Char Siew

This is my mum's version of Char Siew and as everyone knows - mum's cooking is always the best!
My mum is a fantastic cook and somewhere, somehow, along the way, I managed to pick up some of her skills!

I've cooked char siew with Shoulder Pork and Pork Belly and I would say that I prefer Pork Belly as it has more fats, hence, in my opinion - shiok! For the more health conscious of you out there, you can use shoulder pork - nothing wrong with that!

Out of interest, I have trolled the net to see what other recipes there are for char siews and they are mind boggling. But there is one that says to add hoisin sauce to the marinade and one day I will try this and see if it makes a difference, but today, here is my mum's recipe.

The recipe is very similar to her honey pork - link here: http://peranakanandmore.blogspot.co.uk/2009/01/honey-pork.html
Only difference is that the pork is being sliced first whereas for the char siew, the pork is being cooked whole!

Ingredients:

1 kg Belly pork strips
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp honey or Maltose
2 tbsp Oyster sauce
1 tbsp Sesame oil
2 tbsp Chinese wine (Optional)1 tbsp oil
300 ml water
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Place everything in frypan or wok and bring to boil.
2. Once the gravy has come up to the boil, turn fire down to low and simmer for about 45 mins to an hour, turning the meat over once or twice.
3. If the gravy has boiled down and meat has not softened, add a bit more water.
4. When pork is soft enough, remove from sauce and place under grill 220 deg for about 5 mins or so to char the meat, turning over once to get both sides nicely charred
5. In the meantime, cook down the sauce and leave aside.
6. Once meat is charred, brush with honey and cut into slices.
7. When ready to serve, pour some of the sauce over the meat.