Char Siu

Char siu is pork shoulder marinated in honey, soy and hoisin, then roasted until the edges char and the glaze turns sticky. It is Cantonese barbecue at its most iconic, recognisable by the deep red-brown lacquer that coats every slice.

What it really is

Strips of pork shoulder marinate for hours in a mix built on soy, hoisin, honey and five-spice, which gives the meat both its sweetness and its distinctive reddish colour. Roasted hanging in a hot oven so heat reaches the meat on all sides, the sugars in the marinade caramelise into a sticky, slightly charred glaze at the edges while the fattier cuts stay tender all the way through.

The char is the point, not an accident. A char siu with no dark, caramelised edge has usually been roasted too gently or too briefly; the sugar in the glaze is meant to catch and darken, which is exactly what gives the dish its name and its flavour.

How it is served

• Sliced thin, often hanging whole in the kitchen window before it's cut to order.
• Over steamed rice, in noodle soup, or as a filling for steamed buns.
• With a little of its own glaze drizzled back over the sliced meat.

How to write it on the menu

• Flag the soy in the marinade.
• Say which cut is used, since shoulder and belly char siu differ noticeably in fat and texture.
• Note if it's roasted in-house or from a specialist supplier, since both are common in different kinds of kitchens.