This simple do-it-yourself char siu sauce is nice, savory, and full of basic Cantonese BBQ taste. Made with soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, and 5 spice, it’s shiny, sticky, and ideal for marinating pork, rooster, and even tofu.

Chinese language BBQ Sauce

As it’s possible you’ll know, I exploit Chinese language BBQ sauce in a number of of my recipes, like Char Siu and Char Siu Rooster. The flavour is all about that shiny, sticky glaze you’d discover on good Chinese language BBQ Pork. It’s candy, savory, and a little bit smoky, made with easy pantry staples like soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, and 5 spice. Actually, I believe this do-it-yourself model tastes even higher than bottled sauces like Lee Kum Kee, and one of the best half is it solely takes about 10 minutes to make.

Upon getting a batch prepared, the chances are countless. Use it as a marinade for pork, rooster, or tofu, brush it over grilled meats, or stir it into fast weeknight dishes for an prompt taste enhance. Take a look at the Scrumptious Methods To Use It part under for extra concepts on how one can deliver this simple Chinese language BBQ sauce into your on a regular basis cooking.

Your New Should-Have Selfmade Sauce

• Higher than bottled. Skip Lee Kum Kee and different store-bought jars. This do-it-yourself model is brisker, bolder, and totally underneath your management.
• Candy, savory, smoky. The basic Cantonese BBQ taste you like, with pantry staples like soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, and 5 spice.
• Versatile for the whole lot. Use it as a marinade for pork, rooster, or tofu, brush it over grilled meats, or toss into a fast stir-fry.
• Retains properly. Make a batch and retailer within the fridge so that you’ve all the time received Chinese language BBQ taste prepared for simple meals.

Components You’ll Want

• Soy sauce
• Oyster sauce
• Darkish soy sauce
• Honey
• 5 spice powder

You’ll discover all the precise quantities and particulars within the recipe card on the backside of this submit.

Professional Tip #1: Why I Use Soy Sauce
Soy sauce is the bottom of this recipe and provides the sauce that savory, umami spine. I like utilizing Kimlan soy sauce as a result of it’s easy and well-balanced with out being overly salty, which makes the flavour rounder and never too sharp.

Professional Tip #2: Why Oyster Sauce Issues
Oyster sauce provides depth and a delicate sweetness that balances the stronger flavors. I often go together with Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce for its wealthy, constant style. If you’d like a vegetarian model, swap in vegetarian oyster sauce.

Professional Tip #3: Why Darkish Soy Sauce
Darkish soy sauce isn’t nearly style, it’s about shade. It provides the char siu sauce that deep mahogany shade you see on good BBQ pork, together with a touch of molasses-like sweetness.

Professional Tip #4: Why I Use Honey As an alternative Of Maltose
Historically, maltose is utilized in char siu for that shiny, sticky end. I went with honey right here as a result of it’s simpler to seek out and nonetheless provides you the proper shine and sweetness. When you have maltose available, positively use it for a extra genuine glaze.

Professional Tip #5: Why 5 Spice Powder is Important
5 spice powder is the spine of char siu taste. It’s heat, fragrant, and immediately recognizable. The combination of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel, and pepper is what makes this style like basic Chinese language BBQ as a substitute of only a candy soy glaze.

Professional Tip #6: Why A Pinch Of Sugar Issues
Regardless that honey (or maltose) provides sweetness, a contact of sugar helps easy out the salty notes from soy and oyster sauce. It balances the whole lot so the sauce tastes good, shiny, sticky, and addictive.

Further Tip: Add Candy Soy Sauce
For a fair richer taste, stir in 1 tablespoon of candy soy sauce. It deepens the colour, provides a delicate caramel-like sweetness, and makes the sauce style even nearer to what you’d get at a extremely good Chinese language BBQ spot.

Scrumptious Methods To Use

This do-it-yourself Char Siu Sauce isn’t only for BBQ pork. It’s tremendous versatile and provides prompt taste to virtually something. Listed here are a few of my favourite methods to make use of it:

• Basic Char Siu (Chinese language BBQ Pork): Brush the sauce generously over pork shoulder or pork stomach, then roast or grill till caramelized and shiny. That’s the long-lasting Cantonese char siu you see hanging in store home windows, solely higher as a result of it’s do-it-yourself.
• Char Siu Bao (BBQ Pork Buns): Use this sauce to coat chopped BBQ pork for steamed or baked buns. It provides the filling that shiny, flavorful coating and simply the proper steadiness of candy and savory that makes each chew so good.
• Grilled or Air-Fried Rooster: Marinate rooster thighs or wings within the sauce for a couple of hours, then grill or air fry till golden and sticky. It’s smoky, juicy, and ideal for weeknight dinners.
• Tofu Or Veggie Stir-Fry: Brush the sauce over pan-fried tofu or combine it into your favourite veggies like bok choy, mushrooms, or broccoli for a fast, flavor-packed meal.
• Glaze For Meats Or Seafood: Use it as a ending glaze for ribs, shrimp, or salmon. Brush it on throughout the previous few minutes of cooking to get that shiny, caramelized coating.
• Rice Bowl Sauce: Drizzle a spoonful over steamed rice, a fried egg, and a few stir-fried greens. It’s easy, comforting, and stuffed with taste.

Ceaselessly Requested Questions

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