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A plate of Chinese BBQ pork on rice with gravy on top. With a side of medium boiled egg and cucumber slices and a bowl of soy chili vinegar dippins sauce.

Chinese BBQ Pork & Rice (Kao Moo Dang)

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  • Author: Pailin Chongchitnant
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 40
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 4-6 servings

Description

It looks like a lot of ingredients, but don't be intimidated. The process is quite simple! 


Ingredients

Components of the dish

  • Chinese BBQ pork "moo dang" (recipe follows)
  • Gravy
  • Jasmine rice
  • Dark soy chili vinegar dipping sauce (optional, recipe follows)
  • Optional garnishes: medium boiled duck or chicken eggs, cucumber slices, and sliced cooked Chinese sausage.

Thai-Style BBQ Pork (Moo Dang)

  • 2 lb (900g) pork loin roast
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) Thai seasoning sauce (e.g. Golden Mountain. Can also use Maggi Seasoning, or Bragg's Liquid Amino)
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) black soy sauce or dark soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) five spice powder, store bought or see my homemade recipe
  • 3 Tbsp (45 ml) honey
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) toasted sesame oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely grated or pressed 
  • ½ tsp ground white pepper
  • About 10 drops red food colouring (optional)

Gravy:

  • 1 ½ cups (360 ml) pork or chicken stock, unsalted 
  • Reserved pork marinade
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) white sesame seeds, toasted
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) tao jiew fermented soybean paste (see note); substitute equal amount doenjang or miso
  • 1 - 1 ½ Tbsp (15-23 ml) chopped palm sugar or brown sugar
  • Dark or black soy sauce, as needed
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch or tapioca starch

Dark Soy Chili Vinegar (optional):

  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) sweet soy sauce or 1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) vinegar
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) soy sauce
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) Thai black soy sauce (or sub 2 tsp Chinese dark soy sauce and omit the regular soy sauce)
  • Chopped chilies, to taste

Note: Don't know what some of these sauces are? Check out my video on Sauces for Thai Cooking


Instructions

  1. Cut pork loin into long strips, about 1" x 2" wide (see video to get a better idea of what this looks like). You can then cut each strip in half if you wish.
  2. Place them in a large zip-top bag or a dish that's just big enough to contain the pork in one, even layer.
  3. Combine all marinade ingredients together and stir to dissolve the honey then pour over the pork, mixing well to ensure all surfaces of the pork are coated. Marinade for 24 - 48 hours, flipping the bag or turning the pork over half-way through to ensure even marinating.
  4. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) with the rack set in the middle. Allow it to preheat for at least 30 mins.
  5. While the oven preheats, pull the pork from the fridge so that it has time to come to room temp a bit before roasting. Also now is a good time to get the rice going and prep any other garnishes you're serving. 
  6. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and put a rack on it. Remove the pork strips from the marinade (don't throw away the marinade!), shaking off as much excess as possible, and place them on the roasting rack. If your pork is quite lean, it's a good idea to brush with some vegetable oil.
  7. Roast for 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature registers 155°F for well-done but still juicy pork. If you want medium doneness, pull them at 145°F. 
  8. While the pork is roasting, make the gravy: In a small pot, add the stock and the pork marinade and bring to a boil. 
  9. While you wait for it to boil, in a mortar and pestle crush the toasted white sesame seeds briefly just until they're broken but still look mostly whole. You should be able to smell the aroma once they're sufficiently broken. Remove from the mortar.
  10. Add the Thai fermented soybean paste to the mortar and crush until there are no more chunks of soybeans; if using doenjang or miso you don't need to do this. 
  11. Once the stock is boiling there will be a lot of congealed scum floating on top; this is just cooked pork juice, and you can skim it off with a fine mesh skimmer and discard.
  12. Add the tao jiew, white sesame seeds, 1 Tbsp of the palm sugar, and just enough of the black or dark soy sauce to get a nice rich brown colour (if using Chinese dark soy sauce, add a little at a time as it can become too salty.)  Allow the gravy to simmer gently for about 5 minutes then taste and adjust seasoning with more soy sauce or sugar as needed. 
  13. Mix the cornstarch with a splash of water and stir to dissolve, then pour the slurry into the gravy while stirring. Bring the gravy to a boil, stirring constantly, until it's thickened.

For the dark soy chili vinegar

  1. Combine all ingredients together and stir. This can be made well in advance and any leftovers will last in the fridge for several weeks. 

Assembly:

  1. Once the pork is done, allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. The pork can even be served room temp if the gravy and rice are hot. 
  2. While the pork rests, slice the cucumber, cut the boiled eggs in half, and prep any other sides you're serving.
  3. Slice pork into thin pieces and place on top of the hot rice, ladle some gravy on top and serve with the eggs, cucumber slices, and Chinese sausages, if using.