This tasty and popular cantonese pork dish, also called char siu, can be used in stir-fry dishes, served with noodles, or as a stuffing for pork buns. It is also a popular holiday dish. Char siu literally means "Fork roasted" (siu means burn/roast and cha means fork). In chinese restaurants all over the world, the spelling varies; you may see it on a menu as char siew, cha siu, or cha shao. Typically, this dish calls for pork loin although you can use pork shoulder (butt). For a fatter and juicier variation, you can use pork belly. A number of ingredients like hoisin sauce, chinese five spice, soy sauce, honey, and more are combined for the 3-hour marinade in the fridge. You can add a touch of food coloring to give your barbecued pork the red coloring you commonly see hanging in restaurant windows in chinatown. Variations of this dish exist throughout asia. You can easily add or subtract ingredients to give this dish your own individual stamp on it. For instance, in japan, this dish is called chashu and is typically seasoned with honey and soy sauce; it is served in bowls of ramen soup and most of the other ingredients used in traditional chinese cuisine are omitted. Char siu has an amazing sticky glaze. You make think it comes from honey, and it can. But, usually, the glistening version that you see at your local chinese restaurant is created by using maltose instead of honey. You can pick up a tub of maltose at most chinese markets, but, if you can't get your hands on it, honey works just fine.
