with marinade. Then let it grill at 200 degree celsius for 10 mins.

it becomes darker and looks more glorious as you go along

3. Turn the meat over and coat the surface generously with marinade again before grilling for another 10 mins. By now, the marinade should be happily bubbling on the meat. The meat should also be starting to look a little charred.

4. Turn the meat over and make a final coating. Leave to grill for another 5 mins before removing.

5. Let the meat cool for about 10 mins before cutting into bite sized pieces

Before...

and After

6. Enjoy with a steaming bowl of rice, old cucumber soup and scalded vegetables.

Verdict: For a first attempt I am quite pleased with the result. The char siew was super yum! However it was a tad too salty and a little too lean for my liking. Next time I will use 2 cubes of fermented beancurd instead of 3 and use a mixture of pork belly and shoulder butt.

Other notes: This is a relatively easy recipe and is great for parties. Cleaning up can however be quite a hassle since the burnt bits of marinade have to be painfully scrapped from the glass base of the xue di zi. (Useful tip: Add hot water and dishwashing detergent to loosen the burnt bits before washing)