Siu mei

Siu mei
Roasted goose (top left) chicken (top right) pork (bottom)
Traditional Chinese	燒味
Simplified Chinese	烧味
Cantonese Jyutping	siu1 mei6*2
Hanyu Pinyin	shāo wèi
Literal meaning	roast-flavored
Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin shāo wèi Min - Hokkien POJ sio-bī Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping siu1 mei6*2

Siu mei is the generic name, in Cantonese cuisine, given to meats roasted on spits over an open fire or a huge wood burning rotisserie oven. It creates a unique, deep barbecue flavor that is usually enhanced by a flavorful sauce (a different sauce is used for each meat). Shops selling these meats are commonly found in Chinese-speaking regions in East and Southeast Asia. It is popular in Hong Kong and 66,000 tons are consumed a year.^[1]

Preparation

Usually meat of this type is purchased as take-out as siu mei takes a great deal of resources to prepare, and few families in Hong Kong or China have the equipment for it. It is also a staple item in typical Cantonese restaurants. Shops generally have large ovens and rotisserie-like utilities for rotating the meat. Families order or prepare their own plain white rice to accompany the siu mei. A siu mei meal usually consists of one box comprising half meat and half rice. Certain dishes, such as orange cuttlefish, or white cut chicken, are not roasted at all, but are often prepared and sold alongside BBQ roasted meats in siu mei establishments, hence they are generally classified as siu mei dishes.

Adaptation

A Hong Kong siu mei style shop

Although siu mei originated in Cantonese cuisine, several siu mei dishes are readily available in overseas Chinatown communities, and even in American Chinese cuisine.

Varieties

• Cha siu (叉烧) - barbecued pork
• Siu ngo (燒鵝) - roasted goose
• Siu ngaap (燒鴨) - roasted duck
• White cut chicken (白切雞) - marinated steamed chicken
• Siu yuk (燒肉) - roasted pig, with crispy skin
• Orange cuttlefish (鹵水墨魚) - marinated cuttlefish

See also

• Rotisserie
• Lou mei

References

1. ^ CHH Go Hong Kongers eat 66,000 tons of siu mei a year 28 August 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-11