DIY BBQ Pork (Bak Kua)

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

DIY BBQ Pork (Bak Kua)

i've been wanting to make this eons ago coz i was curious to know how it taste like. these bak kuas are baked using oven, not grilled under a bed of hot charcoal, like the commercial ones. seriously, bak kua must be one of those things which did not occur to me to bake using an oven. but since CNY is approaching, and we all know how exhorbitantly priced these can be (about a week into CNY they can be priced as high as $40 or so per kg), i thought it would be fun to make some at home. and suppose if they bear an uncanny resemblance to the real mccoys, then it would save me, a big carnivore, some money :p

texture wise, i was simply amazed that with just the few simple ingredients - minced pork, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar etc, i could churn out such a product which has almost the same texture as the store-bought ones! they're a nice deep hue, sticky due to the caramelized sugar, and with charred bits that resemble those that hv been charcoal-grilled. BUT, you might also like to know that taste wise, they're actually nothing close, at least not to me. the charcoal-grilled types have a fragrant aroma, but these baked ones smell a little funny. like you know how some meat would smell, esp after they've been frozen awhile or that they havent been marinated long enough. and if i were to make it a 2nd time, i will definitely modify the recipe, probably substitute sugar for honey, add a little barbecue sauce of some sort, marinate the meat, and spread the mixture a little thinner. also, i don't think they're exactly cheap. sure, they may be cheaper than what you would get in bee cheng hiang or lim chee guan, but 300g of minced pork which i used ($2+) makes about two decent (but fairly large) slices only. which means its about a dollar per slice. not very economical i would say, but i think they're a good substitute if you find the ones outside too expensive or simply just wanna do it for the experience, like me. these are really easy to make. no need any fanciful ingredients and i would say its worth the effort, just don't expect too much on the taste.

ingredients:

500g minced meat

1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp cooking wine

1/2 cup sugar

directions :

1. place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine.

2. spread mixture thinly on a parchment or greaseproof paper until about 2mm thick.

3. place parchment paper on a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven of 120 deg c for 10 mins.

4. turn up the oven heat to 180 deg c and bake for 20-30 mins, flipping over the other side at the last 10 mins. keep a close watch as it may burn during this stage.

5. cool completely before serving or storing.

Labels: asian, festive bakings