Char Siu Jambon Beurre

Sometimes all we want to eat is Chinese BBQ. Sometimes all we want to eat is a classic jambon beurre. Why can't we eat them together?

6 hours prep

1.5 hours cook

Serves 4

Hugh Woodward

Ingredients

char siu ham:

150mlhoisin sauce

3 tbspbrown sugar

100mlbeetroot juice

1 tbspShaoxing wine

1 tbsplight soy sauce

1 tspChinese five spice

1 tbsp sesame oil

roughly 1.5kg boneless uncooked ham

chilli crisp "pickled" cucumbers

1/2cucumber, thinly sliced

1 tbspsugar

2 tbsprice wine vinegar

1 tbspchilli crisp

Well my friend, now you can! This is a simple but an effective one - take a store bought ham and cover it with char siu marinade then roast it (in the oven) until it's sticky with caramelised spots and cooked to perfection. Slice it up and serve in a crusty baguette with butter and pickles and you are in fusion heaven.

Method

Mix everything in the marinade list together (except of course the ham) until you have a thick red paste.

Slather this all over the ham and leave to marinate for approximately 6 hours in the fridge, or longer if you have the time or patience.

When ready, check your ham packet for the cooking time (or calculate it yourself), then place the ham on a baking tray and loosely cover with foil - as the ham is sticky try not to let it touch the foil. Bake it until it has 45 minutes left then remove the foil and let it get charred and delicious.

Toss the cucumbers with the sugar, rice wine vinegar and chilli crisp.

Wait for it to cool (around an hour) before slicing into thick slices and serving in a baguette with lots of butter and the cucumbers.