Nothing is more evocative of the flavour of street food in South East Asia than Char Sui pork. It is a basic ingredient in lots of cooking, has the advantage of being better when made in bulk, and freezes beautifully, thus providing a useful standby on an evening when you stand in your kitchen with a blank mind and almost empty shelves. Cut into small pieces before freezing, and it is also worth putting into meal-sized batches.

• 2 pork fillets

• 2 cloves garlic

• thumb-sized piece ginger (no need to peel)

• 1 large or 2 small onions

• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

• 1/2 tsp 5 spice powder

• 2 tbsp light brown sugar

• 1 tsp scarlet food colouring

NB the food colouring is authentic in so far that the locals use it, but you may omit it if you prefer.

1. Place the pork fillets in an ovenproof dish.

2. Blend the onions, garlic and ginger together until you have a paste.

3. Add the other ingredients to the paste and spread over the meat. Cover with cling film or a cloth.

4. Marinate the pork for a minimum of 3-4 hours, but preferably overnight.

5. Either barbeque, or roast in the liquid at 180 degrees, basting occasionally, for about 45 minutes. Leave to rest for 10 minutes then slice thinly.