Sticky Char Siu Pork Rice Plate with Ginger Greens

⏱ 75 min · Serves 4

Glossy, honey-lacquered pork shoulder sliced over fluffy jasmine rice, with garlicky pak choi and a drizzle of the reduced marinade. It tastes like your favourite Cantonese roast shop, but it comes out of your own oven.

Per serving: 755 kcal · 48.0g protein · 88.0g carbs · 22.0g fat

Ingredients

• 800g boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2 long strips
• 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
• 2 tbsp honey, plus 1 tbsp for glazing
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice
• 1 tsp red fermented bean curd paste or 1 tsp tomato purée (for colour)
• 350g jasmine rice, rinsed
• 500g pak choi, halved lengthways
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 tsp grated ginger (for greens)
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• Salt, to taste

Method

1. Whisk hoisin, both soy sauces, Shaoxing wine, 2 tbsp honey, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, five spice and bean curd paste in a bowl. Reserve 4 tbsp of this marinade in the fridge for later.
2. Add the pork strips to the remaining marinade, turn to coat, cover and chill at least 30 minutes (overnight is better).
3. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan. Sit the pork on a rack over a foil-lined tray with a splash of water in the tray to stop smoking. Roast 25 minutes.
4. Turn the pork, brush with tray juices and roast another 15-20 minutes until deeply caramelised and cooked through.
5. Mix the extra 1 tbsp honey into the reserved marinade, brush over the pork and blast for 5 minutes more, watching so it chars but does not burn. Rest 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile cook the rinsed rice with 600ml water: bring to the boil, cover, lowest heat 12 minutes, then rest off the heat 10 minutes and fluff.
7. Warm the leftover reserved marinade in a small pan with 3 tbsp water for 1 minute to make a glossy sauce.
8. Heat oil in a wok, fry ginger and garlic 30 seconds, add pak choi with 3 tbsp water, cover and steam-fry 3 minutes until just tender. Season lightly.
9. Slice the pork thinly against the grain. Plate rice, pork and greens, spoon over the sauce and scatter with spring onions and sesame seeds.