Based on three new cookbooks focused on produce, it appears that char siu and pork are being separated. The traditional Cantonese barbecue staple is now being used to enhance the flavor of plants, as demonstrated by Andrea Nguyen, Hetty Lui McKinnon, and Maggie Zhou in their books "Ever-Green Vietnamese," "Tenderheart," and "Chinese Homestyle," respectively. Zhou recommends using her char siu sauce and mushrooms to make plant-based barbecue pork buns similar to those found in dim sum restaurants. McKinnon reminisces about her childhood memories of eating Hong Kong-style roast meats in Australia and now enjoys marinating eggplant slices in a "fragrant, fruity" char-siu-style barbecue sauce, which she adds to salads or steamed bao.
Nguyen's recipe for char siu involves using cauliflower as the medium, which can be stuffed into sliders or piled onto banh mi. She also uses the sauce to glaze pulled jackfruit for similar purposes. Although char siu is traditionally Chinese, Nguyen notes that small bao filled with Cantonese barbecue have been popular in Vietnam for a long time, while larger buns for Taiwanese-style gua bao have become more popular recently.
While all of these dishes sound delicious, I was particularly drawn to Nguyen's Char Siu Cauliflower because of its sticky, caramel-like edges that develop during high-heat roasting.
Nguyen's recipe for char siu involves using cauliflower as the medium, which can be stuffed into sliders or piled onto banh mi. She also uses the sauce to glaze pulled jackfruit for similar purposes. Although char siu is traditionally Chinese, Nguyen notes that small bao filled with Cantonese barbecue have been popular in Vietnam for a long time, while larger buns for Taiwanese-style gua bao have become more popular recently.
While all of these dishes sound delicious, I was particularly drawn to Nguyen's Char Siu Cauliflower because of its sticky, caramel-like edges that develop during high-heat roasting.
It's exciting to see traditional meat-centric dishes like char siu being reinvented and used to enhance the flavors of plant-based dishes. The creativity of these cookbook authors is truly inspiring, and it's clear that there are endless possibilities when it comes to incorporating char siu into vegetarian and vegan cuisine. Nguyen's method for preparing the cauliflower is particularly noteworthy, as it allows the vegetable to hold up to the intense heat needed for the char siu glaze to caramelize. Overall, these cookbooks are a great resource for anyone looking to add more plant-based dishes to their repertoire while still enjoying the bold flavors of traditional Asian cuisine.06:37 PM
