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Healthy Waists, Healthy Wallets: “Char Siu” Marinade
This summer, my older kiddo is moving home from college. Both kiddos are staying here next year, taking gap years and working before heading off to graduate and undergraduate studies.
That means that for the first time in a long time, I’m going to be buying groceries for four people instead of three. Now, that doesn’t sound like a big deal, but with grocery prices continuing to climb, it really, really is.
One thing I’ve been working on is prepping meal components for people to use for breakfasts and lunches. My younger kiddo loves most Asian cuisines, so it’s easy to make a big pot of rice and a bunch of vegetables and proteins for her to customize her lunches. (It also makes my lunchtime decision making much easier.)
For this recipe, I adapted the younger sprog’s favorite Chinese protein, char siu pork. This marinade can be used on pork (chops, belly, or tenderloin) or on chicken thighs. I like to grill the pork or chicken, but you could pan sear it or roast it in the oven just as easily. We put it over rice or in ramen. I’ve even put it on a salad and on sandwiches! However you use it, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Char Siu Marinade for Pork or Chicken
Ingredients
4 to 6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 to 4 green onions, finely sliced
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
¼ cup honey or agave syrup
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
¼ cup ketchup
½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice
¼ teaspoon white pepper
1 ½ tablespoons toasted sesame oil
Directions
Combine everything in a bowl or a large, zippered bag. (I always use a zippered bag for marinating. It makes cleanup easy, and as I use compostable bags, I don’t feel as bad as I would if I were to use a plastic bag.) Marinate your meat of choice for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Bring the meat to room temperature before cooking. You can grill your meats, sear them in a skillet over medium heat, or roast them in a 425° oven until done. I try to find chicken thighs or pork chops on sale, but if I’m going all fancy, I use pork belly that I’ve cubed.
