Char Siu Adventure I - Roasting the Pork

I always wanted to make fresh roast pork, i see it when i go to chinatown, i see it when i go to parents, uncle aunties takeaway... and we all love it. My motivation in making roast pork (char siu) is because i want to add to my baking bun with my favourite.... Char siu chan bao, a typical hk favourite local food. But in doing the buns... i wasnt willing to pay the price from china town. So in discovering the recipe... i let my mum know i want to make this weekend, and at the end she got out her little red book full of her secret recipes and help me find the ingredients either from her fridge, chinatown grocers to tesco for the pork.  At the end i've adapted both recipes into my own and cross my fingers hoping to get the best results. 

So first, friday night i gathered my ingredients... the most important: I got my pork from tesco, and with mums help i found some good quality shoulder joint (i got 2 for 1kg).  Then each joint, discarding the skin then divided into 3 chunky strips. Then with one teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and soaked the pork for 30mins. Once that time time is ready..... give it a good rinse!!!!



Then the marinate stage.... lots of ingredients... but there are a few unusual ones  and fairly important like Red preserved beancurd, Chinese Rose Wine, Deep orange food colouring. Anyway, marinated the pork with a good mix - you need rubber gloves to cover ur hands or it dye your hands red. Then cover it with lots of cling-film and put it in the fridge for overnight.  (I got lazy so saturday, so didnt touch it till sunday morning, but basically the longer in the fridge the better for the flavours oozing into the meat!)

 

So as i said above, left it in the fridge till sunday late morning, and took it out. I made sure my baking tray was lined with foil in the tray before i put the pieces of pork on the oven rack. Pre-heated the oven, but also make sure i put a tray of warm water and put it at the bottom... it really to collect grease, but most importantly it reduces the smoke... if u dont want the smoke alarm bleep... remember this!
Anyway, put the pork in the oven for 35mins.  afte that turned the pork around to the other side, brushed with watered down syrup solution for the gloss and pop it back into the oven for another 10mins. 



When its done i was really happy! My first ever roast pork!





And the evening..... i made Roast pork rice like what you get in chinatown with abit of chinese cabbage.... it was yum!