the red-lacquered barbecued pork of the Cantonese shop window: shoulder marinated in five-spice, fermented bean curd, and maltose, then roasted hot and basted until the edges char
Origin: Guangdong, China
From the journey of Star Anise.
Char siu means fork roast, and the name records the method: strips of pork skewered on long forks and held over fire. It is one of the siu mei, the roast meats that hang in the windows of Cantonese shops, and it does more work in the cuisine than any other single preparation. It is eaten sliced over rice, folded into char siu bao, tossed through noodles, and used as a component in a dozen other dishes. The flavour is built on five-spice, and five-spice is built on star anise. Ground with cassia, clove, fennel, and Sichuan pepper, star anise is the loudest voice in the blend and the one that makes a Cantonese roast smell the way it does from the street. The other definitional ingredient is naam yuh, red fermented bean curd, which supplies both the savoury depth and much of the authentic colour; the fiercely red char siu of some shops owes more to food colouring than to anything in the marinade, and the honest version is a deep mahogany rather than scarlet. Maltose is the third element and the one home cooks most often skip. It is a thick, barely sweet malt syrup that behaves quite differently from honey: it caramelises without burning as fast, and it sets into the tacky, glassy lacquer that distinguishes shop char siu from a merely glazed piece of pork. Honey will do, but it browns quicker and the finish is softer. Pork shoulder is the correct cut, and specifically the fattier collar. Lean pork makes a dry and disappointing char siu, and the fat running through the shoulder is what keeps it succulent through a hot oven.
Red fermented bean curd, naam yuh, is sold in jars in every Chinese grocer and is what gives the authentic colour and savour; it is not the same as the white fermented bean curd. Maltose is worth seeking out for the proper lacquer, though honey substitutes acceptably. The blazing red of some shop char siu comes from colouring rather than the marinade, and this version is a deep mahogany instead. Pork shoulder or collar only; loin and fillet are too lean. Keeps four days refrigerated and freezes well sliced. The marinade works equally on pork ribs and on chicken thighs, with the roasting time reduced.
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