Char Siu Banh Mi (Chinese BBQ Pork Sandwich Buns)
Celebrate Chinese New Year with this Hovis®-style Char Siu Banh Mi recipe, featuring Chinese BBQ pork, crunchy cucumber, fresh basil, and a kick of sriracha mayo. All tucked into a soft Hovis® Premium Burger Bun, it’s a fusion of sweet and spicy flavours - perfect for a festive and flavourful meal.
Made with Hovis® 4 Premium Burger Buns
Preparation time: 1 hour (including marinating time)
Cook time: 20 mins
Serves 4
Ingredients
- For the pork:
- - 1 Medium garlic clove (finely minced)
- - ¼ Tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- - ¼ Tsp sugar
- - 1½ Tbsp hoisin sauce
- - 1 Tbsp honey
- - 1 Tbsp ketchup
- - 1 Tbsp + ¼ Tsp soy sauce
- - 1 Tsp toasted sesame oil
- - 340g Boneless pork shoulder
- - Rapeseed oil (for grilling)
- - Optional: Sesame seeds (for sprinkling)
- For the bun:
- - 4 Hovis® Premium Burger Buns
- - 60g Sriracha mayonnaise (or substitute with Japanese mayo mixed with ½ tbsp Maggi Seasoning or soy sauce)
- - ½ Cucumber (peeled into strips or sliced into rounds)
- - Fresh basil leaves or coriander (to garnish)
Tip
For the perfect balance of an umami and sweet flavor, be sure to cook the pork until it’s beautifully caramelised. For an extra kick, adjust the amount of sriracha in the mayo to your taste. Add pickled daikon and carrot or fresh chillis for extra flavour.Method
In a large bowl, combine garlic, five-spice powder, sugar, hoisin sauce, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. Set aside 3 tablespoons of the marinade to use later. Add the pork strips to the remaining marinade, ensuring they are well coated. Cover and let marinate at room temperature for about 1 hour, turning the meat 2 or 3 times. For deeper flavour, you can refrigerate the pork for up to 24 hours. Let it rest at room temperature for 45 minutes before grilling.
Preheat your grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Grill the pork, turning regularly, until evenly seared (about 18–20 minutes). Brush the pork with the reserved 3 tablespoons of marinade and cook for an additional 5 minutes until glazed and fully cooked. (Optional: sprinkle some sesame seeds on the glaze for extra texture).
Let the pork rest for 10 minutes before slicing it against the grain into 8mm thick pieces.
Slice the buns in half and spread the sriracha mayo (or Japanese mayo mixture) on the inside of each. Add a portion of the sliced pork, followed by a few cucumber slices and basil (or coriander) leaves. Assemble the remaining sandwiches in the same way, then serve.
