Authentic Char Siu Chinese BBQ Pork Char Siew Recipe | Air Fryer Method

Hi everyone! I'm Mandy. Welcome to Souped Up Recipes. Today, I'm going to show you how to make authentic char siu using an air fryer. This is hands down the most beloved pork dish in Chinese cuisine. I'm sure many of you have been tempted by these beautifully roasted barbecue pork strips glistening in Chinese restaurant windows. I have made a version using the oven before. You can check the previous video right here. But the air fryer is actually a better method because it's fast, simple and delivers results just as delicious as the ones you can get in a restaurant. Let's start by making the char siu sauce. You could buy it from the store. If you do so, Lee Kum Kee is probably the only brand that you will find in your local Asian market. I recommend you to spend some time to make your own so that your char siu will come out 10 times better. In a saucepan, add 2 tbsp of brown sugar and 1.5 tbsp of honey because sweetness is the dominant flavor of char siu. Aside from the sweetness, we will add one piece of fermented bean curd to provide a nice and distinguished taste. You may find many versions of fermented bean curd in your local Asian market. I recommend using the Cantonese red colored one because char siu is a classic Cantonese dish. Optionally, I will add 1.5 tbsp of hoisin sauce to enhance the fermented taste. Why? Because if you check the ingredient list, you will know that hoisin sauce is essentially a sweetened version of fermented soy product. If you don't have access to the fermented bean curd, you can use 1 tbsp of the hoisin sauce instead of half. As opposed, if you only have the fermented bean curd and don't have the hoisin sauce, you can add 1.5 tbsp of the red juice from the jar in addition. However, I do recommend using a mixture of both so that you can achieve a deeper, more complex flavor. Continue by adding 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 1.25 tsp of five spice powder, and 3 drops of red food coloring. Don't add too much, a little bit goes a long way. Traditionally, I will use red yeast powder which doesn't have any taste but it gives the char siu its iconic red color. Considering most people don't have access to buy this ingredient, I'm just using red food coloring today just so I can show you that they work the same. Put the sauce on the stove and stir over medium low heat for a few minutes to reduce the liquid. This is my secret and it makes a big difference in taste. Why? If you marinate meat overnight, the seasonings will draw out lots of moisture from the pork which dilutes the flavor. To avoid that, reducing the sauce is necessary. Let it bubble for a couple of minutes and the texture will become syrupy, which means the sugar and honey are caramelizing. That adds another layer of flavor to your char siu. Quickly mix 1 tsp of tapioca starch with 1.5 tsp of water and add to the pot. Stir to thicken the sauce. This will help the seasonings to wrap around and cling onto the meat so the end result becomes even more flavorful. You want it to be nice and thick like a gravy. That looks perfect. No need to transfer the sauce into a bowl, just leave it in there and let it cool on the side. Next we are going to prepare the meat. Boston butt is my favorite cut of pork for making char siu because it has the perfect fat content. You can also use other cuts such as pork loin and pork belly. Cut it into 1.5 inch thick strips and make sure the length fits into your air fryer basket. Use a fork to poke lots of holes on the pork. This helps the marinade infuse into the meat evenly. Drizzle 1.5 tbsp of Chinese cooking wine in batches and rub it all over the meat. Honestly, char siu is so delicious that I would recommend you to double or triple this recipe. You can freeze it and it reheats well in the air fryer and the oven. However, this is a demo video and my air fryer only fits 500 grams of meat at a time. Use paper towels to absorb the excess moisture on the surface so it doesn't dilute the sauce. By now, the char siu sauce should be cooled. The texture becomes even thicker, almost like a fruit jam. Add the pork to the pot along with 2 tsp of garlic paste, 1 tsp of ginger paste, and 2 scallions that I cut into stalks. Go in with your hand and mix thoroughly. You could mix everything in a mixing bowl if you prefer, but I don't want to wash extra dishes and I do have room in my fridge, so I just cover it and stick the entire pot into the fridge overnight. Then, optionally, you can come back in the middle to give it a mix. Since we have plenty of time to wait, please allow me to promote my cookbook. I published it last year and we were out of stock in Europe for a long time and we finally restocked it. If you missed it last time, you can click the link in the description and grab your copy now. I promise you, this book is going to be your ultimate guide to cooking authentic and delicious Chinese food because I have been working on it for the past 3 years and carefully selected 168 recipes. Every recipe comes with a QR code link to a demo video, lots of step by step photos, clear instructions, and secret tips. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned chef, you will be able to cook better than takeout in your own kitchen. Alright, thank you for your support and I'll see you tomorrow when the pork is done. The next day, no need to preheat the air fryer. Just take the pork out of the fridge and stick it into the air fryer basket. Set the temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and let it cook for 18 minutes. This is how it looks after 18 minutes. There will be extra sauce left in the pot, just brush it onto the meat surface. Flip and brush the other side. Stick it back into the air fryer and cook at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for another 18 minutes. Pull out the basket again, this time we'll brush a thin layer of honey, which gives the char siu a shiny and tempting appearance. Stick it back into the air fryer, increase the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and continue to cook for 2 more minutes. It looks pretty good now, but I want to flip it over so that the other side can also be nice and charred. Brush it with honey as well, keep the heat at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Every air fryer is different, feel free to pull out the basket at any time and check the doneness, adjust the timing if needed. What you are looking for is this beautifully charred char siu, covered with that shiny caramelized honey sauce. It is nice and sizzling, bursting with wonderful aroma. Simply slice it into thin pieces. Look how juicy that is. My mouth is watering already. I'm telling you, this is so much better than what you can get from restaurants. Cantonese people like to serve it on top of white rice with some blanched greens. I grew up eating this dish. To me, the flavor is on point, very authentic with its perfect sweet and savory taste. You just have to give it a try, and I promise you'll fall in love with it. I hope you give this a try soon. As always, the printable recipe link is in the description. Go check it out. Don't forget to like and subscribe to my channel for more easy and delicious Chinese food. Thank you for watching and I'll see you next time. Bye!