Destination
Manila
The story
Filipino char siu (locally called asado, from the Spanish for "roast") is the Manila Chinese-Filipino answer to Cantonese char siu: strips of pork loin (or shoulder or belly) marinated overnight in a sweet-savoury mix of soy sauce, honey, hoisin, five-spice powder, sherry and a splash of red food colouring, then slow-roasted at 160C for 90 minutes with regular basting until the outside is deep mahogany-red and the interior is juicy and just cooked. Sliced thin and served over rice with a spoon of the roasting glaze, alongside pickled vegetables and a small dish of dark soy for dipping. Sold at every Manila Chinatown restaurant, at every siopao and asado bakery, and made in every Filipino household with Chinese heritage.
Method
Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
Add the pork strips to the marinade, turning to coat every side. Rub the marinade into any scoring. Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours, preferably 24.
Set the oven to 160C. Line a large roasting tin with foil (for easy cleanup — the marinade will caramelise heavily). Set a rack over the foil.
Lift the pork strips from the marinade and set on the rack, leaving 3cm between each. Do not discard the marinade — strain it into a small saucepan.
Whisk 2 tbsp additional honey and 1 tbsp oil into the strained marinade. Bring to a simmer and cook 3 minutes to reduce slightly. This is your basting glaze.
Roast the pork at 160C for 90 minutes. Every 20 minutes, brush the pork strips heavily with the basting glaze on all sides. The pork will slowly darken from pale pink to deep mahogany-red with sticky edges.
Turn the oven grill to high. Move the rack to the upper third. Grill the pork strips 3 to 4 minutes, watching constantly, until the surface caramelises with dark charred edges. Flip once during the grill and brush with a final coat of glaze.
Rest the pork on a warm platter 10 minutes. Slice thin against the grain (5mm slices). Arrange on plates over steamed rice. Drizzle with remaining glaze. Top with pickled vegetables, spring onion, coriander and toasted sesame seeds. Serve with a small dish of soy-chili on the side.
Tips
- Overnight marinade. Twelve hours is the minimum for the flavours to fully penetrate the pork; 24 is markedly better.
- Baste every 20 minutes. This is what builds up the sticky, deep-red glazed exterior. Skipping bastes gives you a pale-brown roast.
- Red colouring is optional. Traditional Cantonese char siu uses red food colouring; modern versions use red fermented tofu (nam yu) as a natural alternative. Skip both and the pork is still delicious, just less red.
- Grill finish. The last 3 minutes under the grill is what gives the classical caramelised, slightly-charred edges. Watch constantly — it burns fast.
- Slice thin, against the grain. Thin slices give you tender bites. Thick slices are chewy.
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