Yunnan Shao Kao

Yunnan Shao Kao occupies an entirely different flavour world from the soy-and-sesame grilled skewers of the north. Influenced by the Bai, Dai, and Yi minority traditions, Yunnan's roadside and night-market barbecue relies on lemongrass, fresh coriander, Yunnan pepper, and wild herbs for its distinctive character. Pork, mushrooms, tofu skin, and offal are all grilled over charcoal until smoky and charred, then wrapped in fresh herbs or smeared with a pungent dipping paste.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 300g (10 oz) pork neck or belly, cut into 3 cm cubes
• 200g (7 oz) king oyster mushrooms, sliced into thick rounds
• 150g (5 oz) fresh tofu skin (yuba), folded into parcels and skewered
• 2 stalks lemongrass, tender inner parts only, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small red shallot, minced
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) neutral oil
• 1 tsp (5 ml) ground Yunnan pepper (or black pepper)
• ½ tsp turmeric
• Salt to taste

Dipping paste (jin zhan):

• 4 ripe tomatoes, charred directly over a gas flame or under a grill until blackened
• 4 cloves garlic, charred alongside the tomatoes
• 1–2 green chillis, charred
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) fish sauce
• 1 tsp (5 ml) sugar
• Juice of ½ lime
• A handful of fresh coriander, chopped

Instructions

1. Combine pork with lemongrass, garlic, shallot, soy sauce, oil, pepper, turmeric, and a generous pinch of salt. Massage marinade into the meat. Marinate at least 1 hour at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Make the dipping paste: peel and roughly chop the charred tomatoes and garlic. Pound in a mortar with charred chilli until a rough paste forms. Stir in fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, and coriander. Adjust seasoning — it should be tangy, smoky, and just sweet.
3. Thread marinated pork, mushroom rounds, and tofu skin parcels onto separate skewers. Brush mushrooms and tofu skin with a little oil and season with salt.
4. Grill over medium-hot charcoal (or a hot griddle pan), turning every 2–3 minutes. Pork skewers need 10–12 minutes total; mushrooms 6–8 minutes; tofu skin 4–5 minutes until charred and crispy at the edges.
5. Serve all skewers hot from the grill with the tomato-chilli dipping paste, fresh coriander sprigs, and cold beer.

Cook's Notes: The charred tomato and garlic paste — a form of Yunnan's jin zhan sauce — is the soul of this dish. Make extra and use it as a condiment for days. If lemongrass is unavailable, substitute kaffir lime zest plus extra ginger.