Char Siu Explained: Cantonese Barbecued Pork at Home

What is char siu and where does it come from?

Char siu means fork roasted in Cantonese ¹. The name points to an older way of cooking, with strips of meat held over heat. Today it means Cantonese-style barbecued pork with a sweet edge and a reddish surface.

It comes from the People's Republic of China ². It belongs to Cantonese cuisine, which comes from Guangdong ¹². From there it spread widely, and versions are now popular in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Japan ¹.

In Hong Kong it is sold in siu mei shops ¹. Siu mei means roasted meats. These shops specialise in cooked meats such as char siu, soy sauce chicken, roasted goose, and roasted pork ¹. Because many homes in Hong Kong do not have large ovens, people often buy char siu ready to eat ¹.

What goes into it and how is it eaten?

Char siu is made from pork ². A common cut is boneless pork shoulder from the collar area, known as mui tau ¹. Cooks also use pork loin, pork belly, pork butt, and neck end ¹. The mix of fat and lean meat matters a great deal for flavour and texture ¹. Belly gives a juicier result, while butt is leaner ¹.

The meat is soaked in a marinade ¹. The mix often includes hoisin sauce, soy sauce, Chinese wine, and five-spice powder ¹. Five-spice powder is a ground blend of warm spices. Rice wine is also used, along with sugar, ginger, shallots, and spring onions in many recipes ¹². Near the end of roasting, maltose or honey is brushed on for shine and sweetness ¹.

It is usually cut into thin strips ¹. Many people eat it with plain rice or noodles ¹. In Southeast Asia, char siew rice often comes with cucumber, white rice, and sweet gravy or dark soy sauce ¹. Char siu is also used as a filling for steamed cha siu bao, pastry puffs, rice rolls, and pineapple buns ¹.

What do most people not know about it?

The red colour was not always from food colouring ¹. In the past it came from red fermented bean curd and red yeast rice ¹. Red fermented bean curd is soybean curd preserved with salt and colouring agents from fermentation. Red yeast rice is rice fermented with a red yeast. Many makers now use red food colouring instead ¹.

Japan has its own close relative called chashu ¹. The Japanese version often leaves out the red colour and five-spice powder ¹. It is seasoned more simply with soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar ¹. Mirin is a sweet Japanese cooking wine. Braised chashu is a common topping for ramen ¹. Some shops even make versions with chicken or, in one regional style, horse meat ¹.

As of October 3, 2026, char siu remains a comfort food in Hong Kong, found from fast-food shops to high-end restaurants ¹. Some high-end cooks use Spanish Black Iberian pork for extra fat and tenderness ¹. Others say careful marinating is enough, and prefer local pigs for a local dish ¹.