I stumbled upon char siu sauce while shopping with friends at a nearby Asian grocery where I was buying pork, yee mee, bee hoon, cabbage, carrots, spring onions, and choy sum. I decided to take a shortcut. Using the sauce as a cheat’s char siu gave the dish that signature caramelized flavour and colour.

“Yee mee or Yi fu is a variety of flat Cantonese egg noodles made from wheat flour. The slightly chewy and slightly spongy texture of the noodles is due to the soda water used in making the dough (as opposed to regular non-carbonated water).” This is our family favourite noodles with a saucy pork and vegetable stir fry. We always have them in Malaysia. As usual, my father will said add this and that with no right amounts. So, after watching him cook. I tried making it.

“Bee hoon (rice vermicelli) are thin rice noodles popular in Asian cuisine, low in fat and a good source of carbohydrates for quick energy. They are often stir-fried with vegetables and proteins, creating a balanced and budget-friendly meal that supports heart health and weight management. Being rice-based, they are safe for gluten-sensitive individuals and light on the stomach, though restaurant or pre-packaged versions may be high in sodium and oil.”

“Char siu is a popular Cantonese-style barbecued pork marinated in a sweet and savoury sauce and roasted until tender and caramelized. Its distinctive red colour comes from fermented red bean curd, a speciality ingredient that gives this dish its signature appearance. Pork neck is the ideal cut for this recipe-versatile enough for both quick cooking methods like pan-searing and slow roasting, which develops incredibly juicy, deeply caramelized meat.”

This is a comforting, delicious, and simple meal, although it takes a day to marinate the char siu. Thank you, God, for helping me cook the char siu with just the right amount of ingredients. Let’s cook!!!

Ingredients

Char siu and marinade

1.2 kg pork neck, cut into 2 or 3 long
8-10 Tbs Lee Kum Kee char siu sauce, bought
2 Tbs honey, extra
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar or white sugar
1 Tbs Shao Xing Chinese cooking wine
1 Tbs oil
2 Tsp red food colouring
1 Tsp Chinese five spice powder
1 c of water for roasting

Yee mee bee hoon and vegetables

3 yee mee (noodle cake)
2 bee hoon blocks
250 g pork slices
8 napa cabbage, cut into bite-sized pieces
4-5 stalks of spring onions, cut to 2 cm long
4 carrots, julienne
2 bunches of choy sum, end stems removed, cut into bite size
3 Tbs cooking oil
1 1/2 Tbs minced garlic
boiling hot water
salt
pepper

Sauce

1 Tbs Shaoxing wine
1 Tbs oyster sauce
1 Tbs light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
2 Tbs cornflour, extra

Pork marinade

1 Tbs Shaoxing wine
1 Tbs oyster sauce
1 Tbs light soy sauce
1 Tbs dark soy sauce
1 Tsp sesame oil
1/2 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp pepper
1 1/2 Tbs cornflour plus 1/8 c water, mix till no lump

Method

Char siu and marinade-24 hours in advance

Place the pork neck in the double zip-top bag. Mix the marinade ingredients in a jug, except the extra honey and pour over the pork neck. Zip up the bag. Massage the marinade into every part of the pork neck. Place the zip-top bag on a metal plate and put into the fridge. Every 2–3 hours, take out the bag, give it a couple of massages, and place it back in the fridge.

Pork and pork marinade

Mix the pork marinade ingredients in a big basin, then add in pork slices and mix well to coat put in fridge overnight. 

The next day

Char siu and marinade

Preheat oven to 160ºC. Bring out char siu from fridge to bench top and let sit till reach room temperature. Line a tray with foil and place a rack on top. Pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of the lined tray underneath the rack. This stops the drippings from smoking or burning. Then open the zip-top bag, remove char siu from the marinade, save marinade. Place char siu on rack. Roast for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour reserved marinade in a saucepan. Mix extra honey into marinade. Bring to simmer over medium high and cook for 2 minutes until syrupy. Remove from heat.

Remove char siu from oven. Dab marinade all over, then turn. Baste then roast for a further 30 minutes. Remove char siu from oven. Brush with marinade again, then turn, brush with marinade and roast for a further 20 minutes. If charring too quickly, cover with foil.

Baste again on surface then bake for a further 10 minutes until caramelised and sticky. char siu should be tender but not falling apart, like with pulled pork. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Pork and marinade followed by Yee mee bee hoon and vegetables

Bring out pork slices from fridge from fridge to bench top and let sit till reach room temperature. Once pork slices are at room temperture, heat oil in a wok on high heat. Add 1 1/2 minced garlic. Stir for a few seconds. Add in pork slices and spread out on the wok cook for about 4-5 minutes. In the last 1 1/2 minutes to time up for pork slices, add in choy sum thicker stems first, cook for about 1 minute, followed by the leafy parts, cook until the leaves are nearly wilted, about 30 seconds. Next use hot boiling water to softened bee hoon for about 1-2 minutes, drain and set aside.

Now add cabbage leaves, and carrots. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add in Shaoxing, oyster sauce, soy sauces, dark soy sauce and stir to mix evenly. Start with 1 c first chicken stock add in. Bring to the boil, then add noodles, and bee hoon in toss to mix well. Pour a bit boiling water to help soften noodles.

Stir gently to mix everything together. As soon as noodles come to the boil, mix the remaining 1/2 c chicken stock with cornflour until no lump then pour in to wok. Let it simmer for 1– 2 minutes until the sauce thickens, noodles have absorbed it. If too dry no sauce, add more boiling water, remember the sauce must be to a syrup consistency. Switch off hob.

Char siu

Slice the char siu to bite sized. Add it to the yee mee, bee hoon and vegetables. Toss to mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with a glass of Pinot Griggs. Enjoy!!!

Note: Yee mee noodles, sold fried and dried, are available from Asian supermarkets. If unavailable, substitute another thin dried wheat noodle. You can use chicken, beef or minced pork. You can add pork balls, thinly slice, fish balls, thinly slice, 1/4 packet fish cakes, thinly slice, 180 g bean shoots, remove roots, buk choy, or frozen vegetables.

For the sauce you may use just water, or the vegetables, chicken or beef stock. Also, the meat and vegetables will contribute enough flavour to the dish. For vegetarian you can omit the meat and use mushrooms and my aunty said there are vegetarian oyster sauce. I have not seen it but worth trying to look for it.

In Malaysia, the yee mee also comes with egg, near the end of the cooking to get a more “wat tan hor” kind of sauce. I assume we are to turn off the fire – the heat is enough to cook the egg. Never tried this method. Perhaps next time.

https://helenscchin.com/2022/09/12/pork-char-siu-vegetables-yee-mee-and-bee-hoon/

For my other yee mee bee hoon stir fry recipes:

https://helenscchin.com/2021/10/15/yee-mee-bee-hoon-stir-fry/

https://helenscchin.com/2022/06/23/yee-mee-bee-hoon-with-wine/

https://helenscchin.com/2025/04/01/yee-mee-bee-hoon-roasted-chicken-pieces-and-vegetables/

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