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Char siu

 
Char Siu

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Char siu



 
 
Char siu (also spelled chashao, cha siu and char siew), otherwise known as barbecued pork in China or Chinese barbecued/roast pork outside China, is a popular way to prepare pork
Pork

Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig . The word, pork, is often meant to denote specifically the fresh meat of the pig, but it can be used as an all-inclusive term, to include cured, smoked, or processed meats It is one of the most-commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry dating back...
 in Cantonese cuisine
Cantonese cuisine

Cantonese cuisine comes from Guangdong in Southern China, or specifically from Guangzhou . Of all the regional varieties of Chinese cuisine, Cantonese is the best known outside China; most "Chinese restaurants" in Western countries serve Cantonese cuisine and dishes based on it....
. It is classified as a type of siu mei
Siu mei

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 ....
, Cantonese roasted meat dishes.

r siu" literally means "fork burn/roast" after the traditional cooking method for the dish: long strips of seasoned boneless pork are skewered with long forks and placed in a covered oven or over a fire.

The meat, typically a shoulder cut, is seasoned with a mixture of honey
Honey

Honey is a sweet fluid produced by honey bees , and derived from the nectar of flowers. According to the United States National Honey Board and various international food regulations, "honey stipulates a pure product that does not allow for the addition of any other substance?this includes, but is not limited to, water or other sweeteners...
, five-spice powder
Five-spice powder

Five-spice powder is a seasoning in Chinese cuisine. One common recipe includes tunghing or "China cinnamon" , powdered cassia buds, powdered star anise and anise seed, ginger root, and ground cloves....
, fermented tofu
Pickled tofu

Pickled tofu also called tofu cheese, preserved tofu, or fermented tofu, is a form of processed, Food preservation tofu used in Chinese cuisine and Vietnamese cuisine cuisine....
, dark soy sauce
Soy sauce

Soy sauce , soya sauce , or shoyu is a fermentation sauce made from soybeans , roasted cereal, water and Sodium chloride. Soy sauce was invented in China, where it has been used as a condiment for close to 2,500 years....
, hoisin sauce
Hoisin sauce

Hoisin sauce, or Haixian Sauce, also called suckling pig sauce, is a Chinese dipping sauce. The word Hoisin is a romanization of the Chinese language word for seafood "" as pronounced in Yue Chinese....
, red food colouring (optional) and sherry
Sherry

Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town of Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. In Spanish language, it is called Vino de Jerez....
 or rice wine
Huangjiu

Yellow wine redirects here. For the french wine made in the Jura region see Vin jauneHuangjiu is a type of China alcoholic beverage brewed directly from grains such as rice, millet, or wheat....
 (optional).






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Char siu (also spelled chashao, cha siu and char siew), otherwise known as barbecued pork in China or Chinese barbecued/roast pork outside China, is a popular way to prepare pork
Pork

Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig . The word, pork, is often meant to denote specifically the fresh meat of the pig, but it can be used as an all-inclusive term, to include cured, smoked, or processed meats It is one of the most-commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry dating back...
 in Cantonese cuisine
Cantonese cuisine

Cantonese cuisine comes from Guangdong in Southern China, or specifically from Guangzhou . Of all the regional varieties of Chinese cuisine, Cantonese is the best known outside China; most "Chinese restaurants" in Western countries serve Cantonese cuisine and dishes based on it....
. It is classified as a type of siu mei
Siu mei

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 ....
, Cantonese roasted meat dishes.

Chinese cuisine

"Char siu" literally means "fork burn/roast" after the traditional cooking method for the dish: long strips of seasoned boneless pork are skewered with long forks and placed in a covered oven or over a fire.

The meat, typically a shoulder cut, is seasoned with a mixture of honey
Honey

Honey is a sweet fluid produced by honey bees , and derived from the nectar of flowers. According to the United States National Honey Board and various international food regulations, "honey stipulates a pure product that does not allow for the addition of any other substance?this includes, but is not limited to, water or other sweeteners...
, five-spice powder
Five-spice powder

Five-spice powder is a seasoning in Chinese cuisine. One common recipe includes tunghing or "China cinnamon" , powdered cassia buds, powdered star anise and anise seed, ginger root, and ground cloves....
, fermented tofu
Pickled tofu

Pickled tofu also called tofu cheese, preserved tofu, or fermented tofu, is a form of processed, Food preservation tofu used in Chinese cuisine and Vietnamese cuisine cuisine....
, dark soy sauce
Soy sauce

Soy sauce , soya sauce , or shoyu is a fermentation sauce made from soybeans , roasted cereal, water and Sodium chloride. Soy sauce was invented in China, where it has been used as a condiment for close to 2,500 years....
, hoisin sauce
Hoisin sauce

Hoisin sauce, or Haixian Sauce, also called suckling pig sauce, is a Chinese dipping sauce. The word Hoisin is a romanization of the Chinese language word for seafood "" as pronounced in Yue Chinese....
, red food colouring (optional) and sherry
Sherry

Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town of Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. In Spanish language, it is called Vino de Jerez....
 or rice wine
Huangjiu

Yellow wine redirects here. For the french wine made in the Jura region see Vin jauneHuangjiu is a type of China alcoholic beverage brewed directly from grains such as rice, millet, or wheat....
 (optional). These seasonings turn the exterior layer of meat dark red, similar to the "smoke ring" of American barbecues. Maltose
Maltose

Maltose, or malt sugar, is a disaccharide formed from two units of glucose joined with an a linkage. It is the second member of an important biochemical series of glucose chains....
 may be used to give char siu its characteristic shiny glaze.

Char siu is typically consumed alongside a starch, whether inside a bun (cha siu baau
Cha Siu Baau

Cha siu baau are Cantonese cuisine barbecue pork baozi . The buns are filled with barbecue-flavoured char siu. They are served as a type of dim sum during yum cha and are sometimes sold in Chinese bakery....
), with noodles, or with rice (cha siu fan). The accompaniments served with char siu are strongly influenced by regional variation.

Hong Kong

In Hong Kong
Hong Kong

Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located in Southern China in East Asia, bordering the province of Guangdong to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south....
, char siu is usually purchased from a siu mei
Siu mei

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 ....
 establishment, which specializes in meat dishes — char siu, soy sauce chicken
Soy sauce chicken

Soy sauce chicken is a Mandarin cuisine dish. It is made of chicken that is cooked with soy sauce.However, there is also a Cantonese cuisine-style soy sauce chicken that is not cooked with soy sauce but marinated after cooking....
, white cut chicken
White cut chicken

White cut chicken or white sliced chicken is a variety of siu mei, or roasted meat dishes, within Cantonese cuisine. Unlike most other meats in the siu mei category, this particular dish is not roasted....
, roasted goose, etc. These shops usually display the merchandise by hanging them in the window. As a result, char siu is often consumed alongside one of these other meat dishes.

Southeast Asia

In Malaysia
Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
 and Singapore
Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country microstate located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands....
, char siew rice is found in many Chinese shao là stalls along with roasted duck and roasted pork. It is served with slices of char siu, cucumbers, white rice and drenched in sweet gravy or drizzled with dark soy sauce
Soy sauce

Soy sauce , soya sauce , or shoyu is a fermentation sauce made from soybeans , roasted cereal, water and Sodium chloride. Soy sauce was invented in China, where it has been used as a condiment for close to 2,500 years....
. Char siew rice can also be found in Hainanese chicken rice
Hainanese chicken rice

File:Hainanese Chicken.JPGHainanese chicken rice is a dish of Chinese cuisine most commonly associated with Cuisine of Malaysia or Cuisine of Singapore, although it is also commonly sold in neighbouring Thailand, and found in Hainan, China itself....
 stalls, where customers have a choice of having their char siew rice served with plain white rice or chicken-flavoured rice, and the same choice of garlic chilli and soy sauces.

Japanese cuisine

Chashu, despite its literal meaning of "fork roasted", in Japan the shoulder is rolled into a log then braised at a low temperature, resulting in a softer, moister texture that better complements typical accompaniments such as ramen
Ramen

is a Japanese cuisine noodle dish that originated in China. It tends to be served in a meat-based broth, and uses toppings such as , , kamaboko, green onions, and even corn....
 than roasting would. Chashu is typically seasoned with honey and soy sauce like its Chinese counterpart, but without the red food colouring, sugar and five-spice powder
Five-spice powder

Five-spice powder is a seasoning in Chinese cuisine. One common recipe includes tunghing or "China cinnamon" , powdered cassia buds, powdered star anise and anise seed, ginger root, and ground cloves....
.

External links

  • Wiki Cookbook recipe on how to make Cha Shao


See also

  • Spare ribs
    Spare ribs

    Spare ribs are a variety of pork ribs , cooked and eaten in various cuisines around the world. They are the most inexpensive cut of pork ribs....
  • Red cooking
    Red cooking

    Red cooking is an English language umbrella term used to describe two slow braising Chinese cuisine techniques: h?ng shao or lu . While the former can be done in less than 20 minutes and usually does not require much water, the latter usually requires prolonged cooking upwards to several hours and the items must be more or less subm...