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    Home » Meat » Pork

    Published: Feb 14, 2023 by Zen · This post may contain affiliate links.

    What to Serve With Char Siu Pork (17 ideas)

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    The 17 best side dishes for Char Siu Pork, from steamed white rice to noodles, stir-fries and Dim Sum!

    Close-up of a platter of Chinese BBQ pork and cucumbers.
    Jump to:
    • What is Char Siu?
    • Siu Mei
    • Dim Sum
    • Appetisers
    • Baos
    • Noodles
    • Rice
    • Fried Rice

    What is Char Siu?

    Char Siu, or Chinese Barbecue Pork, is a traditional Chinese pork dish that tastes both sweet and savory. Traditionally made of pork belly, modern versions of BBQ pork use less fatty cuts such as pork shoulder for health reasons.

    It can be served as a main course with steamed white rice, as part of other dishes (such as stir-fried noodles), or in a Dim Sum meal. You can find it at street food stalls or at the most expensive Chinese restaurants!

    Note: click here for more pork recipes.

    Siu Mei

    Using chopsticks to pick up a piece of Chinese soy sauce poached chicken.

    In Cantonese cuisine, Roast Pork often comes with other types of Siu Mei (燒味), such as roasted goose or Soy Sauce Chicken. They're often served with slices of raw cucumber on the side.

    Best Poached One Pot Chinatown Soy Sauce Chicken Recipe
    This Cantonese classic chicken is an easy-to-recreate-restaurant dish that can be made in 1 pot! It's also the gift that keeps giving as the leftover poaching liquid can be used for so many things (see post above). (Inspired by 4 recipes: Woks Of Life, SCMP, Burning Kitchen and Red House Spice)
    Click here for the better than takeout Chinese poached chicken.
    A plate of Cantonese soy sauce with white rice and green onions.

    Easy Version

    Much as I love the traditional recipe, not everyone has a few hours to poach a dinner recipe. If you're in a hurry, try this easy 1-pot shortcut!

    Easy Chinese Braised Soy Sauce Chicken Thighs
    A simplified but still delicious version of the most popular recipe on my website (Chinatown soya sauce chicken): this easy Chinese braised soy sauce chicken thighs recipe is simple to make in one pot and done in ⅓ the time!
    Click here for the easy Cantonese Soy Chicken recipe.
    A plate of soy sauce chicken with hard boiled egg and spicy sambal

    Dim Sum

    Crispy and flaky pan fried scallion pancakes on parchment paper.

    Note: although Char Siew Bao (BBQ Pork Buns) are 1 of the most popular Dim Sum dishes, I'm not including them in this round-up or it'll be pork overload. I do recommend using leftover Char Siu to make Pork Buns or in Singapore Shrimp Mei Fun though!

    Taiwanese green onion pancake recipe (Cong you bing)
    Taiwanese green onion pancake (Cong you bing), also known as Chinese scallion pancake, is a delicious savoury street snack that is easy to batch make and freeze.
    Click here for the spring onion pancake recipe.
    Crispy and flaky pan fried scallion pancakes on parchment paper.

    Siu Mai

    Cantonese Shu Mai (燒賣) is 1 of the most popular Dim Sums but really easy to make at home and freeze.

    Ha Cheung Fan

    Thin rice paper is wrapped around juicy shrimp and drizzled with a fragrant soy sauce mix in this Cheung Fun recipe  (虾肠粉).

    Har Gow

    Juicy Shrimp Dumplings go really well with roasted pork (which can sometimes be a bit drying), which is why we have yet another prawn recipe on this list, Har Gow.

    Lo Bak Gao

    Made of radish, this is often called Carrot Cake as well as Turnip Cake as the word for "radish" is similar to "carrot" in Chinese.

    Note: A popular variation of this dish is tostir-fry smaller pieces with dried shrimp and XO sauce.

    Appetisers

    Cucumber Salad

    A bowl of spicy cold cucumber salad.
    Cold cucumber salad recipe
    The easy Chinese cold cucumber salad recipe is delicious and full of spicy flavor. Best of all, it only requires 4-ingredients and takes 5-10 minutes to make. 
    Click here for the Cucumber Side Dish recipe.
    Close-up of red spicy asian cucumber salad.

    Baos

    Spiral Bao

    A few steamed spiral mantou buns on a serving board.
    You can easily vary up the colours by using other flavours such as chocolate (brown), pumpkin (orange), butterfly blue pea which is rather tasteless (blue) etc
    Spiral Pandan Mantou (Steamed Chinese Buns)
    Click here for the Chinese steamed bun recipe.
    A few steamed spiral mantou buns on a serving board.

    Matcha Mantou

    2 green matcha buns with a Chinese tea pot.
    Easy Matcha Buns (1-rise Mantou)
    An easy matcha bun (Chinese mantou bao) recipe which only requires 1 proof (1 rise), along with a mantou FAQ section on how to use a metal steamer (instead of the traditional bamboo steamer) and why your naturally vegan matcha buns aren't smooth.
    Click here for the steamed green tea buns recipe.
    1 matcha green tea bun before being steamed.

    Scallion Buns

    Also known as Hua Juan, these buns are freezer-friendly.

    Noodles

    Slices of Char Siu are a great way to add protein to a plate of noodles.

    Stir-fried Vermicelli

    A pair of chopsticks grabbing some fried vermicelli noodles with sliced carrots.
    Singapore Fried Vermicelli (Bihun Goreng)
    Singapore Fried Vermicelli, also known as Bihun Goreng, is delicious, easy to cook and quick to make in under 30 minutes. Using only simple ingredients (no chicken broth needed), it's a complete meal in itself. It's also cheap enough that some hawker centres (street food stalls) in Singapore sell it for only S$2/ US$1.50!
    Click here for the fried bee hoon recipe.
    A plate of Singaporean fried vermicelli noodles with egg, carrot and fish cake.

    Chow Mein

    Thin Rice Vermicelli with lots of shrimp and scallions on a white plate.

    To the Cantonese, Shrimp represents laughter (as it is a homonym.) For a happy year ahead, try some of these Chinese Shrimp dishes.

    Shrimp Mei Fun (Fried Rice Noodles)
    Shrimp Mei Fun is an easy Stir Fried Thin Rice Noodles Dish. Packed with shrimp and vegetables, it's a complete meal with fibre and protein that cam be made in under 30 minutes!
    Click here for the Chinese takeout staple.
    Close-up of chopsticks picking up a shrimp from a plate of shrimp Mei Fun.

    Wonton

    Chinese wontons in a bowl of clear chicken soup.

    Obviously, adding char siu would make the dish non plant-based! But this is a good combination for a party with both vegans and non-vegans: the vegans can have the plain wonton noodle soup, and the non-vegans the char siu wonton noodles.

    Easy Vegan Wonton Soup for Colds
    Done in 20 minute vegan Chinese wonton soup that tastes as good as the traditional version. Gluten-free and made without commercially bought stock/ bouillon cube OR hours of making homemade stock! A great flu fighter thanks to the ginger and garlic!
    Click here for the wonton soup recipe.
    Chinese wontons in a bowl of clear chicken soup.

    Rice

    Alternatively, Char Siu is also delicious with a bowl of plate white rice, fried rice or a bowl of rice porridge, such as Ting Zhai Jook.

    For more flavor, consider pairing it with some of these congee dishes!

    Tip: make a sumptuous meal of it with these porridge side dishes and best toppings for congee, such as salted duck eggs.

    Prawn Congee

    A bowl of seafood congee with prawns and ginger.
    Easy Chinese Seafood congee with shrimp/ prawn
    This Easy Chinese Seafood congee with shrimps or prawns is a delicious seafood rice porridge that is easy to cook but still silky and rich. Chicken stock/ broth optional!
    Click here for the shrimp congee recipe.
    A bowl of seafood congee with prawns and ginger.

    Scallop Congee

    A spoon scooping a fresh scallop out of a bowl of seafood congee.
    Dried scallop congee recipe
    A savory and comforting congee recipe that uses both fresh and dried scallops.
    Click here for the seafood porridge recipe.
    A spoon scooping a fresh scallop out of a bowl of seafood congee.

    Abalone Porridge

    Close-up of a bowl of chicken porridge with a huge abalone on top.

    Abalone has a special place in Asian cooking and Chinese cuisine. To learn more, try some of these abalone recipes such as abalone salad.

    Easy Chinese Canned Abalone Porridge
    A no-fuss, easy Chinese Canned Abalone Porridge recipe, also known as jook or congee, which can be made using store cupboard ingredients. So easy there's only 1 photo for the step-by-step instructions, it's the perfect comfort food and a delicious recipe for a weekday dinner.
    Click here for the Bao Yu Porridge recipe.
    Close-up of a bowl of chicken porridge with a huge abalone on top.

    Fried Rice

    Egg fried rice is the most basic version of this classic Chinese dish, requiring 6 ingredients such as sesame oil, light soy sauce and green onions. Delicious and done in 10 minutes!

    Tip: the key to non-soggy fried rice is to use leftover rice and not freshly cooked rice!

    If these Chinese recipes were helpful, maybe you'd like to sign up for my Asian food newsletter?

    I have other recipes you may like here! :)

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      Bak Kwa (Chinese Pork Jerky)
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      10 Authentic Chinese Pork Recipes
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      What to do With Leftover Bak Kwa 2023
    • Close-up of a pork rib with fingerlicking sticky sauce and caramelised bits.
      12345 Chinese Spare Ribs (5-ingredients)

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    Hi I'm Zhen also known as GGG! I couldn't boil water till I was 18 but after living abroad (in St. Andrews then London) for 11 years and having to cook for myself, I now love cooking for friends and family. Learning to cook late, I make sure my recipes go into enough detail for those new to Asian cuisine or who love a test kitchen approach to cooking!

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