Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)

Char Siu — Chinese BBQ pork at its best. The meat is marinated in honey, soy sauce, hoisin, red fermented bean curd, and five-spice powder, then roasted over charcoal until the edges char and the glaze caramelizes into a lacquer that glistens in the light.

The cut matters: pork shoulder (woo loi) is the traditional choice — it has enough fat to render down during roasting, creating that sticky, caramelized exterior and a tender, juicy interior. The red color comes from the fermented bean curd, not food coloring — at least in the real version.

Sliced thin over rice, tucked into a bao bun, or eaten straight from the plate while it's still warm. Char Siu doesn't need anything complicated to be good.