No Bake Char Siu - chinese recipe

No Bake Char Siew (Table for 2 Blog)


600 gm skinless pork belly (cut into 2cm thickness strips)

2 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt (use only if the dark soy is not salty)
1 Tbsp Chinese Rose Wine (Mei Gwei Lou)
3 Tbsp sugar
Water
** Use chinese soup spoon (equivalent to a baking measuring tablespoon, not the tablespoon for eating rice)

1. Put pork belly, arranged flat in a heavy based pot.
2. Put in soy sauces, salt and rose wine. Put enough water to cover pork belly.
3. Bring to a boil and lower heat to smallest flame. Cover pot and simmer belly for 30 minutes.
4. After 30 minutes, flip to simmer the other side of the belly.
5. Check belly after 20 minutes to see whether the pork fat has turned softer.
6. If not, simmer for another 10 minutes.
7. When pork belly has slightly softened, turn to high heat and add in sugar.
8. Leave pot uncovered and cook until gravy is greatly reduced to a syrupy consistency. Turn off the heat. Be careful when reducing gravy, it'll burn easily due to the high sugar content.
9. Leave cha siew in pot to cool down. When cha siew has totally cooled down, u can see there's some oil and the gravy is at the consistency of thick honey.
10. Slice cha siew (when cool,... if still hot, meat will crumble).


***** Do not leave gravy too watery when reducing. If gravy is not properly reduced, the cha siew will not be fragrant as the oil from the belly is not released. If gravy is too thick (after total cool down), put in a bit of water to thin down. U can thin down the gravy later, but do not leave it watery in step (8)




Palm Sugar No Bake Char Siu

Recipe source: WendyinKK

600gm pork belly, 1.5cm thick slices
80gm palm sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
2 blades of pandan leaf, shredded

1. Arrange belly slices into1. Arrange belly slices into a heavy based pot (big pot with wide base surface is preferred rather than small pot).
2. Add everything except plam sugar. Put enough water to cover the belly.
3. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer for 20 minutes. (Lid on)
4. Flip the belly over and let it cook for another 15 minutes. Flip the belly pieces again.
5. Put in palm sugar and reduce gravy until it's thick like honey. (Lid off. Use medium heat and watch the char siu closely to prevent burning)
6. Let the char siu cool in pot. Slice when it has totally cooled down.

 *I cooked this 6 hours ahead of dinner time:)