5 Likes
what makes it pink? nitrates?
1 Like
@moonboy403 @PorkyBelly Honestly donāt know, I never encountered this pink phenomenon until I had char siu in the US.
@beefnoguy / @JLee ?
It used to be the area near the edges were more red or pink that normal, but now itās going all the way into the meat.
If you compare Needle or letās say you took some pork ribs and just marinate it your own mix and/or with Lee Kum Kee Char Siu marinade, it would come out looking more like Needleās which is more natural in tone.
The pink / redness comes from artificial additives for coloring, mostly harmless. But thatās how neighborhood roasties shops roll. Maybe Red Dye #2 or #8? The Taiwanese variant āhung shao rouāā¦which has nothing to do with braised pork, uses red yeast for their dye. Completely different beast though.
As far as Ming Keeās pinkā¦very good question. I might have to drop in when theyāre not too busy and try to ask (if they are willing to reveal) what makes that pinkish like ham, or whether they cure it a certain way. Either way itās delish haha.
1 Like
Donāt sleep on the dried flounder.
1 Like
Hi @Sgee @PorkyBelly,
Artificial food coloring and sodium nitrate. One of our good friends from Hong Kong, his uncle works in the restaurant industry (here in North America), and told him about charsiu in the States, and why it was red / pink. He then told him to stop eating it. 
1 Like
Putting aside Ming Keeās pink flesh, char siuās red color comes from red fermented bean curd and not food coloringā¦unless the red is bright red which we do see in many places.
Hi @moonboy403,
Yah, sorry, I thought @PorkyBelly was asking about what makes charsiu in general, red. For many places in the States, it is artificial food coloring (at least from my friendās uncle who has opened a few restaurants in Canada and keeps in touch with various HK cooks in LA). This was a warning he gave his nephew years ago, so maybe things have improved.
Obviously, this is not for Pearl River or Needle!
1 Like
Itās very typical in Hong Kong as well.
1 Like
That sounds like good advice. Shiki futon is also recommended for a good nightās sleep.
3 Likes
Itās like he can read our minds.
Haha he probably read my jackass post. I edited my above post
Itās gonna be a legit broth!
So if I mention anything about dried shrimp roe and a little bit of lard, won tons at the base of the bowl on the soup spoon and egg noodles on top, charcoal grilled roasted tilefish, it will show up in the next IG story? 
3 Likes
I have one jar of dried shrimp roe that Iāve been hogging for a while. If I can find it maybe Iāll keep it handy.
4 Likes
And some yellow chives. 
1 Like
If it were me, I would hoard the dried shrimp roe and only use it sparingly on lo mein. If youāre feeling like a baller, you can also sprinkle it on steamed tofu.
Donāt know if you can get dried tilefish and fire roast it yourself, but if so perhaps try shaving that into powder then use that instead (ie putting it into the wonton filling), and that can also be shaved on top of lo mein, but if it gets too crunchy and dry some beef brisket or braised pork knuckle gravy would help moisten it a little (along with a splash of broth).
Darn all this talk of wonton, and I might might have to hit the HK cafe or jack of all trades Canto bistro for my half assed fix tomorrow!
tilefish or filefish? You can find korean filefish but otherwise canāt really find quality fish powder here. An alternative may be to use bonito powder but its not the same.