What is Char Siu Chinese Bbq Pork?
Char Siu, or Chinese BBQ pork, is a Cantonese delicacy featuring tender, juicy pork marinated in a flavorful blend of soy sauce, hoisin, honey, five-spice, and Shaoxing wine. Roasted to perfection, it develops a signature caramelized glaze with a slightly smoky, sweet-savory taste. Traditionally served with rice, noodles, or in dim sum dishes, Char Siu is a beloved staple in Chinese barbecue cuisine.
What does Char Siu Chinese Bbq Pork Taste Like?
Salty is one of the five main tastes. It has a satisfying and addictive quality with hints of sourness. Salty foods include cheeses, cured meats, chips, and olives. It is used in almost every dish and prepared food. Salt is added to enhance flavor and offer a distinctly salty taste.
Umami is one of five main tastes. It is savory with a depth of flavor. Umami is a taste in many foods, including meat, seafood, beans, and nuts. It is both naturally occurring and created through the specific use of ingredients to create a satisfying taste. Umami is characteristic of proteins and savory dishes.
Ingredients
Pork Tenderloin is a cut of meat from along the central spine of a pig. It is the most tender cut of pork. Pork Tenderloin can be marinated and roasted whole, or stuffed with ingredients such as mushrooms and bacon. It is very tender and moist and easily absorbs the flavors of the seasonings.
Soy sauce is a liquid condiment and seasoning made from fermented soybeans. Traditionally it was been made with just soy, many versions and brands use wheat as well. Soy sauce is dark brown with a thin viscosity. The flavor is intensely salty and umami. Soy sauce is used to season meats, seafood and vegetables, it is also used in sauces to perk up the flavor of the food and enhance other tastes.
Honey is made by the honey bee. The bees collect flower nectar and then deposit it into the honeycombs in the beehive. Once inside the honeycomb, the nectar breaks down into simple sugars. Evaporation via the fanning of the bees wings and the shape of the honeycomb helps excess liquid to evaporate, creating the sweet syrup that is used around the world. Honey is an amber color that can vary from pale yellow to dark brown. The texture is of an extra thick syrup. All honey is sweet, but the flavor can change considerably from floral to herbal and even nutty, depending on the flowers that the bees collected honey from. Honey is used in both sweet and savory dishes, as well as in tea as a sweetener.
Ketchup has had a slow evolution towards the tomato based condiment we know today, and was originally a Chinese fish sauce. Tomato ketchup has a thick but squeezable consistency, that spreads and mixes effortlessly. The color of this tomato, vinegar, and sugar based sauce is red. The flavor is sweet, tart and umami. Ketchup is a popular American condiment used on french fries, hamburgers, hotdogs and much more.
Chinese rice cooking wine, sometimes called mirin is a clear vinegar with a yellow tinge, or no color at all. It is made from fermented rice wine and is used in Chinese cuisine, in sauces, marinades, meat dishes and more. It adds depth of flavor and has a mild vinegar and salt flavor, some types taste mildly of alcohol, that cooks out once heated.
Brown sugar comes from the sugar cane or sugar beet. It is less refined than white sugar, but a refined sugar nonetheless. Brown sugar varies in color from light brown to dark brown. Light brown sugar has a milder flavor and lower moisture content, than stronger tasting brown sugar. The taste is mildly like molasses and very sweet. The sugar comes in fine granules that clump together. Brown sugar is used in baked goods for its sweet flavor and ability to make cookies soft. It is also used in many savory dishes to balance flavors.
Hoisin sauce, also called Peking sauce is a a semi-thick, dark brown sauce and condiment. The primary ingredient is soy sauce, with the addition of peanut butter, rice vinegar, oil and additional flavorings. The taste is sweet and tart with an umami richness from the peanut butter. Hoisin sauce is used as a dipping sauce in Chinese cuisines.
