I am not entirely sure what took me this long to feature this very classic and extremely delicious Chinese way of roasting pork or more popularly known as 'siu yuk' in Cantonese. Siu Yuk is a popular Chinese dish enjoyed both on special occasions and well, even non-occasions. When we were little, weekends usually meant longer breakfasts and no, lazy breakfasts did not consist of bacon and eggs but instead we would be digging into freshly made stir-fried rice noodles served with crispy-skinned roast pork on many Saturday mornings. I always had space for 'just another piece' no matter how full I thought I was and the same applied to my siblings, so you can probably imagine that leftover roast pork is a rare occurrence in our household. Anyway, what I never discovered till very recently was that my mom actually has her own recipe for homemade roast pork and to think of all those times I was pining for some good roast pork while I was living in the US (most sold over there at least in San Diego were either too dry or with soggy skin) - I wished I knew earlier but nevertheless, better late than never right?
What I am sharing today is a very simple method of making Chinese roast pork at home and all you need is pork belly meat (the 3 layer kind, pictured below), coarse salt, some vinegar, some five-spice powder and er of course an oven. This even works in toaster ovens as long as the tray is large enough to hold the piece of pork you're using. If you are getting your pork from an Asian grocer, all the better - just tell the butcher that you want to make Chinese roast pork and he will select the appropriate cut of pork for you. By the way, even my dear sister who cooks only when absolutely necessary is looking forward to trying out this incredibly easy recipe which also happens to have a surprisingly short list of ingredients. Just be sure to get the right cut of pork with the skin on and you'll be ready for some homemade crispy-skinned roast pork.
Chinese roast pork is also one of my favourite Chinese comfort foods as it probably reminds me of the many lazy Saturday breakfasts we had in our blissful childhood days :O.
Marinating time: 30 minutes to 1 hour
Serves 4
Ingredients:
500g of pork belly (3-layer)
1 tbsp coarse salt
1 tsp five-spice powder
2 tbsps rice vinegar mixed in with 1/2 tsp regular salt
Method:
Firstly, rinse the pork belly well and pat dry with kitchen towels. You have to make sure that the pork belly is really pat dry enough as we don't want moisture that will create steam inside the oven, this will not allow to skin to get all crispy and crackly and that's the opposite of what we want. Next, rub the coarse salt into the pork well. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes at least.
Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven to about 220 C (428 F). Prepare a tray for the pork to roast on by lining with some aluminium foil. Lightly grease the foil.
After the pork has marinated in the salt, rub the five-spice powder onto the pork. Place the pork belly on the tray and roast for 5 minutes skin-side up. Remove from oven and pierce the skin all over with a fork or skewer, the piercing will enable the skin to turn crackly once roasted. Brush the vinegar mixture on top of the skin.
Roast for another 25 minutes in the oven. Remove from oven and allow to rest for about 10-15 minutes. Slice and serve.
Roast pork is great served hot but I like it at room temperature as well.
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29 comments:
I love roast pork so are my family. Your roast pork looks very cripsy and delicious. I think I'll get some pork belly meat tomorrow :D
Woooo! That made me sooo hungry!
This is awesome, I really need to try this too. Thanks! We also call it "foh laam".
Whoa! Just look at that cracklin' skin. The stuff of dreams! Well, mine anyway. ;)
My family love this too! When I make this, it would be a 2-3kg piece of meat lol!
Love this too!
Thanks! 'Foh Laam"? Is that "Fa Lam" in Cantonese (literal translation is flower belly)?
I always enjoy that crackling skin too! I agree a lot of restaurants in US can't do this well - either too hard, rubbery, or chewy!
Wonderful!
nah, foh as in fire, so it would be fire belly? lol
This is so divine .... looking at yours makes me want to make again!
My husband will be so happy when I make this... I usually don't like too fatty meat, so I just eat the meat part and give the fatty part to my husband. =) I'm surprised that ingredients are so simple! I just remembered that I forgot to buy five spice from Chinese market again. I have to write it down in my phone now!
sound so easy to make
Fire belly? whoa haha...I must check that out..very interesting!
Ahh, I usually don't like fatty meat much either but when it's crispy and crackly like this, yeah I will :D
thanks!
thank you!
wow, that's a lot of meat! But I'm sure it's addictive :)
One of my all-time fav!
Please make some! :D
Thanks Ann! I can't wait to make these again..so simple yet so delicious :)
yeah haha
Haha...mine too actually :)
I loved this when I was a teenager, not it's something I would avoid. :P
I have tried several times to get this dish right! I think a need to try again because I learned a few tips here today. GREG
like siu yuk! you made it look so easy and delicious.
that looks great! I have always wanted to make roasted pork!!
Hi, what mode do you set your oven to?
Hi there! I just use the roasting function on my oven..
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