Char Siu Spare Ribs – Easy Way

This is basically same recipe as “Chinese Style Sticky Pork Back Ribs“, main difference being that the ribs are cut into individual pieces before marinating and cooking. They come out tender and browned on all sides, just a delicious and messy carnivore delight.

Ingredients

1 side of pork back ribs

1/3 cup Oyster Sauce

1/3 cup Hoisin Sauce

1/3 cup Buckwheat honey or other dark honey

2 tsp. or to taste Sriracha Sauce

2 tsp. crushed garlic

Directions

Remove the membrane from bone side of ribs and separate rib sections into individual ribs. Mix all ingredients and rub the marinade on all sides of ribs. Place in resalable bag, remove as much air as possible and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight. Every now and then massage the ribs in order to redistribute the marinade.

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Bring ribs to room temperature. Remove the ribs from bag and place them on a sheet of aluminum foil large enough to make a bag with second sheet of foil on top. Reserve the leftover marinade. Seal the edges by folding them over several times, place on baking sheet and bake in middle of oven for 1-1/2 hours. Remove from oven and cut diagonal slots from corner to corner and fold open so that ribs are completely exposed. Brush on remaining marinade, increase oven temperature to 400 °F and bake until the meat is golden brown.

Serve and enjoy.

Oven Roasted Chicken Wings

I did not alter the color! This is real!!!

In a way, there is no recipe. I have marinated my version of regular sized wings  (as opposed to ostrich sized wings that I usually cook) in Char Siu sauce overnight, massaging them and turning them over every 8 hours or so.

Preheat oven to 375 °F, place wings on a rack over a baking sheet and bake for90 minutes. Start with good side down (outside of the birds wing) and turn over after 40 minutes. Baste both sides with the marinade that was reduced to almost jelly consistency and turn over. Bake for another 50 minutes till golden brown.

Serve, eat and enjoy.  

Ready to turn over after 40 minutes.

Ready for the plate.

I just love the crunchy wing tips!

Chicken Wings – Char Siu

I buy all my chickens and chicken parts at local Poultry Specialist store. Every Wednesday they sell the freshest chickens. Yesterday, among other parts, I bought their huge chicken wings. They are big and very meaty and take 2 hours to bake at 350°F! I can only eat 3 at a time and since I made a big batch of char siu sauce that is what I have used. Sticky, delicious heaven.

Fried Rice with Char Siu

Barbecue Pork Fried Rice

It is absolutely amazing in how many Chinese dishes this great barbecued pork is used. Dim Sums, soups, noodles, rice and even deserts! This pork fried rice is another restaurant favorite. To make it at home traditional way is, as usual, a bit tedious since everything has to be cut in uniform sizes and cuts and then each item is cooked separately. As with so many dishes less is sometimes more. By substituting just one or two items will change the texture and taste of a dish that it is in reality another item on most restaurants menus. It is always better to use at least one day old and refrigerated long grain rice.

Here is my version of this dish.

Ingredients:

1 cup Char Siu, cut into 1/4” strips

12 large shrimps, shell, tail and veins removed

1 carrot, julienned

3 Chinese mushrooms

2 green onions

1/2 cup green beans

1/2 cup green peas

1” piece ginger, chopped

Garlic, 1 clove chopped

2 eggs

3 cups leftover and refrigerated rice

2 Tbs. peanut oil

1 tsp. sesame oil

1/2 tsp. white pepper

Preparation (mise en place):

§    Soak mushrooms in hot water for at least 1/2 hour. Remove stems and cut into 1/4” slices. Reserve 1/4 cup of the water.

§    Marinate shrimps in 1 Tbs. of rice wine and sprinkle of salt, sugar and white pepper.

§    Cut ends of green beans and cut diagonally into 1” pieces. Parboil for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain and plunge into cold water. Drain again and set aside.

§    Peel and julienne carrots into 1/4” pieces. Parboil for 1 minute in boiling salted water. Drain and plunge into cold water. Drain again and set aside.

§    Cut green onions diagonally into 1” pieces and separate white and green parts.

§    Soak frozen green peas in salted hot water for 1/2 hour, drain and set aside.

§    Beat eggs in a bowl with fork, add salt and white pepper and set aside.

§    Crush and chop ginger and garlic and set aside.

§    Break up clumps of cold rice till you have individual grains. Set aside

Sauce:

1/4 cup mushroom soaking water

1 Tbs. of Oyster sauce

1 Tbs. of Hoisin sauce

Stir together all ingredients till well combined.

Directions:

§    Heat a wok and add 1 tsp. of oil and spread with steel spatula till sides are well coated. When wok is very hot add eggs and scramble lightly. Remove to preheated bowl, break up the eggs, set aside and keep warm.

§    Wipe the wok clean, add 1 tsp. of oil and spread with steel spatula till sides are well coated. Sprinkle 1 tsp. of salt and drop in the rice. Stir till rice is evenly coated and grains are separated. Remove to bowl with eggs.

§    Wipe the wok clean, add 1 tsp. of oil and spread with steel spatula till sides are well coated. Add shrimps with marinade and stir-fry for 1 minute. Remove to bowl with rice and eggs and keep warm.

§    Wipe the wok clean, add 1 tsp. of oil and spread with steel spatula till sides are well coated. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry for few seconds then add mushrooms and stir.

§    Add the pork strips and stir till heated through.

§    Add previously prepared green beans, green peas, carrots and white parts of green onions. Stir-fry till well combined.

§    Add reserved rice, shrimps and eggs and mix well till all ingredients are very hot.

§    Pour sauce on side of wok and stir.

Serve immediately in individual preheated bowls and garnish with green parts of onions.

Char Siu Pork with Crispy Noodles

Chinese Barbecue Pork Chow Mein

Even though the actual stir-fry takes about 3 minutes to make the two main ingredients take a bit longer. The Char Siu pork can be done few days ahead and noodles will take just over half an hour and they too can be done ahead.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 cup Char Siu pork, shredded into larger pieces 1/4” thick

3 Chinese mushrooms

1/2 carrot, julienned

16 – 20 Snow peas, ribs removed

2 green onions, sliced diagonally

1 large clove of garlic, chopped

1” piece of ginger, chopped

2 tsp peanut oil

Sauce:

1/2 cup mushroom soaking liquid

1 Tbs. Hoisin sauce

1 Tbs. Oyster sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp corn starch

In a small bowl mix all ingredients till well combined

Noodles:

Chinese egg chow mein noodles, 2 bundles

1 Tbs. peanut oil

1 tsp. sesame oil

Boil noodles according to instructions on a package drain well and divide into 2 equal bundles.

Heat 1/2 Tbs. of peanut oil and 1/2 tsp. of sesame oil in nonstick frying pan, add noodles and spread evenly. Cook till light brown crust forms on bottom. Turn over and crisp up other side. Place on cookie sheet lined with paper towel and place in 200 °F oven. Repeat with second bundle of noodles.

Stir fry:

Soak the mushrooms till soft, remove stems and julienne. Reserve soaking liquid for sauce.

Heat oil in a wok till very hot. Add oil and coat sides of wok with oil using steel spatula. Add garlic and ginger and stir fry for few seconds. Add mushrooms and carrots and 1 Tbs. of soaking liquid. Stir fry for few seconds then add shredded char siu, snow peas and sauce. Cook till sauce thickens a bit and snow peas turn light green.

Place noodles on preheated serving plates, pour wok contents on top and garnish with green onions.

Char Siu Pork

Chinese Barbecue Pork

Ingredients:

4 Pork Tenderloins

3/4 cup Hoisin sauce

1/2 cup Soy sauce

1/2 cup Rice wine or dry sherry

1/3 cup Honey

1 tablespoon Sugar

1 Tbs. minced garlic

1 Tbs. minced ginger.

2 tsp. Chinese 5-spice powder

For Marinade:

Put all ingredients (except pork ) in small sauce pan on low heat and simmer, covered, for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain through strainer to remove any solids and let cool. Reserve 1/4 cup for Glaze.

For Glaze:

1/4 cup Marinade

1/4 cup Honey

1/4 cup Hoisin sauce

Mix till well combined

Preparation:

Pierce tenderloins with a serving fork in several places to allow marinade to penetrate meat.

Place meat in sealable bag, pour marinade (minus 1/4 cup reserved for Glaze) over the meat, squeeze out as much air as possible and close. Place in refrigerator and marinade at least 8 hours or up to 2 days. Occasionally massage the meat to redistribute the marinade.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 275°F.

Place a cooling rack over baking pan and pour in about 1/4” of water.

Place meat on oiled rack and roast, place in middle rack in preheated oven and roast for 20 minutes.

Turn the pork and reduce the temperature to 185°F and roast for another 15 minutes. Baste every 5 minutes or so.
Remove the pork and turn the broiler on high. Coat the pork with the Char Siu Glaze. Broil the meat for five minutes or till the glaze caramelizes. Remove the meat, turn over and repeat.

Note: Since Pork Tenderloin cooks quickly it is easy to over cook it to a point where the meat dries out.

When edges are charred and meat is golden brown remove and let rest.

Use immediately in your favorite recipe or vacuum pack and freeze for later use.

Barbequed Chinese Pork Ribs

Char Siu Ribs

Barbeque pork is used in many Chinese recipes from soups, appetizers, stir fried rice and noodle to on their own with a bowl of rice. I used same marinade for my pork back ribs. After 3 hours of slow roasting in sealed aluminum bag at 290 °F and hit of open broil at 400 °F for 30 minutes they came out nice a sticky, fall-off-the-bone done. What a treat! Maybe I should file it under Dessert, really.

Makes about 2-1/2 cups

The sauce:

Hoisin sauce, 3/4 cup

Soy sauce, 1/2 cup

Rice wine or dry sherry, 1/2 cup

Honey, 1/3 cup

Sugar, 1 tablespoon

1 Tbs. minced garlic

1 Tbs. minced ginger.

2 tsp. Chinese 5-spice powder

Put all ingredients in small sauce pan and simmer, covered, for 10 – 15 minutes stirring frequently. Strain through strainer to remove any solids and save in a jar.

Ribs:

Remove membrane covering the rib side of rack.

Preheat oven to 350 °F.

Take a piece of heavy aluminum sheet that will generously cover the ribs in a sort of sealed bag.

Place ribs meat side down at one end of foil and brush with Char Siu sauce. Turn over rib side down (be careful not to pierce the foil!!!) and rub meat generously with the sauce. Fold over the foil and seal sides by folding over the foil several times. Through the remaining open side pour in about 1/3 cup rice wine, fold the foil over several times to make airtight bag and place on baking sheet.

Place in middle of preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Lower the temperature to 290 °F without opening oven door and cook for 2 hours.

After 2-1/2 hours in the oven raise the temperature to 375°F and remove the ribs.

Cut “X” in the aluminum bag being careful about steam that will inevitably escape. Roll or bend foil to open the bag, brush with more sauce and return to oven for another 30 minutes or till golden brown.

When golden brown, remove and cut into individual rib sections.

Serve with rice but we always eat ribs with rye bread. Don’t ask, just try it, you will like it. Excellent combo, just like a rye bread, chocolate and beer. Best dessert ever J !

 

Cut the bag open after 2 1/2 hours

Fold over the foil, brush with more sauce and return to 375°F oven for another 30 minutes.

Ready to be cut and plated.