Best Cantonese Char Siu Pork And Vegetable Spring Rolls Recipes

CHAR SIU (CHINESE BBQ PORK)

Steps:

• Cut the pork into long strips or chunks about 2 to 3 inches thick. Don't trim any excess fat, as it will render off and add flavor.
• Combine the sugar, salt, five spice powder, white pepper, sesame oil, wine, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, molasses, food coloring (if using), and garlic in a bowl to make the marinade (i.e. the BBQ sauce).
• Reserve about 2 tablespoons of marinade and set it aside. Rub the pork with the rest of the marinade in a large bowl or baking dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours. Cover and store the reserved marinade in the fridge as well.
• Preheat your oven to 'bake' at 475 F (246 C) with a rack positioned in the upper third of the oven. (If you only have a convection oven, keep in mind the oven not only heats more quickly, your char siu will roast faster than what we have described here). It's amazing how oven temperatures can vary-from model to model, in different spots in the oven, and in how ovens pre-heat and maintain heat. Using an oven thermometer to double-check the actual oven temperature is a great safeguard to monitor your food (I say double-check because even oven thermostat calibrations vary and can sometimes be incorrect). Regardless, be sure to check your char siu every 10 minutes, reducing or increasing the temperature as needed.
• Line a sheet pan with foil and place a metal rack on top. Using the metal rack keeps the pork off of the pan and allows it to roast more evenly, like it does in commercial ovens described above. Place the pork on the rack, leaving as much space as possible between pieces. Pour 1 ½ cups water into the pan below the rack. This prevents any drippings from burning or smoking.
• Transfer the pork to your preheated oven. Roast for 25 minutes, keeping the oven setting at 475 F for the first 10 minutes of roasting, and then reduce your oven temperature to 375 F (190 C). After 25 minutes, flip the pork. If the bottom of the pan is dry, add another cup of water. Turn the pan 180 degrees to ensure even roasting. Roast another 15 minutes. Throughout the roasting time, check your char siu often (every 10 minutes) and reduce the oven temperature if it looks like it is burning!
• Meanwhile, combine the reserved marinade with the maltose or honey (maltose is very viscous--you can heat it up in the microwave to make it easier to work with) and 1 tablespoon hot water. This will be the sauce you'll use for basting the pork.
• After 40 minutes of total roasting time, baste the pork, flip it, and baste the other side as well. Roast for a final 10 minutes.
• By now, the pork has cooked for 50 minutes total. It should be cooked through and caramelized on top. If it's not caramelized to your liking, you can turn the broiler on for a couple minutes to crisp the outside and add some color/flavor. Be sure not to walk away during this process, since the sweet char siu BBQ sauce can burn if left unattended. You can also use a meat thermometer to check if the internal temperature of the pork has reached 160 degrees F. (Update: USDA recommends that pork should be cooked to 145 degrees F with a 3 minute resting time)
• Remove from the oven and baste with the last bit of reserved BBQ sauce. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing, and enjoy!

ROAST PORK WITH CHINESE VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Prepare all of the vegetables and set aside. Things will move quickly once the wok is on the stove, and you'll want to be prepared!
• Heat your wok over medium high heat, and spread 1 tablespoon of oil around the perimeter of the wok. Immediately add the minced ginger, and let fry for 5 to 10 seconds.
• Stir in the minced garlic, and immediately add the mushrooms and red bell peppers. Stir fry for 15 seconds. Turn the heat up to high, and add the bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and Shaoxing wine. Stir-fry for another 10 seconds. Next add the roast pork. Stir fry for 20-30 seconds.
• Next, add the bok choy and give everything a good stir fry for 15 seconds. Add the soy sauce, salt, sugar, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and fresh ground pepper. Continue to stir-fry for another 20 seconds.
• Add the snow peas and continue to stir-fry until they are evenly distributed in the mixture. Stir in the chicken stock, and let the mixture come to a boil.
• Once it comes to a boil, stir in half of the cornstarch thickener, and cook for 20 seconds--until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Add more of the cornstarch mixture if the sauce seems thin and if there is too much standing liquid. Add more chicken stock if the dish isn't saucy enough for your liking--it's all about your personal preference! Check how things are tasting, and if you'd like, you can add more soy sauce, oyster sauce, or salt to taste.
• Plate and serve with steamed rice!

CHINESE SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• Mix the pork with the marinade ingredients and set aside for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Cut all of the vegetables to approximately the same size. You want everything the same size so each ingredient blends together.
• Brown the pork over high heat in 2 tablespoons of oil, and add the garlic, mushrooms and carrots. Stir fry for 30 seconds, and add the bamboo shoots, napa cabbage, and Shaoxing wine. Continue stir-frying for a minute. Adjust the heat to simmer the mixture, as the napa cabbage will release a lot of moisture.
• Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and sugar. At this time, you have the option of adding 1/4 cup of the decanted water from soaking the dried mushrooms. It strengthens the mushroom flavor, so this is purely according to your personal preference. You may also have to simmer the filling longer to reduce the additional liquid.
• Continue simmering the filling for another 3 minutes--until the napa cabbage is completely wilted--and stir in the corn starch slurry to thicken. How much slurry you add depends upon the wetness of the filling (this varies if your cabbage had more moisture or if you did add the optional mushroom water), but there should be no standing liquid at all.
• Transfer the filling to a large shallow bowl, and let cool. Place into the refrigerator to cool further-at least one hour. It's best to start with a cold filling for easier wrapping. The key to wrapping spring rolls is making sure that they're tight, yet not overstuffed. It's best to use fresh spring roll wrappers if you can, as freezing the wrappers can result in the spring roll skin being a bit too damp.
• Place the wrapper on a flat surface so that a corner is facing toward you. Use about two spoonfuls of the mixture per spring roll, and spoon it about 2 inches from the corner that is closest to you. Roll it over once, and, like you're making a burrito, fold over both sides. Continue rolling it into a cigar shape. With your fingers, brush a bit of the cornstarch water onto the corner of the wrapper that is farthest from you to seal it.
• In case you're wondering, we did try egg wash instead of the cornstarch mixture to seal the spring roll but the egg wash "stains" the spring roll, so it's best to use the cornstarch mixture.
• Place each roll on a tray. This recipe makes about 18-20 spring rolls. You can also freeze these spring rolls on the tray overnight, and transfer them to a zip-lock bag when they are completely frozen for future use. We usually fry some fresh and freeze the rest, unless we are hosting a party, in which case, these go like hot cakes!
• To fry the spring rolls, fill a small pot (which requires less oil) with oil until it's 2 to 3 inches deep. Heat the oil slowly over medium heat until it reaches 325 degrees. Gently add the spring rolls one at a time, frying in small batches. Carefully roll them in the oil so they cook evenly until golden brown and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels.
• Prepare the dipping sauce by adding all ingredients to a small sauce pan. Mix and heat until just simmering and pour into a small bowl. Serve the spring rolls hot with the dipping sauce!

HOMEMADE PORK AND VEGETABLE EGG ROLLS WITH SWEET AND SOUR DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• To make the filling: combine the sugar, salt, pepper, water, oyster sauce, and soy sauce in a small bowl. Stir this flavoring sauce well and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallions and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds until soft and aromatic. Add the cabbage, celery, and carrot, stirring well to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute until the vegetables have collapsed slightly. Add the flavoring sauce and continue cooking for about 2 minutes, until most of the liquid has disappeared and the vegetables have just cooked through. Add the pork and continue cooking, stirring to combine the flavors and heat through, about 1 minute. Give the cornstarch a final stir, and pour over the filling. Cook for about 30 seconds to bind the mixture nicely. Transfer to a platter and spread out to cool completely. Feel free to prepare the filling up to 2 days in advance. You should yield about 4 ½ cups filling.
• Make the sweet and sour dipping sauce: combine the water, sugar, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a near boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Give the cornstarch a final stir and then add it to the pan. Continue cooking for about 15 seconds, or until the sauce comes to a full boil and thickens.
• Remove from the heat, transfer to a serving bowl and set aside for 10 minutes to cool and concentrate in flavor. Taste and add extra salt, if needed. Serve warm or at room temperature. Feel free to prepare the sauce a day in advance. You should yield about 1 cup sauce.
• To assemble the egg rolls: Place an egg roll wrapper on a work surface with the points facing 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock. Place ¼ cup of filling just below the center of the wrapper in a horizontal log shape going from 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock, but leaving about 1 ½ inches on either side for folding over. Fold over the bottom of the wrapper, brush the upper edges with egg wash, then fold in the sides of the wrapper. Roll tightly from the bottom up to seal and finish, forming a cigar shape. Set the finished rolls, seam side up, on a baking sheet and cover with a kitchen towel or lightly damp paper towel to prevent drying.
• To fry egg rolls: Line a sheet pan with paper towels and then place a metal rack over the top. Heat 1 ½ inches of oil in a deep skillet or pot over medium-high heat to about 375°F on a deep-fry thermometer. Slide in a few rolls and fry for about 3 minutes flipping halfway through or gently pressing down to submerge (they may be stubborn flipping over) until golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oil and drain on the metal rack set over the paper towels. Repeat with the other rolls. Be sure not to add too many rolls at once since it will lower the oil temperature suddenly. Try to keep it at or around 375°F throughout the cooking process by adjusting the heat as necessary.
• To bake egg rolls: Preheat the oven to 425°F and lightly oil a baking sheet. Place the egg rolls on the oiled baking sheet and brush them all over with more oil. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes on one side, then flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown on the top and bottom (they wont really brown on the sides the same way they do when fried).
• Serve hot, whole or cut in half with the sweet and sour dipping sauce.

CANTONESE CHAR SIU

Steps:

• First, make the marinade. Whisk the hoisin sauce, red bean curd (along with the sauce from the can), the soy sauces, rice wine, garlic and 3 tbsp honey together. Tip half into a large bowl with the pork, reserving the rest of the marinade for basting later. Season the pork, toss to coat and chill for 5 hrs to marinate.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Transfer the pork to a roasting tin and roast for 30 mins.
• Meanwhile, mix the remaining marinade with the rest of the honey. Brush over the pork every 10 mins, so it's evenly coloured. Serve with the rice and pak choi, and the spring onions scattered over.

CHAR SIU (CANTONESE ROAST PORK)

Steps:

• 1. Divide the pork into 4 strips. Leave any fat on, because it is delicately succulent when roasted.
• 2. MARINADE: In a large bowl mix together the sauces, sugar, wine or sherry and salt. Put pork in an let marinade for 4 hours, turning every 30 minutes.
• 3. Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Place the strips side by side on a wire rack in the top third of the oven with a tray of water beneath to catch juices. (Prevents burning of juices and keeps pork moist)
• 4. Roast for 25-30 minutes, at the end of that time the pork should reddish brown on top. Remove from oven and dip each piece back in marinade and return to oven with the bottom side up.
• 5. Lower oven temperature to 350-degrees and continue to roast for another 25-30 minutes. Insert a chopstick into thickest part and if no oink juices run out the pork is cooked.
• 6. Transfer to another wire tack. Immediately brush all over with honey, making sure not to neglect crevices. Carve into slices and serve.
• 7. Char Siu is delicious hot or cold, it's a versatile ingredient and can be stir-fried with vegetables or mixed with fried rice or used as a topping on noodles.
• 8. Shaohsing wine, yellow bean sauce and hoisin are found in an Asian market.

CHAR SIU PORK

Steps:

• Quarter the pork lengthwise into strips about 6 inches long and 1 1/2 inches thick. If there are odd-size pieces, they should be of the same thickness.
• To make the marinade, in a large bowl, whisk together the garlic, sugar, five-spice powder, hoisin sauce, honey, rice wine, light and dark soy sauces, and sesame oil. Set aside 1/3 of the marinade, cover, and refrigerate to later baste the meat. Add the pork to the remainder and use a spatula or tongs to coat evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours, or even overnight, turning the pork 2 or 3 times.
• Remove the pork and reserved marinade from the refrigerator 45 minutes before cooking. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 475°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a flat roasting rack on the baking sheet. Put the pork on the rack, spacing the pieces 1 inch apart to promote heat circulation. Discard the used marinade, wash and dry the bowl, and put the reserved marinade in it.
• Roast, basting with the marinade every 10 minutes, for 30 to 35 minutes. To baste, use tongs to pick up each piece and roll it in the marinade before returning it to the rack, turning the pork over each time. The pork is done when it looks glazed, is slightly charred, and, most important, registers about 145°F on an instant-read meat thermometer. Remove from the oven.
• Let the meat rest for 10 minutes to finish cooking and seal in the juices before using. Or, let it cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months.