We’ve all walked past a Chinese restaurant and been stopped in our tracks by the heavenly smell of roast meat wafting from the front door. Humans have a deep-rooted, intrinsic connection with barbecue – it is, after all, the oldest form of cookery – but few cultures on Earth do barbecue like the Chinese; classic flavours like soy sauce, oyster sauce, chilli and garlic all marry beautifully with barbecued meat, fish and vegetables – charring and caramelising under the intense heat of the barbecue to create deep and complex flavours.
Barbecue in China doesn't necessarily mean food that's cooked over fire. It can be anything from simple skewers of grilled meat to something like Peking duck, which is blanched, marinated, dried and smoked before finally being roasted in a screaming hot oven. The latter is quite an ordeal to take on in your home kitchen, but there are plenty of other easier, quicker recipes you can easily recreate on the barbecue if you want to serve up a Chinese-inspired barbecued feast for the ages. With a vast array of ready-made Chinese sauces, marinades and condiments to choose from produced by brands such as Lee Kum Kee, it's easy to add bags of flavour to whatever you're cooking with minimal hassle. We’ve pulled together seven of our favourite Chinese barbecue recipes for you – the ones we always want to eat when we’re firing up the barbecue – but check out our full collection of Chinese recipes if you’re after more inspiration.
