Air fryer bak kwa & more: 7 TikTok & YouTube recipes for homemade bak kwa

Irresistibly savoury and juicy with a smokey finish, it's not quite Chinese New Year without the ubiquitous bak kwa. But it often means long queues at the stores (if you haven't already ordered yours online), and they're not exactly cheap either.

But if you have a bit of time on your hands, these scrumptious sheets of barbequed meat aren't difficult to make, and you can rope in the kids for a fun kitchen project to embark on. Whether to make your own bak kwa for snacking or to gift loved ones, we've rounded up some TikTok and Youtube recipes to spark your inspiration.

Handmade bak kwa

@aldericc homemade bak kwa #sgfoodie #sgfood #easyrecipe #lny2021 #reuniondinner ♬ original sound Teo - Alderic

This handy video breaks down everything you need to make your own delish bak kwa, from the ingredients of the marinade to the method of cooking.

Use a ready-made marinade

@thesilverchef Homemade Bak Kwa #sgfoodies #sgfoodie #sgfood #tiktoksg #bakkwa #easyrecipe ♬ original sound - The Silver Chef

Or save time and effort by using a ready-made marinade. Here, the Singapore Meat Marinade Original is used, packed with flavours of oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, caramel and five-spice powder.

Air fryer bak kwa

@apeakfood VIRAL AIR-FRYER RECIPE: BAK KWA (Pork Jerky) #apeakfood #airfryerrecipes #sgfoodie #easyrecipe #bakkwarecipe #airfryerbakkwa #cnysnacks ♬ this is what falling in love feels like - JVKE

No oven or charcoal grill? No problem. With an air fryer (and a cookie cutter), you can make your own juicy, chewy CNY snack.

XO sauce bacon bak kwa

@michelletiang Adding a twist to this popular Chinese New Year treat #bacon #jerky #homemade #easyrecipe #lunarnewyear #chinesenewyear #yum #bakwa #singapore ♬ original sound - Mitz Tiang

It's easier than your regular bak kwa recipe since you can skip the step of having to flatten the minced meat by opting for strips of juicy bacon. Plus, this one gets an extra flavour bomb with the addition of umami and spicy XO sauce.

The Singapore Women's Weekly's bak kwa recipe

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjIGXRym0d0[/embed]

And of course, we have our own step-by-step bak kwa recipe video, too, specially whipped up by chef Low Shih Erh, an instructor at Palate Sensations Culinary School, who specialises in Asian cuisine. You'll need an oven for this recipe, which also uses a sweet honey glaze.

Pineapple bak kwa

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6sGIDwprAs[/embed]

You might have seen pineapple bak kwa sold on the market, but you can make it yourself too. Mix chunks of fresh pineapple with the minced meat to get that zesty sweet-meets-savoury flavour.

Szechuan mala beef bak kwa

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX3t7lJz7pU[/embed]

Not a fan of pork or can't eat pork? Try this spicy tongue-tingling recipe that uses minced beef combined with toasted Sichuan peppercorns.

ALSO READ: Truffle bak kwa, ang ku kueh cake, tiger bread and other cool CNY goodies

This article was first published in The Singapore Women's Weekly.