This dried pork is traditionally dried(long in cantonese) in the sun but i have used the oven to dry the meat. Ground pork is used for this recipe but there are recipes where the pork is sliced very thinly. I have experimented with quite a number of meat but found that pork is the tastiest. Chicken tastes good too and use the thigh meat as it has considerable amount of fat and fat plays an important part, it should be 20% fat and 80% lean to achieve a softer finished product.
Ingredients:
1 kg ground pork
Marinate:
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 tbsp soya sauce
175 - 200 gm sugar
1/8 tsp 5 spiced powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp kam cho(licorice) powder
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp msg(optional)
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp rose wine
a big drop of red food coloring
Method:
Serves
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Dried Pork - Long Yoke/Bak Kwa
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79 comments:
wow and double wow....very impressed that you can make your own long yoke!!!! _k
Hi Lily,
Tried this over the weekend. I didn't have parchment paper, so I used the cilicone sheet. It came out a little soggy. I had trouble making it thin without making holes. Taste wise, it was good. A little sticky after grilling.
Any suggestions?
Tricia
Tricia
i do not use any parchment paper, just oil the overturned baking tin and oil the meat too. oil will help to fasilitate the movement. use your fingers to pat the meat thin. a piece of stiffer plastic can be put on top and using a tiny roller, roll the meat to the edge
Hi Lily,
Just tried your recipe.
Is the temperature 175°C, not 175°F?
The underside of the long yoke looked liked steamed pork. I had to turn it over to brown.
Any suggestions?
I find that the thinner ones broke up when I lifted them. So I made the subsequent ones slightly thicker.
Love your recipes!
Thank you for posting them.
Looking forward to trying more.
Regards to you and yours.
ann
temp should be 175 f, very very low, just like the sun temp. the thin meat should be dried like a sheet of paper which is firm enough to cut. if it breaks, then it is not dried enough.
the cut ones can be stacked and then you will have to grill them.
Love this website. Thanks Lily for reminding me of food I've forgotten. Can you tell me where do you buy your kam cho (licorice powder)? Do you get it from the Asian grocery store.
Koh, Chicago
koh
i brought the kum cho powder from malaysia. would have to ask around to see if i could get them here
Hi Lily,
I just want to drop a note to say I managed to find the Licorice Powder in at a grocery store in Chicago downtown. I took my time to stand and read thru everything sold that was powder and found it packaged in a spice bottle like those you buy at any american store. If it helps anyone, I got it at Richwell Market on Canal Street in Chicago.
anonymous
this is good news, now we know it is available here in the states. my friend in rio rancho, new mexico got some too.
Lily, I mentioned at myB, I like to add it here too for your blog fans that I've made the long yoke from your recipe and it was a success. My kids loves it and calls it flat bak bak and always ask me to make more. Unfortunately Chicago is brrrrr now. So I'll continue making it in March. Our chinatown here sells a more expensive ground pork which has lesser fats and I've been using that cut. Thanks alot for your recipes as I know you have tested it out for me. Hence a reliable source.
Koh, Chicago
Hi, I'm in Melbourne Australia, and I can't find licorice powder, but i found licorice root, and the lady shop owner suggested i get that and pound/grind it into powder... I didn't buy the licorice root as I'm not sure if you'd get the same thing? Please advise. Can I substitute the licorice powder with anything else? Thanks.
anonymous
i would suggest that you dry toast the liquorice sticks, then grind, it will be easier to grind.
Hello, when you say "fish gravy", do you mean the Thai fish sauce? I, too, am very impressed that you can make your own "long yuk"!!!
Thanks!
anonymous
i must apologise for the confusion. i have edited to fish sauce which it should be in the first instance.
Dear Lily
I have been reading your blog for a few months now and today, I decided to try this recipe of yours.
It turned out really well and I just want to thank you for it. I have blogged about your blog and this recipe on http://foodstoryontheblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/long-yoke-dried-pork-mince.html
Thank you once again.
Dear Auntie Lily
I am so..impresssed by yr blog. I can't wait to try out your Bak Kua recipe but I don't have a oven at home. Can I use the microwave oven to make it firm instead? And is there any subsitute for rose wine?
Thanks a zillion.
anonymous
to sub the rose wine is easy, you could use whatever liquor you have but without the oven, the rolled meat would have to be left in the sun(that is how it is done traditionally) until it is dried. you would have to use saltpetre so that the meat gets dried faster.
you could try using the microwave but use the lowest of the level.
Hi Lily,
I am from Penang, Malaysia, now live in MO, USA. My hubby tried to use Plum wine and anise powder instead of rose wine and kam cho powder, it tasted good too. Please visit my blog if you like: http://lktansinee.blogspot.com/2007/09/dried-meat.html
Thanks your recipe.
SinE
Hi lily
i would like find out, 175 f is equivelant to how many in Degree C??
i have a oven at home but with indication only in degree C
tks
Hi Lily
I am not able to do the post .
sunflowertan
your comment has to be moderated before you can see the post
anonymous
175 f should be 75c - 80c
Hi Lily
can i find out from you, is kam cho (locorice powder) in chinese call "Gan Cao" cos i can only find in singapore chinese medicine shop n they told me is gan cao.
my mum had brought me a 500gm ground pork. so the ingredient i have to slice by half.
1 ¼ tsp fish sauce
1 ¼ tsp soya sauce
87.5 to 100 gm sugar
1/8 tsp 5 spiced powder
¼ tsp kam cho powder (Gan Cao)
¼ tsp white pepper
½ tsp oil
1 tbsp rose wine ( shao shing wine)
i have replace the rose wine with chinese shao xing wine using for cooking . i forgotten to cut the five spice powder in half. which is still 1/8 tsp of five spice powder.
will the taste turn out bad ??
now marinating it for 4 hr.
i hope it turn out well.
sunflowertan.
sunflowertan
is gan cao in mandarin?
if you ask the medicine shop for kam cho fun and i am sure they know cantonese
how did the bak kwa turned out?
Hi Lily
so far not too bad. i have 2 version of bak kwa. one which is very thin slice , when bbq, is too hard. the other was thick slice, when bbq, turn out not to bad, but the taste was a bit funny, maybe is the shao xing wine doesn blend in.
my dad n mum try, they say not sweet enough n suggest me to replace sugar with honey next time.
by the way, my oven temperature was 100F doesn't have lower then that. so i overn the baking try with thin sheet of pork (100f temeperate for 10 min )and so much water is coming out, make the tray very wet.
is this the right way ??
i will try again next round....
sunflower
i make a mistake , is 100 degree..
sunflower
100 f is too low, use 175 f.
i think you meant to type 100 c cos your meat as been cooked over too high heat and that is why there is so much juice. you should use 80 c and since 100 c is the lowest, you must check to see for doneness at 5 minutes.
i have not tried with sliced meat but will try it when i get a slicer
Dear Lily,
I was very impressed on your blog and your are very IN. I'm from Kuching, Sarawak and currently at St. Louis, MO..
I got a question, my oven have broil and bake, so which function should i use to for the bak kwa?
hweeju
first the meat is baked at 175f until dried and then you can broil, pan fry or grill in the outdoor grill
Thanks Lily.
After I baked the pork, when turn to boil, what is the heat should i use?
350f?
hweeju
the broil/grill function in oven differs. mine has only high and low and another smaller oven's broil has no setting.
you could use the hottest temp. but watch as you grill as the meat is highly sugared so it burns fast
Hi Lily,
Thanks for posting so many wonderful recipes! My wife & I have made bak-kwa several times & plan to try making pork floss this weekend.
Since it's turned cold in St. Louis, we've started cooking our bak-kwa indoors. We've found an indoor grill (like a Jenn-air) on medium-high heat works wonderfully. After it's mostly cooked, we throw it into a stovetop smoker for about 30 minutes to finish it. Hickory-smoked is by far our favorite so far, though we've also smoked with cherry and alder & had excellent results.
Hi Lily
The colour of the Bak Kwa from your picutre looks very different from those I used to know. It was kind of a dark red brown as I remember. Do you have any idea how to make it redish brown?
James
james
the original recipe has saltpetre which will make the meat red. i did not use it but if you want the meat to be red, add in some red food coloring
Hi Lily,
Marinated the minced meat since yesterday. I did not have rose wine and I substituted with brandy.
I did not have any baking sheet either, so Aluminium foil was pressed into service. I think I'd spread the meat a little too thin (maybe 1.5mm)and it was a chore to remove from the sheet, without disintegrating.
Grilled and had it for lunch today and it was very good, my mrs thought so too. However, there was this porky smell which we've found objectionable. Do you think if by increasing the kum cho the smell might go away?
yanctl
kum cho is more for the taste. a little extra of cinnamon powder or 5 spice powder might help.
i would suggest you generously oil the foil before spreading the ground meat. this will aid to dislodge the meat. make sure the meat is firm and dried before cutting, then remove from foil.
Hi Lily,
I had another go at it, 2 days back.
I used baking sheets this time and the meat separated from the sheet easily in one piece....a little wet though.
Excuse my ignorance, but is baking sheets the same as parchment sheets?
Is it necessary to ensure that the meat is completely dried?.... or is it good enough if the paper can be removed without pieces sticking to it?
Thanks
yanctl
yanctl
baking sheet is baking pan for cookies or jelly roll.
the meat has to be dried then it can be easily cut. do not overcook as the oil from the meat will ooze out and will be messy
hi Lily!
this is gonna be my first CNY away from home and i wanna try to make bak kua...at the moment, i have brandy, rum, masala and shao xing wine in my pantry. Which one will be the best substitute for the rose wine?
thanks very much!!! :D
joyces
use the shao xing
thanks for the prompt reply Lily!!
Fantastic!! I'm off to buy the pork today!! One last question- the soy sauce in this recipe, is it dark or light soy sauce?
joyces
i use light soya sauce
Hi Lily,
I have been looking at your recipes and i love it.
My friend in California wld like to know whether they sell chicken or pork floss in Chinatown? Otherwise, wld u have the recipe for it?
jocelyn
yes, i could get pork floss in the asian stores here in denver and i have seen them in california too.
ask her to look into my recipe Pork/Chicken floss
Lily, I made these last Thurs and was very pleased with the results....I will make these again, in fact often...now that I know how.
Some questions: The rose wine you mentioned above...is it the rose brand or a wine with rose flavor? I chanced upon a chinese cooking wine in the oriental store that had the chinese characters for rose (mei kue) so I got it to use for this recipe but I am not sure. This wine just smelled like any other chinese cooking I had used before. Thanks!
asan
it is rose flavored wine - mui kuai low. a good brand is very fragrant and i like to use it for cooking meat.
Dear Lily,
I am interested to try the chicken version of this recipe. Do I use the same marinate and method?
Thanks.
hi lily! i plan to make the bak kwa tmrw. i bought shao hsing wine instead of rose wine coz the rose wine was so expensive! what else can i use rose wine/shao hsing wine for?
mei
i like use rose wine for my char siew too and shao hsing wine for my stir fries.
hi lily! i make the long yoke today and it came out really nice! i didn't have a problem with stickiness or anything. I lined my baking tray with some non stick greaseproof paper so it was easier to remove the long yoke from the tray. The only thing is that the colour is light brown..not dark brown like yours. Thanks for the recipe!
mei
my long yoke is also yellowish in color. sometimes it is darker cos of the brand of soya sauce used. I sometimes add some red food coloring.
mei
my long yoke is also yellowish in color. sometimes it is darker cos of the brand of soya sauce used. I sometimes add some red food coloring.
Hi,
You can find "kam cho" aka Licorice Powder on Ebay for about $1.00 plus S&H. Here's the URL that I've found
http://cgi.ebay.com/LICORICE-ROOT-POWDER-Spell-Herb-1-oz-wicca-pagan-magick_W0QQitemZ130126772480QQihZ003QQcategoryZ116112QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247
Wes
Ok City, OK
wes
thanks for the link. for all readers who cannot get kam cho in their asian store can now get them online.
thanks again
anonymous
sorry for the late reply. you can use the same marinate for whatever meat you like except beef.
Dear Auntie Lily,
This recipe is great. Simple and easy to follow. Thanks very much for this. I had to grind the kam cho myself as I couldn't find the powder here in UK.
Lawrence
Hey Lily,
I tried your recipe and it's works out great! Never thought it would be so cheap or easy to make!
Also, I not sure how it works/how you feel about it but I posted my results and your recipe on my blog with full credit and a link to you and your blog. I thought I'd let you know just in case.
Thanks!
Charm
charm
i too am not sure how it works. It is my pleasure to share and to get feedback that this recipe works. No credit needed.
Hi Lily,
I just wanted to say thank you for the feedback and tips. I'll definitely try to see if I can get it right. Despite my blunders, the taste was awesome :)
The credit issue is just something I want to get right so that I don't get into trouble but thanks for letting me know.
charm
i know what you mean, i have many a time accused of not giving credit. As for me, if i can post in the net, i sincerely would like to share.
for my half sheet pan 12 x 17 use a cup/8 fl oz/240ml of meat and you will get the thickness right. Do not overdry the baking
Hi lily,
I like to thank you for sharing of your recipes.
I tried making bak kwa following your recipes, and it comes out really good, but my kids like it sweeter,so I have did some ajustment to your recipe.Please visit my blog at http://www.bigheadmagicmad.blogspot.com/. Thank you.
For the reddish colour, I use ground red yeaset rice powder(10g per kilo of pork). You can get this red yeast rice （红麯米）from Tradisional Chinese Medicine Shop and then grind the rice into powder. Tradisionally red yeast rice which is used to counter high blood cholesterol. I use red yeast rice for this purpose besides getting a nicer colour.
fern ng
thank so such a good tip. incidently i was looking into making glutinious rice wine and a dear friend bought me some red rice, i will certainly try out your tip insteading of using food coloring.
thanks again.
btw, have you any experience making glutinious rice wine?
Dear Lily,
I am glad that my tip helps. Regarding the glutinious wine, I actually am looking forward to make a try, probably after the Chinese New Year. I have surfed some Taiwanese and Chinese sites for the advices and recipes. According to them, with the same rice, the first brew is wine, the second brew is rice vinegar. Do you read Mandarin, if you do, shall I can forward those tips and recipe to you?
dear fern
thank you so much sharing all your valuable tips on making bak kua and now glutinious rice wine. I don't read mandarin and would be very appreciated if you could translate before you email lilyng_2000@yahoo.com to me. if you do not have the time, just email the chinese version, i will get it translated.
thanks again and when we have wine, yum seng
Dear Lily,
Already e-mail to you.
Let me know if you dom't receive the information.
Happy CNY!!
Dear Lily,
A recipe for rice wine, which I get from Cyber Kuali:
RICE WINE (MAI CHOW)
Ingredients
•1kg glutinous rice, washed and soaked for at least 4 hours
•900ml water
•4 pieces sweet yeast biscuits (tim chow paeng)
•3 tbsp brandy
Method
Drain rice thoroughly, then put into a rice cooker. Add water and cook until rice is done. Leave rice to cool completely.
Meanwhile, put sweet yeast biscuits in an electric food processor and blend finely. Put a layer of cooked glutinous rice into a clean jar. Sprinkle a thin layer of finely crushed yeast. Then add another layer of cooked rice and sprinkle another thin layer of crushed yeast.
Finish the remaining cooked rice and crushed yeast powder. Close the jar tightly and seal with cellophane tape.
Open the jar after three days and drizzle brandy over it. Stir with a pair of clean chopsticks.
Close the jar tightly and re-seal with cellophane tape. Leave the jar in a cool place and allow to ferment for 21 days.
Stir wine and discard the residue. Put the strained wine in a clean pot and bring to a quick boil.
Allow wine to cool completely before bottling it.
nice... cant wait it...
Hi, if i were to broil it in the oven how many mins per side and do I have to oil it? Thanks if u can reply...can't wait to try this.
lilian86
it really depends on how close to the top elements are you putting the jerky. The closer they are, they will burn fast. I usually like them to be about 6 inches away.
Thanks for replying. Okay so if i were to put them in the middle of the oven would you reckon 3-4 mins per side? Also, I don't have licorice powder nor rose wine but will substitute with shaoxing wine instead. Also, can i slightly increase the fish sauce and soy sauce and add a bit of dark soy sauce for more intense flavour? I'm also going to add a little bit of sugar to balance it out.
Hi,
for rose wine, do u use the english rose wine or chinese cooking rose wine??
thanks.
anonymous
use the chinese rose wine which in chinese is 'mui quqi loh' or you can use whatever chinese wine or sherry.
Hello!
what can i replace licorice powder with? cant find it!
anonymous
can't find it, omit it
Hi Lily, thank you for your post, love it. There's a new type of Pork Jerky that's really thin, almost like a thin slice of potato chip and it cracks when you bite on it, how do they do it? It's a rave now in Taiwan. It's paper thin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL5XdmQXw-A&feature=related
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hi lily! why can't we use the same marinate for beef? so any alternative methods? Thanks
trinityswiftlehub\
you can use this marinate for beef if the beef is sliced and not minced or ground, cos minced beef tend to shrink alot and release quite a considerable amount of liquid which is not desirable for dried meat.
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