The Ultimate Vegan Char Siu Recipe 最美味的素叉燒食譜

Ever since I became a vegan 7 years ago, my ultimate desire has been to recreate popular dishes and family’s favourite recipes using plant based ingredients. One of the ‘must do’ foods at the top of my list is the Vegan Char Siu. 

自從我 7 年前開始吃素以來，一直的心願就是要使用蔬食食材，把廣受歡迎的傳統食譜和家人最喜愛的美食做成素菜。而名單上「必須做」的食物之一便是純素叉燒。

( 中文食譜在下面 For the Chinese recipe please scroll down)

And finally, after dedicating time to develop each stage of this recipe, I think I have managed to create a texture, flavour and appearance which I’m very happy about. I can joyfully bring out this aromatic, soft, tender, juicy, savoury and a little sweet vegan Char Siu that we as a family have all longed for, on our dining table, and for any special gathering.

Char Siu, also known as Cantonese BBQ pork, is a type of roasted pork originating from the Cantonese cuisine. Traditionally, the marinated pork is skewered with long forks and roasted in an oven or over an open fire. That’s where its Chinese name Char/叉(fork) Siu/燒 (roast) comes from.

Like the traditional Char Siu, my delicious vegan counter part can be enjoyed fully on its own, as the centrepiece of a main meal or served with some other ingredients to form an all-in-one dish. Such as some of the most popular favourites served at a Dim Sum restaurant : Sam Siu Fan (Three roast with rice 三燒飯,) and Char Siu Bao (叉燒包), Char Siu Rice Flour Rolls (叉燒腸粉) etc. 

I will without a doubt, be sharing all of these wonderful recipes with you in our future videos, so please stay tuned, many thanks.

For now, let’s see how to make this mouth watering vegan Char Siu.

終於，在花了很多時間研究和試驗這個食譜之後，我想我已經成功地把這道素义燒做到無論在質感、口感、味道和外型上都做到令我和家人朋友們都感到非常滿意的水準。我可以很高興地在我們家的餐桌和任何特別的聚會上端出這道色香味全、香甜、軟滑、多汁的純素叉燒。

叉燒，是一道膾炙人口的粵菜。傳統上，醃好的豬肉用長叉子串起來，然後在烤箱或明火大爐上烤的。這就是它的中文名字叉燒的由來。

就像傳統的叉燒一樣，我美味的純素叉燒可以是主菜、小菜、或與其他菜式一起配搭 。 又可以用來做點心茶樓餐廳一些最受歡迎的美點佳餚；如三燒飯、叉燒包、叉燒腸粉等等。

毫無疑問，我會在未來的視頻中與大家分享所有這些美味的食譜，敬請留意，非常感謝。

現在，先讓我們看看如何製作這些令人垂涎的純素叉燒。

( 中文食譜在下面 For the Chinese recipe please scroll down)

The Ultimate Vegan Char Siu Recipe

Ingredients :

Wet ingredients:

½ tsp dried active yeast (the type that needs to be activated by warm water)

230 ml 30- 33°C warm water (160ml cold water + 70ml hot water)

2 tbsp oil

Dry ingredients:

1¼ cup vital wheat gluten flour (You can order online)

¼ cup wheat starch (you can get from most Chinese supermarkets)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground white pepper

½ tsp ground sand ginger

½ tsp natural mushroom seasoning 

For the stock:

2000 ml water

4 slices of ginger

2 star anise 

2 tbsp Shaohsing wine ( or any cooking wine)

For the marinade sauce:

2 tbsp vegan peking duck sauce (we used Lee Kum Kee brand)

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp vegan oyster sauce

1 tbsp golden syrup

1 tbsp sesame oil

½ tsp five spice powder (optional, if you don’t want a darker appearance, you can omit this)

1 tbsp Shaohsing wine ( or any cooking wine)

1 pea size (or less if you don’t like it too red) vegan concentrated red food colour

For the Char Siu glaze:

2 tbsp vegan peking duck sauce (we used Lee Kum Kee brand)

Homemade sweet soy sauce (for drizzling over the rice, vegetables and the cooked Char Siu) : 

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp wine

2 tbsp water

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp sesame oil

Heat the homemade sweet soy sauce by adding all the ingredients to a small saucepan, bring it to the boil over medium heat, then turn down over low heat to simmer for 1 minute.

Method :

1. In a measuring jug, add warm water from the wet ingredients, then the yeast, stir to mix, leave and set a timer for 10 minutes.
2. Whilst the yeast and water are left to activate. In a large mixing bowl, add the vital wheat gluten flour and wheat starch as well as all the seasonings from the dry ingredients, mix to combine.
3. After 10 minutes, add 2 tbsp oil into the yeast water, stir to mix, pour the yeast water mixture into the wheat gluten flour mixture, use a spatula to mix together quickly into a soft dough. You need to work fast, as vital wheat gluten flour absorbs water really quickly, if not mixed fast enough, this could result in an uneven texture.
4. Once the dough is formed, gently press down with your fist. Keep it in a thick disc shape, turn over, continue to press and squeeze with your fist and fingers for 2 minutes (avoid kneading the dough as it’ll separate and can’t be stuck back together). Cover and leave for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, put the dough on a chopping board, give it a stretch to form a rectangular shape, before cutting it into 4 long pieces.
6. Stretch each long piece from either end and twist to tie into a loose knot, repeat to tie the remaining 3 long pieces into loose knots. This is to create a more realistic meat-like wrinkly texture appearance on the surface of the char siu (this step is totally optional, I sometimes forget to do it too). But untie it immediately or the knots will stick together too tightly to be reopened again.
7. Add all of the ingredients for the stock into a medium stock pot, bring to the boil, slowly lower the slightly stretched long pieces of dough into the stock, bring back to the boil again, and simmer for 20 minutes. Do not cover.
8. Turn the pieces over every few minutes, making sure the water is on a low bubbling simmer. Do not cover. Adjust the level of heat to maintain that small simmer, but beware not to let it boil too rapidly or the dough will become too inflated and bloated.
9. After 20 minutes, take the dough pieces out to cool and drain on a sieve/colander for at least 30 minutes, then pat dry with kitchen roll and place them in a mixing bowl or a large container with a lid. 
10. Put all the ingredients for the marinade into a small clean glass jar, cover and shake well before pouring onto the dough pieces, stir and mix well, cover and put in the fridge to marinate overnight. Take them out to turn over a few times to let the “pork” pieces fully absorb the sauce.
11. Before roasting the marinated “pork”, pre-heat the oven to 200°C, lay them on the metal wire rack on top of a lined baking tray, brush the pieces with some of your leftover sauce from the marinade then put in the oven to roast for 10 minutes. Take out and brush the remaining marinade sauce over the pork, turn the oven down to 180°C, put back and roast for another 10 minutes; the Char Siu is ready for the final steps.
12. Take the Char Siu out then brush a glaze of the peking duck sauce all over.
13. Heat a non stick pan over medium heat, add 2 tbsp oil. Roll the Char Siu in the oil and pan fry each side until glossy with the edges just slightly charred. Keep turning them over to avoid the Char Siu getting burnt as the sweet sauce can brown very quickly.
14. Put the glazed Char Siu on a plate to cool, cover with a sieve and leave for at least a few hours before slicing to serve. It’s tempting to eat them straight away however the resting time is important, as the flavour and texture will be better. You can put the rest in a clean container, cover and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days; keep in the freezer for up to a month.
15. Serve the Char Siu with freshly boiled rice and salt and oil blanched vegetables; drizzle all over with our homemade sweet soy sauce (see the recipe above). There you have it, an absolutely delicious plateful of one of the most popular Cantonese dishes - veganised!

Tips :

1. Please note: I’ve tried and tested this recipe multiple times over the years to have finally achieved this foolproof formula. Please follow all the ingredients and instructions as listed, unless I have provided alternatives.

2. The step for marinate overnight is crucial for this Char Siu to develop the depth of flavour as well as the soft, juicy, dense and chewy texture that you will achieve as a result.

3.  The quantity for this batch will have produced 4 long pieces of Char Siu, they can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. Simply slice to serve cold as it is. If not using immediately, you can put some in separate containers and keep in the freezer for future use; in recipes like Char Siu Bao, Char Siu Fan (rice), Char Siu Rice Flour Rolls, Young Chow Fried Rice, Singapore noodles and so much more.

Additional tips:

How to choose Vital Wheat Gluten (VWG)?

Recently, lots of people online have mentioned that the properties of the vital wheat gluten currently available on the market seem to be somewhat different from those in the past. Recipes that had always been successful suddenly became uncontrollable. And I have been asked about how to deal with this issue by our readers or channel subscribers.

Here, I can only propose solutions based on my own recipes. Whoever has made vegan meat using my recipes such as Char Siu, Baked Gluten Puffs or Kao Fu … would know that for the wet ingredients I only use yeast, water and sugar, and I may add a little salt or oil depending on the recipe. So it’s very easy to adjust.

The protein content of each brand of VWG varies, generally ranging from 75% to 85%. I use the 85% type, but depending on the supply, it may not always be available. Protein content can affect how the dough turns out when water is added. Just like when you make any dough using flour, when kneading, you can make slight adjustments. If you feel that the dough is too dry and hard, you can add some water little by little. If you feel that the dough is too wet, then add a little dry flour until a satisfactory result is achieved. Once you have done it a couple of times, you will know exactly what to do.

最美味的素叉燒食譜

材料：

濕材料：

½ 小匙乾酵母（需要用溫水激活的種類）

230 ml 30- 33°C 溫水（160 毫升冷水 + 70 毫升熱水）

2 大匙油

乾材料：

麵筋粉 1¼ 杯(vital wheat gluten flour)（你可以在網上訂購）

澄麵 ¼ 杯(小麥澱粉)（你可以從大多數中國超市買到）

鹽 ½ 小匙

白胡椒粉 ½ 小匙

沙薑粉 ½ 小匙

天然蘑菇調味粉 ½ 小匙

高湯料：

水 2000ml

生薑 4片

八角 2 粒

紹興酒 2 大匙（或任何料酒）

醃料：

純素北京烤鴨醬 2 大匙（我們用的是李錦記品牌）

生抽 2 大匙

老抽 1 大匙

純素蠔油 2 大匙

金黄糖漿 (golden syrup) 1 大匙

麻油 1 大匙

五香粉 ½ 小匙（如果你不想义燒顏色變深，可以不用）

紹興酒 1 大匙（或任何料酒）

純素濃縮紅色食用色素 1 粒豌豆大小（如果你不喜歡太紅，可以用少一些）

塗抹醬：

純素北京烤鴨醬 2 大匙（我們用的是李錦記品牌）

自製甜醬油（淋在米飯、蔬菜和煮熟的叉燒上）：

生抽 1 大匙

老抽 1 大匙

酒  1 大匙

水  2 大匙

糖  2 大匙

麻油 1 大匙

將所有材料加入小平底鍋加熱，以中火煮沸，然後轉小火煮 1 分鐘。

方法：

1. 在量杯中，加入濕原料中的溫水，然後加入酵母，攪拌混合，靜置並設定計時器 10 分鐘。

2.  在等待酵母在水中活化時。在一個大碗中，加入麵筋粉和澄麵以及所有乾原料的調味料，混合均勻。

3.  10 分鐘後，在酵母水中加入 2 大匙油，攪拌混合，將酵母水混合物倒入麵筋粉澄麵混合物中，用矽膠刀快速混合成柔軟的麵團。你需要動作快速，因為麵筋粉吸水很快，如果混合得不夠快，可能會導致麵糰不均勻。

4.  麵糰成型後，用拳頭輕輕向下壓。保持厚圓狀，翻過來，繼續用拳頭和手指壓捏 2 分鐘（不要搓揉麵糰，因為會導致麵團分開而不能粘在一起）。蓋上蓋子靜置 30 分鐘。

5.  30 分鐘後，把麵糰放在案板上，稍微拉伸成長方形，然後切成 4 條長條。

6.  從兩端拉伸每條長麵糰並打成一個鬆結，重複將剩餘的 3 個長段打成鬆結。這是為了讓做成的叉燒表面呈現出更逼真的肉質皺紋外觀（這一步不做也没問題的，我有時也會忘記這樣做）。如果打結的話，要立即解開，否則會粘得太緊而不能放鬆。

7. 將高湯的所有材料加入中型湯鍋中，煮沸，將長麵團稍微拉伸一下放入湯中，中大火煮沸後，馬上轉小火燉 20 分鐘。不要上蓋。

8. 每隔幾分鐘便把長麵糰翻轉過來，確保水面保持微沸的狀態，調整火力讓小火慢燉，但要注意不要讓火過猛，否則麵糰會變得太膨脹。

9. 20 分鐘後，將全部麵糰取出放在篩網上冷卻並瀝乾至少 30 分鐘，然後用廚房紙吸乾水份，將它們放入大碗或帶蓋的大容器中。

10. 將醃料的所有材料放入一個乾淨的小玻璃瓶中，蓋上蓋子並搖勻，然後倒入麵團，攪拌均勻，蓋上蓋子放冰箱内醃製一夜。 期間取出來翻動幾下，讓「肉塊」充分吸收醬汁。

11. 在烤烘醃好的「豬肉」前，將烤箱預熱至 200°C，將它們放在舖有烘焙紙烤盤上的金屬網架上，刷上一層醃料剩下的醬汁，然後放入烤箱烤 10 分鐘。取出並刷上剩餘的醃料，將烤箱調低至 180°C，放回烤 10 分鐘；叉燒便完成到可以進行最後的步驟了。

12.  把叉燒拿出來，然後在上面每邊刷上一層北京烤鴨醬。

13.  用中火加熱平底不沾鍋，下油 2 大匙。把叉燒放進鍋中，將每一面煎至有光澤，且邊緣略微燒焦。不斷翻動它們以避免叉燒被燒過焦，因為甜的醬汁會很快被煎黑。

14.  把煎好的叉燒放在盤子裡冷卻，用篩子蓋上，靜置至少幾個小時，然後再切片上桌。讓煎好的叉燒靜置幾小時才吃，味道、質感和口感都會達到更理想。可以將其餘的放入乾淨的容器内，蓋上蓋子在冰箱中可冷藏 3 天。

15.  將叉燒切成薄片，佐以香熱米飯、鹽和油燙過的蔬菜，淋上我們自製的甜醬油（見上面的食譜）。就這樣，一盤非常美味，最受歡迎的粵菜之一的廣式素义燒，完成了！

小貼士：

1. 請注意：這個食譜是我嘗試許久和實驗而成的配方。請依照食譜上的所有材料和步驟，除非我提供了替代品。

2. 醃製然後冷藏過夜的步驟對於這款叉燒的美味以及達至柔軟、多汁、綿密的口感異常重要，所以請大家不要跳過這一步。

3.  這批的數量會做成 4 長條叉燒，冷藏可保存至 3 天；從冰箱取出只需切片即可食用。如果不立即使用，你可以將一些放進單獨的容器中並保存在冷凍庫中 (可冰藏一個月) 以備將來用在其他食譜中：如叉燒包、叉燒飯、叉燒腸粉、楊州炒飯、新加坡炒麵等等。

小提示：

麵筋粉怎樣選擇？

最近有頗多朋友說，目前市面上買到的麵筋粉，性質跟以前的好像有些不同。向來做開都成功的食譜突然變得控制不了。他們問我如果遇著這情况該如何應付？

在此，我只能依我本人的食譜提出解决辦法。跟我的素肉食譜如义燒、烤麩或烤麵筋泡芙做過的朋友都知道，我做麵筋的濕材料大致就只有酵母、水和糖，間中根據食譜需要或加少許鹽或油。所以非常容易調整。

麵筋粉每隻牌子含的蛋白質不同，一般是 75% - 85% 不等。我用的是 85%那種，但看貨源，也不一定時常買得到。蛋白質含量可以影響加進水後麵糰的效果。就像任何用麵粉搓的方法一樣，可以在加進水搓過後作少許的調整，覺得麵糰太乾硬的可以逐點水添加調教，覺得麵糰太濕的話杓量加點乾粉。直至達到滿意的效果。多做一兩次就會掌握得好了。