Once you try Asian jerky or bakkwa you may never want regular jerky again. This pork jerky (you can also use beef) has seasoned meat and a caramelised honey top. Usually it is quite expensive when you buy it but you can make a version for much less at home. Not only that but it is straightforward to make!
It was two days before grocery shopping day so I didn't have much to eat. But then I remembered what I made with my mother. It was a jerky called bakkwa or rougan. My mother asked me if it would be popular with readers and I had to admit that I wasn't sure. It is one of those things that Singaporeans, Malaysians and Chinese love (it comes from the Fujian province) but has yet to really cross over to people outside those countries unless they've actually tried it (and some countries do similar versions). Once you try it, it's so delicious that you can't stop eating it.
If you like jerky then I think you may love bakkwa, especially if you like a bit of honey sweetness to your jerky. It's easy to make and produces a delectable, lip smacking meat jerky that isn't too dry, it's just the right amount of lusciousness. It's a popular item come Chinese New Year The hardest thing and it isn't really hard is getting it thin enough and that problem is solved with a rolling pin. The rest is pretty straightforward. Before long you will be chewing on a square of sweet bakkwa!
Earlier I woke up a bit dazed when the alarm went off just four hours after I last checked the time. I looked down and I wasn't Holly and Mr NQN wasn't Hugh Hefner. But that whole morning I felt as though I needed to remind myself of that. Then I went to see my mother to cook something together. She had just come out of hospital so she was really just supervising me doing the cooking. We were running late and I was expected at a lunch at Red Lantern on Riley at 12 o'clock. We watched the oven trying to will time to work in our favour but come 11:30am we were still cooking. When we were done I rang them and asked if it was too late to come along and I was assured that 1pm was fine.
I rushed off and got to the restaurant and drove around. There was no parking (first world problem, yes I know). I tried the paid car park and two rounds of the streets and there wasn't a spot to spare anywhere. I rang them and it looked like I had no choice but to go home! It was one of those weird moments. I felt terrible for taking up a space and I'm sure they thought "What sort of half wit can't find a park?" but truly I couldn't. The closest ones were 20 minutes walk away and lasted only for 1 hour. Which left me rather hungry at 1:30pm.
So tell me Dear Reader, do you like jerky and have you ever tried bakkwa? Do you ever have strange dreams that affect your day afterwards? And have you ever had to go home because you couldn't find a place to park?
Bakkwa or Asian Jerky
Did you make this recipe? Share your creations by tagging @notquitenigella on Instagram with the hashtag #notquitenigella
Rated 5 out of 5 by 3 lovely readers. Share your rating:
Print Recipe
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott/Not Quite Nigella
1 kg/2.2 lbs pork mince (not lean, well go lean if you have to but it will taste much better if it isn't all lean)
250g/8.83ozs. white sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1.5 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Shao Xing Rice Wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Pinch five spice powder
3-4 tablespoons honey mixed with 2 tablespoons water
Step 1 - Mix the sugar, water, soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, salt, white pepper, sesame oil and five spice powder with the pork until sticky and well combined. Place in a bowl and cover with cling film and marinate overnight.
Step 2 - The next day preheat oven to 150C/300F. Divide the dough into roughly five portions and have a few baking trays ready. Tear off five sheets of parchment around the size of your baking trays. Lay out one of the portions of seasoned mince on one and cover with cling film. Roll out to the edges as thinly as possible without making any holes in the mince. The first one that you make will probably be too thick if you are anything like us and then the subsequent ones will be thinner. Lift the parchment onto the baking tray.
Step 3 - Bake for 15 minutes. Then remove from the oven, cut into pieces and turn over and bake for another 15-20 minutes.
Step 4 - Turn the grill on. Remove the parchment from under the pieces and brush the jerky with the honey mix. Grill for a couple of minutes on each side until you get a nice caramelisation from the honey. Watch it carefully as the honey does make it burn quickly. Bakkwa is best served 24 hours after it is made and can be kept at room temperature for up to a week or vacuum sealed for longer (it's best not to refrigerate it as it can lose flavour).
Read these next: » My Mother's Seri Muka Kueh Dessert! » » » Satay Chicken Recipe » NQN's mum's famous wontons » My Mother's Curry Laksa Recipe » » How To Make Chinese Restaurant Style Beef and Chicken! » Pork Belly with Szechuan salt and pepper »
The ideal time to marinate jerky is 16 hours, but an acceptable range is 8 to 24 hours. This time frame allows the marinade to saturate the outside of the meat and the salt to penetrate beyond the surface, seasoning the entire piece of meat.
Bak kwa sellers are raising prices this year, as they factor in increased costs such as higher salaries for workers and the GST, which increased from 8 per cent to 9 per cent in January.
If you see some white spots appearing on your bak kwa, under normal circ*mstances, that's not because of mold or fungi, it's usually because the sugar hasn't been caramelized enough during the cooking process.
When making beef jerky, adding vinegar to the mix helps tenderize the meat. The acidic properties of vinegar work to weaken the meat's collagen tissue, making it less tough. Collagen is what gives meat its structure, but it's also responsible for making it chewy.
Beef jerky is also typically high in sodium nitrates. These compounds are often added to processed foods to help preserve them and give them a salty flavor. Because of this, most experts recommend limiting eating processed foods like beef jerky, hot dogs, and lunch meats.
Too much cure will make the jerky salty. How long did you let it cure for? Recommended curing time is 24 hours for stripped meat and 12 hours for ground meat. Letting it cure too long will make it too salty as well.
Dehydrating beef jerky for too long can lead to over-drying. While this may not pose as immediate a health risk as undercooking, the implications for your taste buds are dire. Over-dehydrated jerky loses its chewy and palatable texture.
Top round and bottom round are lean, flavorful and – in our opinion – the best cuts of beef for jerky. Sirloin tip is extremely lean, but not as tender, and a bit more expensive. Flank steak is also lean (though you may need to trim some fat) and flavorful, but can be tough if its sliced with the grain.
One of the major health concerns in the consumption of bak kwa pertains to its preparation method, as the grilling of the meat over charcoal fire is believed to trigger the formation of carcinogens (cancer-causing compounds) in the barbecued meat.
Minced pork Bak Kwa is fattier and softer, while sliced pork Bak Kwa is leaner and chewier. The meat is marinated with sugar, honey, salt and other spices, and possesses a more complex fragrance and taste in consequence.
Therefore, it's best to consume the bak kwa within 5 days for the freshly grilled bak kwa which are packed with paper traditionally. The bak kwa can be kept in the fridge and to be consumed within 30 days from date of purchase. The vacuum packed bak kwa are vacuum sealed for a longer shelf life.
Our Freshly Grilled Bakkwa needs to be stored in a cool and dry place, away from direct sunlight. Consume within 7 days when stored in room temperature and refrigerate for consumption of up to 14 days.
The best cuts of meat for beef jerky are Top Round, Bottom Round, Lifter and Pectoral, but a variety of cuts can be used such as Flank Steak and Skirt Steak. These cuts of beef check all the boxes for beef jerky—economical, lean, and full of flavor. Selecting a lean cut of meat that has very little fat is key.
One of the most popular ways to make beef jerky is by using a dehydrator. Dehydrators can range in price from $80-$400. We recommend using a high powered dehydrator for beef. Typically beef jerky can dehydrate for 3 hours at 165 degrees.
Using curing salt when making jerky is not essential, however it does have a lot of great benefits. Using curing salt correctly helps to reduce the chance of harmful bacteria growing on meat and ensures a safer curing process. It also improves flavour, colour and extends the shelf life.
Introduction: My name is Lakeisha Bayer VM, I am a brainy, kind, enchanting, healthy, lovely, clean, witty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
