Char Sui (Chinese BBQ Pork)

This recipe was conglomerated from a variety of web sites.  I started with two Chinese cookbooks that I have in my kitchen, thought they looked uninteresting, which led me to three other recipes online, which led me to making my own hoisin sauce.

Hope you enjoy.

3 lb pork shoulder, deboned and sliced into 8 in x 3 in x 1 1/2 in strips

Marinade

1/2 c white sugar (I use turbinado)
4 tsp salt
1 tsp five spice powder
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp sesame oil
2 T rice wine
2 T soy sauce
2 T hoisin sauce
4 tsp molasses
1/4 tsp red food coloring
6 cloves minced garlic

As usual, if you have been reading my recipes, I didn't measure much of any of this, just chucked it into the shaker bottle.

Combine in a shaker bottle.  Full disclosure, the recipe pictured I actually made a batch of hoisin sauce and then marinaded the pork in that, because I forgot that I was making the hoisin to go in the marinade.  I then mixed all the other ingredients and re-marinaded the pork.  It came out good anyway but I don't have any hoisin sauce for next time I need it.

Basting sauce:

2 - 4 T marinade
2 T maltose (honey if you can't find maltose but they have it at Asian groceries)
1 T hot water
Mix and shake well to dissolve sugar

Marinate overnight in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 475 - 550 °F and put rack in top third of oven. (I did 525°F)

Line a sheet pan with foil and place a metal rack on top.  Place the pork on the rack, leaving as much space as possible in between pieces, and pour 1 1/2 cups of water into pan below pork.  This should cut down on smoke.

Note: I recommend a large heavy sheet pan.  I used two normal pans and they were thin enough that the heat caused them to warp during baking.  This caused the water to flow to one end and defeated the purpose.  I had a lot of smoke.

Roast pork for 25 minutes and then flip over.  Add water if necessary.

Roast for 15 minutes then baste both sides and roast another 10 minutes.

If pork is not sufficiently caramelized, broil for a couple minutes but watch closely as it will burn.

Remove from oven and baste with the leftover sauce, let sit 10 minutes, slice thinly and across the grain and serve.

Various sites say that this freezes really well for inclusion in fried rice later.

Hoisin Sauce

1/4 cup light soy sauce

2 T peanut butter
1 T honey
2 tsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
1 clove garlic, grated (I used minced)
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 tsp spicy fermented bean paste (careful here, stores will sell you the wrong stuff)

Add to a shaker bottle and shake well until completely mixed.

From The Omnivore's Cookbook

Pictured at right, me using the Hoisin Sauce to make Chinese BBQ Pork.

The Asian grocery in town sold me Spicy Soybean Paste, which is not the same.  For your protection I include the following link, also from the Omnivore's Cookbook

https://omnivorescookbook.com/pantry/fermented-bean-paste

Mongolian Beef with Broccoli

1 lb flank steak

Meat marinade:
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 tblsp cornstarch
2 tsp peanut oil
1 tsp sherry (I use Harvey's Bristol Cream)
1/2 tsp salt
white pepper

Sauce
5 tbsp soy sauce (or 4 tbsp soy and 1 tbsp dark soy)
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sherry
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tbsp black bean garlic sauce
1 tbsp ground bean sauce
1 tsp dried chili pepper, crushed
4 cloves garlic, minced

1 oz bean thread, broken into two pieces
1 bunch green onions, chopped to about 1 inch

Broccoli florets

2 c oil

Steam broccoli florets until tender.

Cut steak across the grain into 1" x 1 1/2" x 1/8" pieces. I slice the flank steak lengthwise to make two long pieces, then slice each of these across into thin slices.
Mix with meat marinade and set aside.

Combine sauce ingredients.

Heat 1 1/2 c oil to very hot (275º to 300º). Add half bean thread, wait five seconds, flip, wait five seconds, remove. Repeat with second half bean thread and add both pieces to bottom of serving dish.

Add 1/2 c oil to cool to less than 250º. In two batches, fry beef for approximately 30 seconds. Remove beef and set aside. (Do not overcook the beef or it will lose its texture)

Drain off all but 2 tbsp oil and add sauce. Simmer for approximately two minutes to thicken.
Add beef, stir fry for 30 seconds, add green onion. Stir for 15 seconds.

Top bean threads with broccoli, top with steak, and pour cooked sauce over dish.

Serve.