Xá Xíu Chay | Vegan Char Siu (BBQ)

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Xá Xíu Chay | Vegan Char Siu (BBQ)

Xá Xíu = Char Siu

Chay = Vegetarian 

Xá Xíu originates from 叉燒, which is Cantonese for fork cooked. It originates from a long fork roasted over a spit fire. Basically, it’s barbecue. 

Guilt Free Barbecue

All the ingredients to make Xá Xíu Chay | Vegan Char Siu (BBQ) without the dried powder packets.

Xa xiu chay is a guilt free version of its traditional meat counterpart. This flavor packed, beautiful deep red barbecue is made without powder packets and food dye. 

If you’ve never had Char Siu it’s important to note that this barbecue is traditionally made to be sweet and savory. At no point is char siu ever just salty. The recipe is known for the sticky glaze that’s sweet, peppery, and slightly salty. 

King Trumpet Mushrooms is our hearty, vegan friendly “meat.” It’s a traditional recipe that will have you drooling long before it’s plated. 

The best part, IMO, is it will introduce you to ingredients that you might not have worked with before. It provides a little foundation for how to play with these ingredients in the future. 

MEET THE PLAYERS

Nấm Đùi Gà | King Trumpet Mushrooms 

King Trumpet Mushrooms are hearty and meaty with a delicate flavor.

King Trumpet Mushrooms are an amazing meat substitute. They’re hearty, meaty, and when pulled apart look like shredded chicken.

They are subtle, and delicate in flavor, which makes them perfect for absorbing all the seasonings of this marinade. These mushrooms from top to bottom are a vegan eater’s dream. 

Red Yeast Rice

Red yeast rice will turn into a fine red/pinkish powder when crushed in a mortar and pestle.

Red yeast rice is our special ingredient. You really can’t beat the fact that it’s red, fermented and an all natural food dye. It boasts so many incredible health benefits, but in culinary applications it’s been used since 1600 B.C. 

When prepping the red yeast rice, place it in a mortar and pestle and crush until it’s a fine red/pinkish powder. Alternatively you can place all the marinade ingredients into a blender and process until smooth. 

Maltose

Maltose is thicker than molasses. Oil a spoon to scoop it out and measure/weigh accordingly.

Meet the tackiest sugar that is nowhere near as sweet as any regular sugar or syrup. Maltose is 30-40% less sweeter than your normal sugars. If you flip this ingredient upside down it won’t move. This is how thick it is. 

Maltose is thicker than molasses. The easiest way to work with maltose is with a scale. Oil a spoon, scoop out a bit and weigh it. 

An alternative to a scale, oil your measuring spoon and knife. If it’s still too difficult to work with, heat the cup for 15-20 seconds in the microwave and try again. Note that maltose holds heat really well so be careful not to burn yourself. 

SPECIAL TIPS

Cleaning the King Trumpet Mushroom

If you don’t have ready to eat, triple washed mushrooms, it’s really important to remove dirt, bacteria and potential bugs. There’s nothing worse than eating unintentional crunchy granular bits in an otherwise smooth textured mushroom. 

An easy cleaning tip, sprinkle your mushroom with flour or cornstarch, salt and plunge it into water. Gently mix it around. Use your fingers to feel around the gills and remove the grit. Rinse and place on a towel right before using.

Clean the mushrooms only when you’re ready to use. Water is not your mushroom’s friend when it comes to storage and advance prepping. 

Prepare the King Trumpet Mushrooms by piercing them with the tip of the knife lengthwise around the stem of the mushroom.

Braising

Char Siu might traditionally be on a spit fire fork over an open flame, but there are plenty of  meat based recipes done in a pan. It’s more convenient and important for the mushrooms to develop flavor.

The heartiness of King Trumpet Mushrooms allow them to do really well with braising. We start off with a decent amount of liquid. Piercing the mushroom lengthwise with the tip of your knife around the base helps to absorb more spices.

We start the first part of braising with the lid on, in order to really penetrate the flavor into the mushroom.

It’s important to remove the lid for the last 15 minutes to allow the braising liquids to cook down and get more concentrated. This helps us to remove any excess water that might have diluted our initial braising liquid. 

HOW YOU SHOULD EAT THIS

Vegan Char Siu can be eaten with your favorite fried rice, noodle soups, gua baos, over plain rice or in a banh mi. It can definitely stand on its own, sliced and/or diced in a steamed bao too! 

Xá Xíu Chay | Vegan Char Siu (BBQ) can be eaten with a gua bao. Make sure to reserve the braising liquid to glaze it your bao!

FINAL THOUGHTS AND NOTES:

King Trumpet Mushrooms increase in umami around 140 to 158 degrees F.

Use a blender if you don’t want to crush your red yeast rice by hand with a mortar and pestle. Don’t forget to reduce your braising liquids for an incredible char siu sauce packed with flavor.

Vegan/Gluten Free Tips

If you’re cooking for a vegan and can’t find maltose, don’t substitute for honey. It’s not vegan. I haven’t experimented with maple or corn syrup, but those would be suitable substitutes.

You would need to decrease the amount. It’s not 1:1 because these sugars are much sweeter. Start with at least 30% less and go from there.

If you’re stateside make sure it’s organic sugar. Apparently in the US, we’re the only country who still uses bone char to process sugar which makes regular sugar not vegan friendly.

If you happen to be gluten free, make sure to use tamari or find a gluten free soy sauce that would work.

Amino acids tend to be really salty so just beware to adjust accordingly. Check your hoisin sauce before using or purchasing, because those are typically not gluten free. I usually have to buy these labeled, “gluten free.”

LET’S GET STARTED!

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Xá Xíu Chay | Vegan Char Siu (BBQ)

Yield

4-5

Author

Kim Bao

Prep time

5 Min

Cook time

45 Min

Total time

50 Min

A Vegan Char Siu that is sure to impress. It's an all natural, red sticky glaze. This vegan dish is sweet, peppery, and slightly salty. Paired with the King Trumpet Mushroom, it boasts a meaty texture that absorbs the braising sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 lb King Oyster Mushroom
• 4 grams garlic, minced (1 tsp, 1 clove)
• 5 grams ginger, minced (1 tsp)
• 4 stalks of green onion
• 5 grams shallots, minced (1 tbsp)
• 5 grams soy sauce (1½ tsp)
• 21 grams Hoisin Sauce (1 tbsp)
• 45 grams maltose (2 tbsps)
• 5 grams rice wine (1 tsp)
• 15 grams oil (1 tbsp)
• 23 grams red yeast rice (3 tbsps)
• 5 grams sugar (3 tbsp)
• 2 grams salt (½ tsp)
• ½ tsp five spice powder
• ⅛ tsp white pepper
• 227 grams water (1 cup)

Instructions

1. Grind the red yeast rice in a mortar and pestle until fine and powdery. Add in all the remaining ingredients and mix until well combined. Set aside.
2. Clean the mushrooms. Cut both ¼ inch off from the base of the mushroom and the tops. Discard the woody stems and keep the caps.
3. With the stalk of the mushroom, use a knife to make slits lengthwise around the mushroom. Set aside.
4. In a thick bottomed pan or wok, over medium heat add 1 tbsp oil. Add shallots ginger, garlic, sweat for 1 minute or until fragrant.
5. Add all the remaining ingredients except the mushrooms and bring to a slow simmer, approximately 3 minutes.
6. Once the ingredients are well combined and the sauce is simmering, add mushrooms.
7. Using a spatula make sure to evenly coat the mushrooms for 5- 10 minutes.
8. Place a lid on the pan, braise for 30 minutes.
9. Remove the lid. Allow the sauce to cook down for an additional 10 - 15 minutes.
10. Using a slotted spoon, pull out the mushrooms and set in a bowl. Slice and serve accordingly.

Notes:

*If cooking for a vegan and can’t find maltose, don’t substitute for honey. It’s not vegan.

*If substituting maltose make sure to decrease the amount depending on the replacement. Decrease the amount. It’s not 1:1 because these sugars are much sweeter. Start with at least 30% less and go from there.

*Regular sugar in the states is typically not vegan friendly.

*If you happen to be gluten free, make sure to use tamari or find a gluten free soy sauce that would work.

Amino acids tend to be really salty so just beware and adjust accordingly.

*Check hoisin sauce and rice wine before using or purchasing those are typically not gluten free. Look for labels that certify they're gluten free.

Recommended Products:

Red Yeast Rice

Maltose

Chef's Knife

/all-recipes/vegan-char-siu

Mushrooms, Fungi, BBQ, Vegan, Chinese, Vietnamese, Gluten Free, Eggless

Vietnamese Recipe

Vietnamese, Chinese

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