CHAR SIU CABBAGE

Char siu is Cantonese barbecued pork. Here, the char siu marinade has been borrowed to baste slow roasted cabbage wedges instead. The cabbage is tender in the center with a lovely crispy char on the outer leaves from the initial high oven heat and the sweet and savoury sauce glaze. The tightly bound sugarloaf cabbage is the perfect candidate for this recipe due to its size, tender texture, and the nutty, sweet flavour.

Serves 4-6

1 whole sweetloaf cabbage (or small green cabbage)

2 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon Shaoxing (Chinese wine), or dry sherry

1 tablespoon hoi-sin sauce

1 tablespoon honey, warmed

½ teaspoon five-spice powder

Pinch ground white pepper

Preheat oven to 220°C (200°C fan-forced). Line a small roasting tin with baking paper. Remove outer loose leaves from cabbage, then cut in half lengthways. Cut each half into three or four wedges, so they are about 6cm wide at thickest part.  

Place all the remaining ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine well. Brush both sides of the wedges with olive oil and place side-by-side in roasting tin. Transfer to oven and roast for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven, then brush a third of the soy mixture over the top side of each wedge, then flip over and brush the other side. Return to the oven and roast for another 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and brush with the remaining soy mixture (no need to flip over this time). Return to the oven, reduce temperature to 180°C (160°C fan-forced) and roast for 15 minutes.

Spoon cooking juices from the base of tin over the wedges and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes, until the cabbage is charred around edges, cooked through and the stem is very tender. Serve hot with the reduced cooking juices spooned over the top. Accompany with steamed rice.

Recipe by Fiona Hammond, May 2026