Chinese barbecue pork (char siu)

Mash the red bean curd with some of its juice.

Add hoisin sauce, soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine (optional), sesame oil (optional), honey, five spice powder and white pepper.

Grate in the garlic and mix everything together with a mini whisk to make the marinade.

Cut a pork shoulder roast with the grain into thin strips.

Coat the pork in the marinade and marinate 24 hours.

Set the pork on a roasting rack over a foil-lined pan.

Mix honey with a little of the red bean curd juice for the glaze.

Variation: leftover marinade can go into the glaze only after heating it in the microwave until boiling to cook any raw pork juices.

Roast at 400 degrees (375 in a convection oven) for 15 minutes.

Brush the glaze over the top, return to the oven, and re-glaze every 5 to 7 minutes, letting each layer dry, for two or three layers until the pork is done.

Put a little water in the pan underneath so the drippings do not burn and smoke.

Rest at least 10 minutes, ideally 15, before slicing; longer for bigger pieces.

Slice, thinner for a more traditional cut.