Bak kwa or long yoke is a grilled meat delicacy eaten around and during Lunar New Year and is very popular in Malaysia and Singapore. It’s sold by weight and is pricey because of the amount of meat used and how labour intensive it is to make. Growing up, we only had it during Lunar New Year because of this.
There are two types available, one with a chewier texture due to the meat itself being sliced so you would still have the grain of the meat still present. This would have been more akin to biltong. The other being made from minced pork that was rolled out into a sheet so had a softer and more pliable texture. Both types have a smoky, savoury and sweet flavour and are dangerously addictive. Back in my hometown, there used to be a vendor in an open air food court selling freshly made slices of bak kwa grilled over a charcoal fire, the grill being a similar set-up to the satay vendor’s. That charry, smoky aroma filled the air, drawing in customers who would make advance orders for New Year.
My grandpa used to love eating this and would have a good supply of the shop bought versions for the seasonal celebrations. I would look forward to indulging in this and other snacks my grandma made such as mini spring rolls filled with chicken floss or dried prawns, roasted cashew nuts and pineapple tarts. She would store them in old giant Horlicks glass bottles and I’d dig my hand in there to get a good fistful to snack on.
This recipe is a modified version from Malaysian Chinese Kitchen, a valuable resource for me for authentic recipes from home.
Bak kwa
Makes 18 small slices
900g 15% to 20% fat minced pork
1 tbsp Shao Hsing wine
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp five spice powder
145g caster sugar
Honey wash
2 tbsp honey dissolved in 3 tbsp hot water
1. Mix all the ingredients with the minced pork in a large mixing bowl. Use the handle of a spatula to continue stirring until the meat has a sticky texture. Cover the bowl and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 120°C or 100°C fan.
3. Divide the marinated meat into 3 large portions. Place one portion on a piece of baking parchment roughly the same size as your baking sheet/tray. I put the meat and baking parchment on a large chopping board; you could just place it on the kitchen counter instead. Cover with a large piece of cling film and gently press and roll out the meat with a rolling pin to about 2mm thickness. Then peel off the cling film, leaving it to one side to reuse on further portions. Use a palette knife to even out any bumpy areas and to ensure uniform thickness. Repeat for the remaining portions. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and cut the cooked sheet of meat into 6 pieces. Brush one side with the honey wash.
5. Change the oven setting to grill mode at 220°C (no fan setting).
6. Grill the pieces of meat over a wire rack for 5 minutes. Then turn over, brush with more honey wash and grill for another 5 minutes. You want some char around the edges, but keep a close eye on this as you don’t want the meat to burn. Repeat until all the pieces of meat are cooked.
7. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container. In a cool room, it will keep for a week. Or keep it in the fridge where it will keep for 2 weeks or slightly more. To heat up, microwave at full power for 10 to 20 seconds.
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