Char Siu Sauce is a sweet and salty Chinese-inspired BBQ sauce made with pantry ingredients. Use as a marinade, dip, or sauce with barbecued pork or chicken.
What is Char Siu Sauce?
Char Siu Sauce is a Cantonese barbecue sauce with a sweet, savory, salty flavor – and a key ingredient when making our Char Siu Pork.
It can be used as a marinade for pork shoulder, ribs, and tofu. It’s also delicious brushed over crispy chicken wings or grilled salmon. It can also be served as a dipping sauce for pork belly or other meats.
While you can find jarred Char Siu Sauce at most supermarkets or online, if you keep a well-stocked pantry, you can easily cook up a batch of this sauce in just minutes at home.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Granulated sugar
- Chinese Five-Spice Powder
- Ground White Pepper
- Sesame Oil – Either toasted or non-toasted sesame oil can be used.
- Shaoxing Wine – Find this online here, or use dry sherry (from a liquor store) if you have that already on hand.
- Soy Sauce
- Hoisin Sauce
- Red Food Coloring – This is completely optional. Add a small amount of food coloring if you want the pork or other meats used with the sauce to have a deeper red color, similar to what you might see at a Chinese restaurant.
- Fresh Garlic
- Honey
- Water
- Corn Starch
Cooking Tip
- Restaurant versions of Char Siu Sauce also contain fermented red bean curd which adds a salty, umami flavor and a thicker, creamier texture. If you’d like to experiment with this, add to this recipe a cube of the red bean curd and a teaspoon of the liquid from the jar.
Char Siu Sauce
Char Siu Sauce is a sweet and salty Chinese-inspired BBQ sauce made with pantry ingredients. Use as a marinade, dip, or sauce with barbecued pork or chicken.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: sauce
- Method: simmer
- Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 teaspoons sesame oil (toasted or non-toasted)
1/4 cup Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Hoisin sauce
1/8 teaspoon red food coloring
3 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon corn starch
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a medium saucepan.
- Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes.
- Cool completely.
- Store sauce in a covered jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Char Siu Sauce ahead of time? Yes, this sauce should be made ahead and cooled before using it as a marinade. It can be used warm as a sauce.
- How do I store leftovers? Store refrigerated in a covered jar or airtight container for up to two weeks.
- Can I freeze this sauce? No. This is not the type of sauce that you would freeze.
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