
Chinese Roast Pork Recipe
In my cookbook “Easy Chinese Recipes,” I have a Chinese roast pork belly recipe, or siu yuk.
When it comes to Chinese roast pork, one could never have enough of the crispy skinned roasted pork belly. It’s sinfully delicious!

This Chinese Roast Pork recipe is from my good friend Robert Danhi’s Facebook page. Robert and his wife made the roast pork following a recipe gathered from a church in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
This is the PERFECT recipe for Chinese roast pork belly! It’s absolutely mouthwatering.
The recipe is easy, hassle-free and fail-proof. I guarantee you crispy, crunchy, absolutely aromatic and to-die-for pork crackling, melt-in-your-mouth pork belly.

Recipe Ingredients
This simple recipe calls for only four (4) ingredients:
- Pork belly
- Garlic
- Salt
- Chinese five spice powder

How to Make Chinese Roasted Pork Belly?
This is the easiest and best recipe you’ll find online. There is no need to poke the pork skin, there is no no vinegar in the recipe.
There is also no need to par-boil the pork belly before roasting.
The recipe calls for simple and few steps. Please refer to the video embedded on this page to learn how to make Chinatown worthy siu yuk at home.
The end result is very crispy pork crackling. The pork belly is also juicy, tender, with the melt-in-your-mouth pork fat.
The taste is a bit salty and aromatic. The aroma comes from the garlic and five-spice powder.
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 446 calories per serving.
What to Serve with This Recipe?
Serve this dish with rice or noodles. For a Chinese meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
5 Secrets to 20 Min Dinners
Get tricks for quick & easy meals!
Chinese Roast Pork Belly

Chinese roast pork or siu yuk. Save yourself a trip to Chinatown and use this easy recipe for the best and crispiest Chinese roast pork belly at home.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. (1 kg) pork belly
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon five spice powder
- Kosher salt, for layering
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C), arrange a pan on the bottom 1/3 of oven rack and fill with water. The pork belly should be roasted using the rack above it.
- Wash and use paper towels to dry the pork belly.
- Make some horizontal slits on the sides of the belly, then rub the meat side with the five spice powder.
- Insert each garlic and push them deep inside the pork belly.
- Layer the top of the pork belly with the salt evenly.
- Place the pork belly on a wire rack. This is how it should look before going into the oven.
- Place the pork belly at the top 1/3 of the oven and roast for 1 hour. While baking, the oil will drip to the bottom pan with water.
- Bake until the salt crust forms, the salt should be hardened. Check water in the pan below and add if needed. This is how the pork belly and salt crust will look like in the oven. You have to insert the garlic deep inside the horizontal slits or else they will be pushed out during the roasting process.
- Remove the pork belly from the oven, pull off the salt crust and discard.
- Raise the heat of oven to 465°F (240°C), place the pork belly back in the oven and roast for another 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let set for 10 minutes.
- Cut and serve immediately with some chili sauce and hoisin sauce, or eat as is.
Notes
Watch the cooking video on this page for step-by-step guide.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
6 peopleAmount Per Serving Calories 446Total Fat 33gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 19gCholesterol 127mgSodium 495mgCarbohydrates 1gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 35g
Sera Walmsley NZ
I’ve made this several times now and it never fails! Such a delicious authentic tasting pork belly dish with perfect crispy skin. So easy to make! I serve with a side of choy sum and ginger rice yum! This is definitely my go to pork belly recipe now thanks so much!
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks!
Jess
Thank you for the simple recipe, May. If my oven max temperature is 230 degrees, does it affect the second roast?
Rasa Malaysia
Yes it will.
Jess
Thank you for your prompt reply especially now is the lunar new year period. Have a splendid bonding time with family
Rasa Malaysia
😊👍
GE
Hi Bee, do u continue to refill the water on the tray when u increase the temperature to 240°C for the next 40mins? Thanks
Rasa Malaysia
Add water if the water receded.
Parnell stewart
Can I use ordinary salt if I can’t get kosher salt.
Rasa Malaysia
Yes.
Grace Ng
This is the simplest, yet yummiest roasted pork recipe ever! Thank you for sharing!
Rasa Malaysia
Thank you!😊
Jason
Thanks for the recipe, I love how simple it is. One problem I’m having is most of the skin gets crispy, but I always have parts of it that don’t and end up very hard to chew. Do you have any suggestions on how to fix that? I tried baking it for longer but that just ended up making it too dry or burning the edges.
Rasa Malaysia
Not sure what oven you use but make sure the heat are distributed evenly.
May
Thank you Bee,
This is awesome, if someone couod make it for me for breakfast + nice bowl with fresh cooked jasmine rice, it would make my day starting great!! I love salty and crackling food.
I will try this recipe. My oven is not the best one, but will try again. Thank you so much for sharing
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks May!