Char Siu in the UK: what it is, how to order it, where to find it
Quick answer
Char siu is Cantonese barbecue pork: strips of pork marinated in a sweet-savoury sauce and roasted until the edges caramelise and char. Glossy red and honey-glazed, it hangs in the windows of Cantonese roast-meat shops and tops rice, noodles and buns. It is one of the great Cantonese things and a good test of a siu mei (roast meat) kitchen.
Calories and nutrition
- Calories
- 600
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Salt
- 2.6 g
480–740 kcal
Portion: Char siu over rice, about 350 g.
The glaze adds sugar; leaner shoulder is a little lower in fat than collar.
Estimates for a typical portion, based on standard UK and USDA food composition data. Actual values depend on the recipe and the restaurant.
What char siu is
Pork, usually shoulder or the fattier collar, is marinated in a mix of hoisin, soy, honey or maltose, five-spice, fermented red bean curd and sometimes a little rose wine, then roasted or barbecued, basted with the glaze until the outside caramelises and chars at the edges. The name means 'fork-roast', for the way it was cooked on long forks over fire. The best has a balance of sweet and savoury, tender meat and slightly burnt, sticky edges. It is sold by weight from roast-meat shops alongside roast duck and crispy pork belly (siu yuk), and eaten over rice, in char siu bao (barbecue pork buns), or with noodles.
How to judge it
Look for caramelised, slightly charred edges and moist meat with a good ratio of fat, glossy from the glaze. Dry, pale, uniformly red char siu without char is the low end. A restaurant with a window of hanging roast meats and a Cantonese crowd is where to find the best. Char siu rice (char siu fan) with a ladle of sauce and some greens is one of the great cheap lunches.
Char siu on the menu
It appears as a starter (sliced, with a sweet sauce), over rice, in soup noodles, and as the filling in the fluffy white char siu bao at dim sum. A roast-meat combination (siu mei) plate with char siu, roast duck and crispy pork over rice is the way to try the range.
Where it is done well in the UK
Cantonese roast-meat shops and restaurants in the Chinatowns and cities with a Cantonese community. Our directory lists areas with the most Chinese restaurants.
How to order it
Order char siu from a Cantonese roast-meat shop with meats in the window. Char siu rice with greens is a great cheap lunch. Look for caramelised, charred edges and a good bit of fat. A siu mei combination plate lets you try roast duck and crispy pork too.
Where it's done well
UK councils with the most char siu specialists, by restaurant name, in our directory.
Restaurants near you
Search by postcode or use your location to find restaurants likely to serve char siu near you.
Make it at home
Serves 4 · 60 min
Ingredients
- 600 g pork shoulder or collar, in long strips
- 3 tbsp hoisin
- 2 tbsp soy
- 2 tbsp honey or maltose, plus more to glaze
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp five-spice
- 1 cube fermented red bean curd, optional
- 1 tbsp sugar
Method
- Mix the marinade and coat the pork; leave overnight if you can.
- Roast at 200°C on a rack over a tray of water for about 25 minutes, then turn, baste with the marinade and a little extra honey, and roast another 20 minutes.
- Finish under a hot grill to char and caramelise the edges, basting again.
- Rest, then slice across the grain. Serve over rice with the pan juices and steamed greens.
Basting and a final blast of heat give the caramelised char that defines char siu. A fattier cut stays moist.