Char Siu Pastry

The Chinese 2 layer flaky pastry is so versatile! I use it to make the skin for egg tarts, flaky red bean filled desserts, and now, the savory meat filled char siu pastries. I used the Lee Kum Kee brand of Char Siu sauce that the local asian mart sells in a bottle and use that to marinate a slab of pork shoulder. I then bake that in a 400 degree oven until done, and heat up my broiler briefly to give it the characteristic charred (read: carcinogenic) appeal. The meat tastes great right out of the oven, and if there's any left over, dice it up into small cubes and use it as a filling for these! My recipe for the flaky skin can be found from many of my previous post. After filling them up with the filling, brush with egg glaze, sprinkle sesame seeds over it, and bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Filling for Char Siu Pastry
Adapted From Dim Sum, by Ellen Blonder

Ingredients:
2 teaspoon oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
4 ounces Char Siu

Direction:
1. Heat a skilled and add the oil. Stir fry onion until transparent.
2. In a bowl, mix the sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, and sesame oil. Add 2 Tablespoon or so of water until mixture is even. Pour into the pan and heat for 30 seconds until bubbly.
3. Add the cornstarch mixture and cook until sauce has thickened. Add the char siu and remove from heat. Cool to room temperature before using it as a filling.