chara
Authentically Hong Kong. Reimagined in Brooklyn.
Ready for the American Table.
chara Original
Our flagship char siu BBQ marinade is a labor of love — five years in the making. While the world perfected sourdough during lockdown, we were perfecting Chara — the bold, sweet-savory marinade that brings Hong Kong to your kitchen.
Crafted with traditional soy sauce, fresh aromatics, and a carefully guarded blend of spices — including fermented tofu (think cheese, but soy-based and funky in the best way) — this marinade is our love letter to char siu.
- ✨ Best with pork. Great with chicken. Versatile with anything.
- 🔥 Small-batch made, always.
- 🥢 The perfect crowd-pleaser for your next BBQ.
Homemade Chili Oil
Made with premium dried chilies, tongue-tingling peppercorns, and a secret blend of fragrant spices — it’s bold, aromatic, and just the right kind of dangerous.
We created our chili oil to bring a little kick to the deep, savory notes of our signature chara marinade.
- ✨ Drizzle it on your BBQ.
- 🔥 Dunk it on your dumplings.
- 🥢 Stir it into a bowl of rice, or get creative.
Our Story
“生舊叉燒好過生你”
Better to give birth to char siu than to give birth to you.
Only in Hong Kong would aunties say something like that. Out of context, it sounds outrageous. But somehow, it makes perfect sense. IYKYK. Because char siu isn’t just food. It’s an icon. A culture reference. A flavor that is uniquely Hong Kong.
We’ve been friends since college - first brought together, of all places, in a small town in Cambodia. A decade later, we found ourselves in New York City, growing our corporate careers. We reconnected over wine, homemade dinners, and late-night games of mahjong - dreaming about building something of our own.
Our conversations were often fueled by char siu made in our own kitchen. We couldn’t find a char siu sauce that tasted truly authentic to us. That craving for something comforting, authentic, and full of flavor — quietly laid the foundation for chara.
What started as a kitchen experiment between two friends became a bold, small-batch flavor worth sharing. We didn’t give birth to char siu - but we did create the sauce that will help you to make your very own.
Clara & Flora
The Makers of chara
