This is how to get your Chinese BBQ Pork fix – fast! It’s pork mince fried up using char siu sauce rather than marinating large pieces of pork. Sweet and savoury with a hint of five spice powder, it tastes just like the glaze on Chinese BBQ pork. Serve over rice for a quick dinner!
Recipes come into existence on this website in all sorts of ways. Sometimes they’re carefully planned, developed and tested to death with a specific goal in mind (like last Friday’s bagels). And sometimes they are impromptu recipes that came out of necessity, like today’s recipe, which was born only because there was a packet of pork mince in the fridge that needed using and a desire to do something new with it rather than reaching for quick ‘n easy faithfuls like Vietnamese Pork Bowls, Bun Cha (Vietnamese Meatballs), and Sausage Patties.
A quick rummage through the pantry, a sudden inspiration to use the marinade for Chinese BBQ Pork to fry up mince instead of marinating a pork roast, and here we are. A new recipe that tastes so good — and is so quick to make — it had to be shared!
The recipe was tested and made 6 times in total, tweaking the sauce each round until it was just right. Proof that it’s a seriously quick recipe! 🙂
Ingredients in Chinese BBQ Pork Bowls
Here’s what you need to make this:
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Pork mince (ground pork) – Use any fat percentage you like, though the higher the fat, the juicier the meat. This recipe should also work nicely with chicken and turkey, but the sauce is probably a little light for beef and lamb, which are meatier tasting. Bear in mind that chicken and turkey are leaner, so the meat will be a little drier.
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Garlic and onion – Essential flavour base for this otherwise simple recipe; please don’t skip these.
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Hoisin (dark, not orange) – Proper hoisin sauce is a dark brown colour, almost as dark as oyster sauce. Lee Kum Kee and Panda brands work well. Hoisin sauce that is a more pale orange colour lacks proper flavour — Ayam Hoisin sauce is a notable example; it tastes almost like a plum sauce and is not a suitable substitute here.
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Chinese Five Spice Powder – A blend available at most grocery stores, made up of five spices. This is the signature spicing flavour of Chinese BBQ Pork.
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Dark soy sauce – This colours the pork a deep brown as well as adding salt and soy flavour. It can be substituted with all-purpose soy sauce, but double the quantity and note that the pork won’t be as dark in colour and will have a touch less flavour. Adding a splash of Mirin or Chinese cooking wine helps compensate.
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White pepper – White rather than black pepper is typically the default for Chinese cooking, but it’s not critical in this recipe — substitute black pepper if that’s what you have.
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Red food colouring (optional) – Gives the pork a faint red hue like authentic Chinese BBQ Pork. Completely optional and purely for fun.
How to Make Chinese BBQ Pork Bowls
Make sure to caramelise the pork well — it really makes a difference here.
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Sauce – Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl.
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Sauté – Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over high heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is tinged golden on the edges, about 1½ to 2 minutes.
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Cook pork – Add the pork and cook, breaking it up as you go, until you no longer see pink.
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Add sauce – Pour in the sauce.
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Caramelise! – Cook the pork, still on high heat, for a good 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce is absorbed and the pork caramelises. The more the pork caramelises, the better the flavour.
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Serve over rice and sprinkle with green onion or sesame seeds.
Because the pork is quite boldly flavoured, fresh slices of cucumber and tomato or shredded carrot on the side work beautifully. Quick, simple, and refreshing against the strong flavour of the pork. Steamed greens like broccoli are another great addition to round out the bowl.
