How Many Calories in Char Siew Rice?

Cantonese-style honey-glazed roast pork over white rice, a hawker classic that is more diet-friendly than the glossy caramelised look suggests.

570kcal / 1 plate

A standard plate of char siew rice comes in at 570 calories for roughly 310g, which is a pretty reasonable lunch if you think about it. The bulk of that is the rice at 260 cal, with the char siew slices adding another 250 cal, and the sweet soy gravy throwing in about 55 cal on top. So yeah, the pork itself is not the disaster, the sweet glaze and the amount of rice is where it adds up.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 plate (310g)	Amount	Per 100g
Calories	570 kcal	184 kcal
Protein	25 g	8 g
Carbs	82 g	26 g
Fat	14 g	5 g

Where the calories come from

Cooked white rice (approx 200g)200g

260 kcal

Char siew pork slices (approx 110g)110g

250 kcal

Sweet soy gravy / char siew sauce (30ml)35g

55 kcal

Cucumber slices30g

5 kcal

The real talk

Char siew rice is one of those hawker staples that feels heavier than it actually is, 570 calories for a standard plate is not bad at all for a full lunch. The rice is doing most of the work at 260 calories for that 200g scoop, and the pork slices are adding another 250. What people forget is the glaze. That shiny sweet sauce pooled on top of the pork and dripped into the rice is basically just a sugar marinade, and it is what separates a 500 calorie meal from a 570 one fast. If you are getting this at a proper roast rice stall, the char siew is usually made from pork belly or a mixed cut, so there is real fat in there too, not just the marinade sugar. Honestly for someone watching their weight, this is still one of the more manageable rice stall options in Malaysia lah.

The thing that actually moves the numbers is the cut of meat and how much sauce uncle pours. Leaner shoulder or fillet char siew brings you down to around 500 calories per plate. Belly cut with a generous glaze keeps you at 570 or above. The moment you say yes to siew yoke on the side, you are looking at 650 calories because crispy pork belly runs around 35 to 40 percent fat by weight. Adding an egg is a smarter move, only adds about 70 calories but gives you extra protein. The mixed roast plate with char siew plus siew yoke plus roast duck jumps up to 720 calories, which is still fine if that is your biggest meal of the day, just do not also order teh tarik and a side of karipap and then wonder why the scale is not moving.

Char Siew Rice variants, ranked by calories

Variant	Calories	Notes
Char siew rice (lean cut, less gravy)	500 kcal	Leaner pork shoulder/fillet cut with minimal sweet glaze; lighter on marinade sugar
Char siew rice (standard hawker)	570 kcal	Typical hawker plate with pork belly or mixed cuts, standard sweet gravy
Char siew + siew yoke mixed rice	650 kcal	Half char siew, half siew yoke (crispy roast pork belly); siew yoke is much higher in fat
Char siew + egg rice	640 kcal	Standard plate with one poached or braised egg added, roughly +70 kcal
Mixed roast (char siew + siew yoke + roast duck)	720 kcal	Triple protein combo common at full roast rice stalls; higher fat from duck skin and siew yoke

How to eat it lighter

Ask for less rice, around 150g instead of 200g, and you shave off about 65 calories right there before you even touch the pork.
Skip the extra gravy drizzle. That sweet char siew sauce is mostly sugar, and each extra pour is 30 to 50 calories you do not taste much anyway.
Go for lean cut char siew (shoulder or fillet) over belly cuts when the stall has the option. The leaner version brings the plate down closer to 500 calories.
Add a side of blanched veg, kailan or bean sprouts, for almost zero calories and it makes the meal feel much bigger.
Drink plain water or unsweetened tea. Pairing a char siew rice with teh tarik adds another 100 to 150 calories to the meal without you realising.

Common questions

How many calories in Char Siew Rice?

A standard hawker plate of char siew rice is around 570 calories for approximately 310g. That covers the rice, pork slices, and sweet soy gravy. If you add siew yoke or an egg, expect 630 to 650 calories.

Is char siew rice good for weight loss?

It can fit into a weight loss diet. At 570 calories, it is not a disaster, especially if you keep the gravy light and the rice portion reasonable. The pork gives you 25g of protein which helps with staying full. The problem is hawker portions can vary a lot, and extra gravy drizzled on top quietly adds 50 to 80 calories per pour.

What makes char siew high in calories?

Char siew is marinated in honey, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and five-spice, then roasted until caramelised. All that sugar in the marinade is where a lot of the calories come from, not just the pork fat itself. Belly cuts also add fat. The sweet glaze that pools onto your rice is loaded with sugar and pork drippings, so go easy on asking uncle for extra sauce.

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Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical hawker or kopitiam serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

New to all this? Read how I went from 128kg to 86kg without cutting rice →