Char Sui

Here's my recipe for the char sui - not as good as the place in the dead pigs on the walls on Gage Street (watch that floor - it's a death trap, and don't looks in the bucket full pig bits on the way to the loo - it fact, don't use the loo...) but pretty yummy all the same.

Notes: you do need the msg - we had a long discussion about this at the time of making it, msg has been used in Cantonese cooking for about 90 years now and unless you are allergic, it won't do you any harm. Lots of the rumours about how awful it is are unfounded/not proven. I don't use the red food colouring at home, but apparently the locals insist!

1.3 - 1.5kg pork - it should be pork butt or shoulder as you need the fat for the flavour when cooking - but I used the fattiest piece of pork loin I could find.

Marinade:
Garlic - 15g
Shallot - 15g
msg - 6g to 10g
caster sugar - 180g
chu hou sauce - 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons (I used Lee Kum Kee brand in a jar from Wellcome) I'd imagine that hoisin could be used as a substitute if absolutely necessary.
light soy - 30g
water 30g
sesame paste (I used tahini) - 115g
Salt - 30g
rose wine - 15g (it's the one in the green tear-shaped bottle - mei kuei lu chiew)
red food colouring - adjust to personal colour desired

Malt Glaze:
Water - 30g
Sugar - 15g
Maltose - 225g (at a push use a bland honey)

1. Cut the pork into long (10-11 inches) strips about 2-3 inches thick. Wash very throughly until it loses it's colour, pat dry before use.
2. Mince or blend the garlic and shallot. In a bowl, mix the water, soy, sugar, and msg. Add the remaining marinade ingredients (EXCEPT the colouring) to the bowl, and then stir in the minced shallot and garlic. Mix throughly.
3. Add the marinade to the pork strips and coat well - if desired add the red food colour for the authentic look.
4. Marinade for at least 3 hours - stir regularly to coat all the pork.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 300c (or as high as it will go). Put the pork on a roasting rack in the oven and roast for 15 minutes before turning over and roasting for a further 10 minutes.
6. Make the malt glaze: add all the ingredients to a small pan and heat until all dissolved and runny - keep warm to use for glazing.
7. Then turn the oven down to 250c and brush both sides of the meat with the malt glaze. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, brushing it with the malt glaze and turning it over every 5 minutes. It's done when a chopstick will easily pierce the thickest park - don't worry if the thin ends have gone very black - these can be trimmed off.
8. Remove from the oven and brush again with malt glaze - leave to rest for 30 mins before cutting into slices.

To Serve: Serve on rice with (thanks to Peggy Wong) the following - Chop a lot of ginger very finely and add some salt - heat up a couple of tablespoons of oil (canola or vegetable) and pour onto the ginger. Add some chopped spring onion and mix the whole thing to serve as a dipping sauce. You can't make enough of this - it goes SO well with the pork.

Yum! I'm making this again this friday.