AI-generated photo.
Chinese · Iconic, Guangdong · China
Honey char siu
Also called 叉烧
Honey char siu (叉烧), a Guangdong plate from China.
Pai editors’ mark 5 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Honey char siu is cooked in Guangdong as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Paint the pork with hoisin and honey and roast it until the glaze lacquers. Red fermented tofu is the old color. Hoisin and honey carry the lacquer here. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
73
Health score
Light & nourishing
Moderate
Richness
Light
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 58%
- Carbs 20%
- Fat 22%
Watch · Diabetes-friendly
It misses a gentler mark: sugar, fiber, the starch mix, or the richness of the plate.
Watch · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or fiber keeps this off the heart-friendly list.
Watch · Weight loss
Calories, protein, or richness make this a fuller plate than a light day wants.
Suits · High protein
About 34.5 g of protein in the serving.
Watch · Low sodium
About 881 mg of sodium, above the 450 mg mark.
Watch · Gluten-free
Wheat or gluten is in the required list.
Suits · Dairy-free
No milk ingredients in the required list.
Watch · Vegetarian
Meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish is in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Suits · Gentle when sick
Mild, not fried, and not a very rich plate. Comfort, not a treatment.
Suits · Kid-friendly
Heat stays mild, and the required list has no alcohol or liver.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Pork tenderloin174 kcal
- Honey23 kcal
- Hoisin sauce22 kcal
- Toasted sesame oil18 kcal
- Soy sauce3 kcal
- Garlic3 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 7.5. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving is about 245 kcal. Two portions would be about 490 kcal if you want a fuller plate.
Allergens. Gluten, Sesame, Soy, Wheat
Make it healthier
Use half the salt
Salt adds no calories in this table, so the calorie figure stays put while sodium falls.
About 245 kcal after the change.
Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.
The same plate with less sodium. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Serve three-quarters of the plate.
The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 245 kcal | 12% |
| Protein | 34.5 g | 69% |
| Carbohydrate | 11.8 g | 4% |
| Fiber | 0.5 g | 2% |
| Total sugars | 9 g | 18% |
| Fat | 5.9 g | 8% |
| Saturated fat | 1.5 g | 8% |
| Cholesterol | 104 mg | 35% |
| Sodium | 881 mg | 38% |
| Potassium | 689 mg | 15% |
| Calcium | 18 mg | 1% |
| Iron | 1.8 mg | 10% |
| Magnesium | 51 mg | 12% |
| Zinc | 3.2 mg | 29% |
| Vitamin A | 0 mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 0.7 mg | 1% |
| Vitamin D | 0.3 mcg | 2% |
| Vitamin E | 0.4 mg | 3% |
| Vitamin K | 0 mcg | 0% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 1.6 mg | 134% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.6 mg | 45% |
| Niacin (B3) | 11 mg | 69% |
| Vitamin B6 | 1.3 mg | 76% |
| Folate | 3 mcg | 1% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.8 mcg | 34% |
These figures follow the USDA-linked ingredient table where a safe FoodData Central row exists. Optional ingredients are left out. A few pantry items still use Pai's curated numbers because no close USDA row was found. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- A serving stays under about 420 calories, so it can sit inside an ordinary day.
- Protein is high enough to make the meal satisfying.
- Sodium is on the higher side. The swaps below pull it down.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Oven
- Sheet pan
- Scale
- Tongs
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
Pork tenderloin4 pieces640 g
Hoisin sauce2 tbsp40 g
Honey2 tbsp30 g
Soy sauce1 tbsp21.74 ml
Five-spice powder0.5 tsp2 g
Garlic3 cloves8 g
Rice vinegar2 tsp10 ml
Toasted sesame oil2 tsp8.7 ml
Kosher salt0.5 tsp3 g
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.. The same plate with less sodium.
- Serve three-quarters of the plate.. The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Set out a scale and the equipment for Honey char siu. Heat to 450°F / 232°C and give it 5 minutes so the surface is actually hot. Weigh pork tenderloin, hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce, five-spice powder, garlic, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, kosher salt. Honey char siu is cooked in Guangdong as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Paint the pork with hoisin and honey and roast it until the glaze lacquers. Red fermented tofu is the old color. Hoisin and honey carry the lacquer here. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Heat 5 min
AI-generated photo.
2Honey char siu is cooked in china. Also called 叉烧. Cut pieces the same size so the center and the edge finish together.
AI-generated photo.
3Cook the aromatics first, then the main ingredient for Honey char siu, until the edges take a little color. Roast on the middle rack. The top rack browns before the center cooks.
Build the base
AI-generated photo.
4Add the remaining weighed foods and cook Honey char siu at 450°F / 232°C. Start checking at 49 minutes. Honey char siu is done when the outside is browned and the thickest center is cooked through for the protein on the plate. The heat was 450°F / 232°C.
Roast 49 min
- 🇨🇳 ChinaEast Asiaicon-china-honey-char-siu-step-4
Honey char siu, step 5
Step 5 · Honey char siu
5Check the center of Honey char siu, not the edge. If the cue is not true yet, give it a few more minutes and look again. Opening a lid or an oven door early drops the heat.
- 🇨🇳 ChinaEast Asiaicon-china-honey-char-siu-step-5
Honey char siu, step 6
Step 6 · Rest 5 min
6Rest Honey char siu for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust the salt. Serve it in the way it is eaten in china, with the sauce or garnish that belongs to it. Film Honey char siu in this shot order and no other: wide on the cold pan before the heat; a knife sliding into the potato or vegetable; batter or dough smoothed to the corners; a spoon making a path through the sauce. Slate words for the editor: zester, reduce, dusk, patina, cedar, nectar, zephyr, ladle, blister, ribbon.
Rest 5 min
How you know it is done
Honey char siu is done when the outside is browned and the thickest center is cooked through for the protein on the plate. The heat was 450°F / 232°C.
If it goes wrong
- Honey char siu looks done at the edge and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue, not the color. Check the thickest piece and give it a few more minutes.
- Honey char siu turned out salty, dry, or watery. Weigh the salt and the liquid next time. Keep the heat at the temperature in the method, and stop when the doneness cue appears.
Storage
Cool Honey char siu, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven. Reheat leftovers until steaming.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Honey char siu is one of the plates people ask for by name from Guangdong.
- Every ingredient is weighed, so the calorie, protein, and sodium lines come from the table rather than a guess.
Notes
Pregnancy. Cook meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood through. Skip alcohol if a bottle is listed, or cook it until the steam no longer smells of it. There is no raw-fish step.
From the kitchen. Paint the pork with hoisin and honey and roast it until the glaze lacquers. Red fermented tofu is the old color. Hoisin and honey carry the lacquer here.
Allergens in the required list: Gluten, Sesame, Soy, Wheat.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.