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Bak Kwa Recipe (Pork Jerky)
Filed Under: Asian Recipes Chinese New Year Recipes Chinese Recipes Popular Recipes Pork Recipes Recipes Singapore & Malaysia Recipes Step-by-Step Recipes
Bak Kwa Recipe (Pork Jerky)
Home-made bak kwa is easier than you think! In this recipe, the quantities for the seasonings are small, so it is essential to use a measurement spoon for accuracy.
Ingredients:
- 200 grams minced pork
- vegetable oil (for brushing wire mesh)
(A) Seasonings
- 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tbsp 5-spice powder
- 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp Chinese wine Hua Tiao/Shao Hsing
- dashes of white pepper powder
- 2 tbsp caster (castor) or super fine sugar
- 1/2 tsp knorr ikan bilis seasoning powder double light soy sauce if not using
- 1/8 tsp red food colouring I use Bake King Cochineal Red/Cherry Red
Tools
- wire rack for oven
- a wire mesh cut to fit your oven
- parchment paper (same size as wire rack)
Directions:
- Combine minced pork and seasonings (A) in a deep plate. Mix the ingredients (except vegetable oil) with the back of a spoon in a circular motion, until the red hue is even; this will take several minutes. The resultant mixture will have a gluey consistency. Wrap plate with cling wrap and refrigerate for a few hours.
- Place parchment paper on a flat surface and spread the meat mixture one layer as thin as possible (about 5mm) with the back of a spoon.
- Brush the wire mesh with some vegetable oil. Align the wire mesh directly over the meat mixture, invert it, then carefully peel away the parchment paper.
- Place the wire mesh with the meat mixture on top of an oven wire-rack with a tray beneath it. Bake the bak kwa at preheated oven of 100°C for 20 minutes to dry the meat.
- Increase the oven heat to 180°C (356°F) and bake for 12 minutes.
- When cool enough to handle, remove wire rack and transfer bak kwa to chopping board. Use a pizza cutter or pair of kitchen scissors to cut bak kwa to desired shapes and sizes.
- Return bak kwa pieces to wire rack, the other side up (the side with the wire grill lines), and continue baking for 10-15 minutes, until the edges start to char slightly. Cool on wire rack and store in air-tight container.
Noob Cook Tips
- It is essential to rest the bak kwa on a wire mesh instead of a flat oven tray. Otherwise, the underside of the bak kwa will become smooth and flat when cooked, looking unnatural. The wire mesh helps the bak kwa to retain its rough texture by reducing surface contact with it.
- Obtain a piece of wire mesh from the BBQ section of any supermarket. Get those without a thick frame around it as you will most likely need to trim it down to fit your oven. Use a pair of wire cutters to snip off the excess length. You can bend the remaining protruding wires inwards with a pair of pliers to reduce the sharp edges. Scrub the wire mesh with a stiff brush and detergent and rinse well before using.
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Hi, may I know is there any further use of this Bak Kwa? I mean can it be used in any cooking recipe? Because all the time people bought it as gift and we can hardly finish it due to its meaty nature. Can it be used to fry with vegetables?
Hi Wiffy, love your web. Think the Bak Kwa Recipe (Step by Step) descriptions do not match with the photos.
Thanks and regards.
Serene
Hi Serene, thanks for letting me know about the error! Just corrected the step-by-step description. The detailed recipe with the measurements and temperature is on page two :)
Hi, thks so much for the recipe! It works & my kids keep asking for more :) So I’m going to increase from 200kg to 1kg of meat using your recipe. Can I just multiply all the ingredients by 5? How about the oven temperature? Also I saw some other recipes use honey; u wanna explore and create another version of bak kwa…hhehehhe I bet u’ll make another signature recipe ;)
sorry typo error “from 200g to 1kg”
yes generally multiply by 5 … except for 5-spice powder, just add a bit more as it tends to overpower in aroma in larger quantities. Oven temp should be same as you are still baking them in batches. Thanks for your suggestion, I sometimes use honey as a glaze when baking the bak kwa.
Hi, this takes me back to childhood days in Penang. Bak kwa in a bun with sauce as a cinema snack! Thanks for sharing the recipe. May I ask if chicken can be use as a substitute? Gave up eating too bak.
Yes, can substitute minced pork with minced chicken.