30 Sep 2007, ST
By Chris Tan
Q I would like to prepare roasted char siew for a gathering. Which part of the meat is suitable? Should I buy a ready-made char siew sauce or do you have a 'secret ingredient' to share? What are the differences among local, Cantonese, Teochew and Japanese char siew preparation?
Lee Seng Choon
A Cantonese char siew is distinguished by its toothsome succulence. You need well-marbled meat from the upper shoulder just behind the head, that is, pork neck, pork collar, neck end, collar butt or Boston butt. Loin is too lean.
According to Chef Wilson Goie, who mans the roasting ovens at the Oriental Hotel's Cherry Garden restaurant, shoulder meat has tendons and fat, which add to the texture. Without the fat, the fragrance and flavour of the char siew are lessened.
He says that lower-grade local char siew - the kind you get in inexpensive wonton mee - typically uses cheaper lean meat, painted with sugar, salt, MSG, light soy sauce and artificial red colouring. Hence, it needs a sauce on the side to keep it moist.
He adds that by comparison, Cantonese-style char siew tastes good on its own, even without any sauces.
A marinade should enhance but not camouflage the flavour of the pork. The common-denominator ingredients are light and/or dark soy sauce, and a sweetener - sugar, maltose syrup, honey or a blend of these.
To these, chefs may add taucheo, rice wine, garlic, Chinese herbs and other seasonings.
Chef Goie's Cantonese recipe has 'hoisin sauce, bean paste, five spice powder, sugar, soy sauce and oyster sauce'.
Good hoisin and soy sauce should yield a pale red tint, but for a rosier colour and a delicious beany lilt, add a little mashed nam yee (red fermented beancurd) to the marinade.
Your last question had everyone I asked scratching their heads. No one understands char siew to be part of Teochew tradition. The only version in existence seems to be at Alexandra Village hawker centre and seems to differ from Cantonese char siew only by being sweeter and less complex-tasting.
To make Japanese chashu, a ramen garnish, pork butt or belly is rolled and tied into a log, then slowly braised in soy-seasoned stock.
It is left to cool in the stock - which is later often used to flavour the ramen broth or seasoning base - before being untied and sliced thin.
Sometimes chashu is grilled or roasted to brown the outside, but this is uncommon outside Japan.
By Chris Tan
Q I would like to prepare roasted char siew for a gathering. Which part of the meat is suitable? Should I buy a ready-made char siew sauce or do you have a 'secret ingredient' to share? What are the differences among local, Cantonese, Teochew and Japanese char siew preparation?
Lee Seng Choon
A Cantonese char siew is distinguished by its toothsome succulence. You need well-marbled meat from the upper shoulder just behind the head, that is, pork neck, pork collar, neck end, collar butt or Boston butt. Loin is too lean.
According to Chef Wilson Goie, who mans the roasting ovens at the Oriental Hotel's Cherry Garden restaurant, shoulder meat has tendons and fat, which add to the texture. Without the fat, the fragrance and flavour of the char siew are lessened.
He says that lower-grade local char siew - the kind you get in inexpensive wonton mee - typically uses cheaper lean meat, painted with sugar, salt, MSG, light soy sauce and artificial red colouring. Hence, it needs a sauce on the side to keep it moist.
He adds that by comparison, Cantonese-style char siew tastes good on its own, even without any sauces.
A marinade should enhance but not camouflage the flavour of the pork. The common-denominator ingredients are light and/or dark soy sauce, and a sweetener - sugar, maltose syrup, honey or a blend of these.
To these, chefs may add taucheo, rice wine, garlic, Chinese herbs and other seasonings.
Chef Goie's Cantonese recipe has 'hoisin sauce, bean paste, five spice powder, sugar, soy sauce and oyster sauce'.
Good hoisin and soy sauce should yield a pale red tint, but for a rosier colour and a delicious beany lilt, add a little mashed nam yee (red fermented beancurd) to the marinade.
Your last question had everyone I asked scratching their heads. No one understands char siew to be part of Teochew tradition. The only version in existence seems to be at Alexandra Village hawker centre and seems to differ from Cantonese char siew only by being sweeter and less complex-tasting.
To make Japanese chashu, a ramen garnish, pork butt or belly is rolled and tied into a log, then slowly braised in soy-seasoned stock.
It is left to cool in the stock - which is later often used to flavour the ramen broth or seasoning base - before being untied and sliced thin.
Sometimes chashu is grilled or roasted to brown the outside, but this is uncommon outside Japan.
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