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Bak kwa (barbecued dried pork)
Thin sheets of sweet minced pork dried in a low oven and grilled until glossy and charred at the edges
Before Chinese New Year, queues snake round the bak kwa shops of Singapore and Malaysia, because these sweet, smoky sheets of pork are the gift everyone brings when visiting family; their deep red colour stands for luck. At home you can make them from minced pork mixed with sugar, soy, fish sauce and a splash of Shaoxing rice wine, spread thin, dried in a low oven and then grilled until caramelised and blistered at the edges, chewy and sticky-sweet. For an alcohol-free version, swap the Shaoxing wine for the same amount of unsalted stock with a few drops of rice vinegar. Eat it warm on its own, or tucked into a soft white bun. Chef's tip: roll the mince between two sheets of baking paper to 2–3 mm; any thicker and it stays soft in the middle instead of turning into proper jerky.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb pork minceabout 20% fat
- 5 ½ oz sugar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wineor unsalted stock with a few drops of rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- ½ tsp five-spice powder
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
- ½ tsp red food colouring or red yeast rice powderfor the classic colour
- 2 tbsp honeymixed with 1 tbsp hot water, for glazing
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 2 ¼ lb pork mince with 5 ½ oz sugar, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, ½ tsp five-spice powder, ½ tsp ground white pepper and ½ tsp red food colouring or red yeast rice powder, stirring in one direction for 3–4 minutes until sticky and paste-like.
6 minStep 2: Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour (or overnight). Common mistake: leaving the sweet raw mince on the counter to 'take the flavour'; it must stay cold.
5 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 176°F (fan 158°F). Divide the mince into 4, and roll each portion out between two sheets of baking paper into an even sheet 2–3 mm thick.
15 minStep 4: Peel off the top paper and slide each sheet, on its paper, onto a baking tray. Dry in the oven for about 1 hour, until the surface is dry, leathery and no longer sticky, and the meat has shrunk from the edges.
60 minStep 5: Turn the oven up to 325°F (fan 275°F) and bake for 15 minutes more, until the pork is firm and cooked through.
15 minStep 6: Cut each sheet into 8–10 cm squares. Heat the grill to high (or use a charcoal barbecue), brush the squares with 2 tbsp honey and grill for 2–3 minutes a side, about 10 cm from the heat, until bubbling and charred at the edges and the thickest part reaches 160°F.
10 minStep 7: Cool on a rack until just warm, when it turns chewy and glossy. Keep in an airtight box in the fridge for up to a week (or freeze for 2 months) and warm under the grill or in a dry pan until sizzling before eating.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 21 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bak kwa (barbecued dried pork) take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 150 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of fish sauce?
- Soy sauce with a squeeze of lime (vegetarian).
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IndianPerfect for:Lunar New Year