Serves 4 as an appetzer

Pagoda Street Sticky Char Siew (Barbecued Pork) Bites

From my first visit to Singapore, the hawkers within night markets have been an irresistible pull. The intriguing aromas of exotic foods draws me to their bustling stalls.

It was at the Chinatown Street Market on Pagoda Street where I initially encountered Chew Siew, barbecued pork. I went on to sample this dish in other markets but always made my way back to Chu Hua’s stall on Pagoda Street. Her Chew Siew held the perfect balance of fat to meat and was caramelized with just the right amount of char. The sauce was sweet and sticky with the wonderful combination of ginger and garlic aromas.

With Pagoda Street Sticky Chew Siew Bites, all of the fabulous flavor, wonderful aroma and incredible stickiness of Chu Hua’s Chew Siew is recreated in a bite sized appetizer.

Using country style boneless pork ribs to achieve the balance of fat and meat, the dish becomes an easy fix by cooking the meat in a small slow cooker with onion and thyme for several hours. This can be done several days ahead along with the sauce. Prior to serving, simply coat the meat with the sauce, place on a foil lined baking pan and broil for several minutes to achieve the char. Top with slivers of orange peel and you have the perfect lead into a Singapore inspired dinner!

3-4 pounds country style, boneless pork ribs
½ medium sweet onion, sliced
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 t kosher salt
1 c soy sauce
1 T + 2 t fresh ginger (grated or minced)
1 c orange blossom honey (may substitute any honey but add ½ t orange zest)
1 t Chinese 5 spice powder
2 T minced garlic
2 T thinly sliced orange peel.

Flavor Tier 1

Place rib strips on a cutting board and cut length wise in half.

Flavor Tier 2

Place the meat in a small slow cooker. Top with onion slices and thyme. Sprinkle with salt. Turn to High and cook 3-4 hours until tender and cooked through. Remove from cooker. At this point, the meat can be wrapped and refrigerated up to 2 days.

Flavor Tier 3

In a small sauce pan, place the soy sauce, ginger, honey, spice powder and garlic. Bring to a boil over medium high heat then turn heat to medium low and continue to simmer for 20-30 minutes until sauce has thickened and reduced by half. Remove from heat. At this point, sauce can be placed in a small bowl, covered and refrigerated up to 2 days.

Flavor Tier 4

Heat oven to Broil. Cover a sided baking sheet with foil. Dip meat strips into sauce, covering completely. Place strips on baking sheet and under broiler. Cook 5-7 minutes or until a slight char appears. Remove from oven.

Flavor Tier 5

Place meat on a cutting board and cut each strip into bite size pieces.

Flavor Tier 6

Thinly slice orange peel.

To Serve

Divide meat between 4 individual plates. Evenly sprinkle the orange peel over the meat. Serve.