Our Story

We are Clara and Flora. We are close friends who grew up in Hong Kong, lived internationally, and are now based in Brooklyn, New York.

For close to two decades in the US, we craved eating char siu (叉燒). Char siu is an iconic Hong Kong dish: juicy, thick-cut slices of meat (typically pork) glistening beneath a caramelized, charred coat, striking the perfect balance between sweet and savory, with a hint of rose wine fragrance and a depth no other barbecue reaches.

Then the pandemic hit. When some people tested sourdough recipes, we decided to make char siu.

Char siu is famously hard to cook (IYKYK). We tried store-bought sauces and recipes we found online, but nothing gave us consistent results. So we decided to take matters into our own hands.

Our shared desire to eat authentic Hong Kong-style char siu set us on a five-year quest to perfect the recipe, squeezed in over nights and weekends around our careers in law and tech. After many tastings, countless iterations, and validating it with our closest friends (and often harshest critics!), we finally landed on a flavor that tastes just like home.

That’s when it hit us. If we couldn’t find it on the shelves, we’d have to put it there ourselves — so more people could make authentic char siu at home in a few simple steps, and take the flavor even further as a marinade, a glaze, a stir-fry sauce, or even a dip.

We created Charah to put Cantonese flavors on the map, starting with our char siu BBQ sauce and chili oil.

All our products are made in small batches, right here in Brooklyn.

Born in Hong Kong. Made in Brooklyn. We are just getting started and excited to bring you on our journey!