Let's Chashu! Hong Kong Style

I have a craving for Chinese style BBQ. Back in New York it was so easy to take the 6 train down to Canal Street and pay $5 for a satisfying bowl of chashu/ soy sauce chicken/ broiled duck rice. Here in Tokyo, those dirty, full on glass display of hanging meats with dripping oil is, not surprisingly, no where to be found. One thing that is rather curious in Tokyo and Japan in general is that Chinese food here is actually a luxury! Nowhere on this planet (or at least where I have been: US, Canada, Europe), consider Chinese food as a luxury. I mean of course there are nice Chinese restaurants in these places but the general consensus of Chinese food is cheap, no-fuss, fast-foodish, call & deliver meal.  Anyway, with a craving to satisfy I promptly made a call to my grandma who offered me this super easy, delicious recipe:

Recipe: Chashu, Hong Kong Style (Serves 2-3)

1lb Pork Belly (find the LEANEST one you can at the grocery store, which proved to be a difficult thing here in Japan) If it was up to me I would find something that is 20% fat and 80% meat

3-4 Tbs Chinese Wine (I used 紹興酒)

3 Tsp Brown Sugar

3 Tsp Seafood Sauce (found at 中華料理 aisle called 海鮮醬) or Chashu Ssauce if you can find it

2 Tsp Oyster Sauce

2 Tsp Soy Sauce

1/2 Tsp White pepper

1. Fork the pork all over to create little holes in the meat.
2. 
3. Combine all the marinade in a separate bowl, mix well, soak the forked meat into the sauce, turning the meat a few times. Marinate it for at least 4 hours or put it in the fridge and let it marinate over night for better result.
4. Preheat oven to 220 degree Celsius.
5. When ready, place the pork in a baking pan and stick it in the oven.
6. Depending on how thick your piece of meat is, the timing maybe a little different. The meat I bought was about 1.5 inch thick and it took 30 minutes to cook.
7. Once cooked (you can cut it to make sure the meat is fully cooked), let the meat cool in the pan for 10 minutes. This will allow the meat to retain its juice.
8. Once cooled, cut it into slices and serve over rice!

If you prepare it a day in advance (which took like 10 minutes), you pretty much just need to stick it in the oven the next day and serve! I love super easy quick dishes with amazing result.  The meat was well-cooked, juicy,  flavorful and so yummy! I was shocked at how good it was and could not shut up about it for a while. Then, J said,

“Well you know, roasting is very lenient on skills…”

Whatever, there’s nothing wrong with a simple yet delicious recipe!

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