Quick & Easy Chinese (24 page)
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Authors: Nancie McDermott
Bright red on the outside and lusciously salty-sweet in its flavor, Chinese-style barbecued pork is Asian fast food at its best. Home cooks, street vendors, and restaurateurs buy it by the pound from Chinese barbecue shops, which also sell roast duck, roast chicken, and roast pork, among other items.
Char shiu
pork is a versatile ingredient enhancing stir-fries, soups, and noodle dishes. Thinly sliced and tossed in a hot pan with ginger and garlic and a little oil, it makes a terrific quick meal over rice, with sliced cucumbers on the side for a cool, green crunch. My home-style version lacks the delicious charred flavor bestowed by a professional oven, as well as the red food coloring which creates its trademark color, but it makes an absolutely wonderful and useful dish.
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons dry sherry or Shaoxing rice wine
2 tablespoons dark brown or light brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce or molasses
1 teaspoon paprika
2 pounds boneless pork, preferably fatty pork shoulder, pork butt, or country-style pork ribs
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons hot water
MAKES ABOUT
1
POUND BARBECUED PORK
NOTE
You can use pork tenderloin in this recipe, but the meat will be a little drier and less rich than a classic version of char shiu pork. Reduce the cooking time, as it will be done faster than fattier cuts of pork. If you like, you can reserve the marinade and baste the pork before you turn it midway through the cooking process
.
In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ketchup, sherry, brown sugar, garlic, dark soy sauce, and paprika. Stir with a whisk or a fork to combine everything evenly and well.
Cut the pork with the grain into long, plump strips, about 2 inches in diameter. (Boneless country-style ribs are just the right size already.) Immerse the pork strips in the soy sauce mixture and turn to coat them evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and as long as 8 hours.
To cook the pork, heat the oven to 375°F. Place an ovenproof rack on a roasting pan, and add water to a depth of ½ inch in the pan. Remove the pork from the soy sauce mixture, and place the strips on the rack over the water, several inches apart. Roast for 30 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 350°F, and turn the pork pieces over to cook them evenly. Cook for about 20 minutes more.
While the pork is cooking, combine the honey and hot water in a large bowl, and stir to mix them well.
When the pork is done, remove from the oven and dip each strip into the warm honey glaze. Set aside to cool to room temperature. To serve, slice thinly across the grain. To keep, leave the pork pieces whole, and cover and refrigerate them for up to 5 days. Or freeze them, whole and well wrapped, for up to 1 month.
SHRIMP WITH TINY PEAS