Char Siu Pork Cooked in a Pan, No Added Refined Sugar

Method

1. Cut 2kg pork collar into long pieces of an even 3 to 4cm thickness.
2. Dissolve 5g baking soda in 400g water, soak the pork for 20 minutes, then lift it out and rinse it thoroughly in cold water to clear the baking soda, and drain.
3. Prick all sides of each piece with a fork or a meat pricker so the seasoning sinks in.
4. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl: 20g MSG, 36g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 20g chicken bouillon powder, 2g ground pepper, 3g sand ginger powder, 3g licorice powder and 3g five spice powder.
5. Add 20g soy sauce, 30g mai que lo, 20g oyster sauce, 150g char siu sauce, 20g minced garlic and shallot, 50g peanut butter, 5g sesame oil and 1g orange red food coloring, and mix until the sauce is thick and smooth.
6. Pour the sauce over the pork, add 50g cooking oil, mix so every piece is coated, then marinate for 1 hour at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge if there is time.
7. Set a pan, film it with oil and keep the heat low, then lay in the pork and sear it until it is firm and lightly golden on all sides.
8. Pour 50g water into the bowl to rinse out the rest of the sauce, add it to the pan, bring it to a boil, then cover, lower the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
9. Uncover, raise the heat and stir until the sauce reduces and clings glossily to the meat.
10. Let the pork cool a little, then slice it thinly and serve it with hot rice or noodles.

Tips

• Sand ginger powder and licorice powder come from Chinese herbal shops, and without them the dish still carries the five spice aroma.
• The orange red coloring is only for color and can be left out entirely.
• Mai que lo is sold at larger supermarkets, and glutinous rice wine steeped with cinnamon and star anise stands in.
• The baking soda here softens the meat and has to be rinsed off thoroughly after soaking.
• Peanut butter is what gives the surface its glossy color, so stir it until it dissolves completely or it sets into lumps.