Recipe Requested Bak Kwa

[dchang21]

i'm down to the last piece of bak kwa my wife bought for me in singapore.

if anyone has a recipe, please share.

for those unfamiliar, this is a pork meat snack. it tastes like char siu, but pressed in sheets.

 

[Beerzebub]

Never heard of it, but now I want to make it too!

 

[PPIIBBSS]

Ah, you see we don't actually cook around here. We just collect shiny things to look at and show our friends when they visit

 

[crocca86]

I tried this and came out pretty good
https://www.malaysianchinesekitchen.com/bak-kwa-chinese-pork-jerky/

 

[M1k3]

Ah, you see we don't actually cook around here. We just collect shiny things to look at and show our friends when they visit

With the exception of @Lars.

 

[mengwong]

I salute the drive to make it at home, but for something like Bak Kwa, there is no shame in leaving it to the professionals…

https://bch.hk/en

https://www.fragrantjerky.com/

 

[Michi]

With the exception of @Lars.

Oi! What about me?! I haven't bought a knife in years!

 

[dchang21]

I salute the drive to make it at home, but for something like Bak Kwa, there is no shame in leaving it to the professionals…

https://bch.hk/en

https://www.fragrantjerky.com/

we usually buy from 林志源 lim chee guan but honestly can’t taste much of a difference between the other brands..

 

[blokey]

Most Singaporean chains should have stores in Hong Kong, and yeah this is one thing that's best with professionals...

 

[dchang21]

Most Singaporean chains should have stores in Hong Kong, and yeah this is one thing that's best with professionals...

my wife won’t buy this in hk, because she believes its better in sg or in taiwan.

i personally can’t taste a big difference where its bought.

 

[azn_knives_4l]

my wife won’t buy this in hk, because she believes its better in sg or in taiwan.

i personally can’t taste a big difference where its bought.

I agree with your wife. Canadian is also excellent for whatever reason.

 

[mengwong]

my wife won’t buy this in hk, because she believes its better in sg or in taiwan.

Probably the Hokkien vs Cantonese majority thing, I get it.

 

[sansho]

i was disappointed because i thought it was going to be a klingon delicacy
then i saw fragrantjerky.com sells on amazon and ordered it anyways

 

[dchang21]

Probably the Hokkien vs Cantonese majority thing, I get it.

well, she believes anything presented outside of the foods native country is already inferior, or poor value, or both.

like, thai, japanese foods. she rather just go to thailand for the real thing. or japanese food, she won't bother spending money on omakase when the ticket to japan is like $100 usd. and it's also the reverse when encountering our local food abroad. and no way we eating cantonese food in italy..

 

[aporigine]

i was disappointed because i thought it was going to be a klingon delicacy
then i saw fragrantjerky.com sells on amazon and ordered it anyways

Decades before gaakh, Keith Laumer (in one of his playful novels about a Terrestrial diplomat called Retief) described garg. It was a local delicacy consisting of something smegmatic secreted by worms that were raised in something awful like latrine pits.

 

[dchang21]

Decades before gaakh, Keith Laumer (in one of his playful novels about a Terrestrial diplomat called Retief) described garg. It was a local delicacy consisting of something smegmatic secreted by worms that were raised in something awful like latrine pits.

sounds like 개불 Gaebul, but they don't eat the smegmatic, just the body..

 

[Michi]

After all this talk, I decided to make some.


After the first 15 minutes of baking:


And the finished thing:

The comparison with Char Siu is apt. The flavour is much the same, but the texture is completely different, of course.

I did not get the same translucent appearance that the commercial offerings have. Anyone know how to achieve this?

 

[dchang21]

After all this talk, I decided to make some.
View attachment 328105

After the first 15 minutes of baking:
View attachment 328106

And the finished thing:
View attachment 328107

The comparison with Char Siu is apt. The flavour is much the same, but the texture is completely different, of course.

I did not get the same translucent appearance that the commercial offerings have. Anyone know how to achieve this?

looks fantastic. i think they brush maltose? it's the same thing used on char siu, but i'm not sure..

 

[Jovidah]

Oi! What about me?! I haven't bought a knife in years!

How about this?
https://www.doleplantation.com/product/boxed-pine-knife/

 

[Jovidah]

sounds like 개불 Gaebul, but they don't eat the smegmatic, just the body..

Judging by the name I was expecting something bovine...

 

[Michi]

How about this?

No need. My Wüsthof super slicer is the perfect tool for the job.

 

[Jovidah]

I honestly never understood why serrated knives are so often recommended for pineapple. Never had any issue using a straight edge on them.

 

[Michi]

I honestly never understood why serrated knives are so often recommended for pineapple. Never had any issue using a straight edge on them.

Yes, a straight edge works, but I find that a serrated knife grabs the skin a little easier.

 

[crocca86]

On another recipe I try they say to brush it with a mixture of water and honey when doing the final grilling

 

[jjlotti]

No need. My Wüsthof super slicer is the perfect tool for the job.
View attachment 328113

 

[jjlotti]

What blasphemy is next? Stainless is superior for acid laden fruits?

 

[jjlotti]

Is there some kind of binder? Like scrapple? Or more akin to a meat Pringle? Commercial bak kwa must be pressed somehow or rolled in a (kind of) ravioli machine between parchment to get it that thin.....
Looks delicious please don't take offense to my descriptions.....just trying to run the voodoo down...

 

[Michi]

What blasphemy is next? Stainless is superior for acid laden fruits?

Actually a good idea. I do own carbon steel knives. But I don't like how quickly they rust when cutting acidic ingredients. Personally, I don't get a kick out of obsessive knife wiping…

 

[Michi]

Is there some kind of binder? Like scrapple? Or more akin to a meat Pringle? Commercial bak kwa must be pressed somehow or rolled in a (kind of) ravioli machine between parchment to get it that thin.....
Looks delicious please don't take offense to my descriptions.....just trying to run the voodoo down...

No binder in the recipe. It all sticks together just fine, there is no need for one. The bind comes from mixing and the protein extraction you get with that.

 

[aporigine]

Judging by the name I was expecting something bovine...

… and othersexual