Siu mei
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| Siu mei | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Hanyu Pinyin shāowèi | | |||||||||||||||||||
| Cantonese Yale | sīuméi | |||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | roasted items | |||||||||||||||||||
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Siu mei (Chinese: 燒味; Cantonese Yale: sīuméi) is the generic Cantonese name of meats roasted on spits over an open fire or a large wood-burning rotisserie oven. It creates a unique, deep barbecue flavor and the roast is usually coated with a flavorful sauce (a different sauce is used for each variety of meat) before roasting. Siu mei is very popular in Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia and overseas Chinatowns, especially with Cantonese emigrants.[1] In Hong Kong, the average person eats siu mei once every four days, with char siu being the most popular, followed by siu yuk (roast pork or pork belly) second, and roast goose third.[2] Some dishes, such as white cut chicken and soy sauce chicken, are not roasted at all but are considered siu mei nonetheless. Siu mei is also known colloquially as siu laap (烧腊; 燒臘; shāo là; siu1 laap6), as the latter term encompasses siu mei and laap mei, a type of preserved meat. They are usually prepared in the same kitchen during autumn and winter season in what are often known as siu laap establishments or Chinese BBQ shops. Siu laap is also often sold alongside lou mei, such as orange cuttlefish and pig's ear.
History
After meetings held between the Food Hygiene Select Committee, the Markets and Abattoirs Select Committee and the Street Traders Select Committee on the topic of "Sale of Cooked Food, Siu Mei, and Lo Mei in Public Markets" in 1978, siu mei shops officially entered into Hong Kong public markets.[3] The public market is a popular place for ordinary citizens to buy siu mei.
Preparation
As siu mei takes a great deal of resources to prepare, requiring large
Take-out is quite common, as customers order or prepare their own plain white rice to accompany the siu mei; a siu mei meal comprises meat atop plain white rice or noodles, and often with vegetables (napa cabbage, choy sum, or gai lan), usually served in a plastic foam take-out container or on a plate.
In Chinese
Varieties of siu mei and lou mei
- Char siu (叉燒) - barbecued pork
- Siu ngo (燒鵝) - roasted goose
- Siu aap(燒鴨) - roasted duck
- White cut chicken (白切雞) - marinated steamed chicken
- Soy sauce chicken (豉油雞) - chicken cooked with soy sauce
- Siu yuk (燒肉) - roasted pig, with crisp skin
- Yu chu (乳猪) - roasted suckling pig, with crisp skin
- Orange cuttlefish (鹵水墨魚) - marinated cuttlefish
Gallery
See also
- Asado
- Barbecue
- Chuanr, northern Chinese barbecue
- List of spit-roasted foods
- Lou mei
- Rotisserie
References
- ^ Zoe Li (29 August 2011). "Hong Kongers eat 66,000 tons of siu mei a year". CNN Go. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
- ^ "Go easy on the Siu mei, experts warn". South China Morning Post. 29 August 2011. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
- ^ Sale of Cooked Food, Siu Mei and Lo Mei in Public Markets (Committee Paper FH/58/78; MAB/75/78; ST/55/78) (Report). Food Hygiene Select Committee, Markets and Abattoirs Select Committee, and Street Traders Select Committee. 1978-08-22. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
- ^ Noodles, Mr (September 18, 2012). "Eat Noodles Love Noodles: Braised Duck Wings In Master Stock 滷水鴨翼".