Siu mei refers to a style of Chinese cuisine that is primarily characterized by roasting meat on spits over an open fire or in a rotisserie oven. Originating from Guangdong province in southern China, this culinary tradition is particularly prevalent in Hong Kong.
The term siu mei translates to "roast flavor" in Cantonese. Some of the most prominent and beloved examples of siu mei include char siu, siu yuk, soy sauce chicken, and white cut chicken. These dishes are typically served with rice and vegetables and sometimes with noodles.
VARIATIONS OF Siu mei
MOST ICONIC Siu mei
Char siu is a dish consisting of roasted, barbecued pork that has previously been marinated in the eponymous sauce, including ingredients such as soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice wine, and star anise. The pork is usually served either as a sliced appetizer or shredded and chopped as a main meal.
In the early days of char siu, any available meats, such as wild boars and pigs were used to make the dish. The name char siu is literally translated to fork-roasted, referring to the original method of preparation in which the meat is placed on an elongated fork and roasted over an open fire that caramelizes the sugars found in the marinade.
MOST ICONIC Char siu
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Beef balls are Chinese food items made with finely pulverized beef and other types of ground meat, such as pork. The tiny tendons in each ball will dissolve during the process of slow cooking. Because the meat in beef balls is pulverized and not ground, it results in a much smoother texture than in regular meatballs.
In Hong Kong, beef balls are usually mixed with wonton noodles, and they are also a popular addition to hot pot dishes.
MOST ICONIC Niúwán
Sichuan hotpot is a numbingly hot and spicy dish made by poaching raw ingredients in a pot of boiling broth. The ingredients might include sliced meat, offal, seafood, vegetables, noodles, and most importantly, Sichuan peppercorns. Consuming hotpot is a communal affair, so people usually gather around the pot while socializing and adding the ingredients into it.
As its name suggests, the dish was invented in Sichuan at the beginning of the 20th century. Originally, fisherman and port workers from the region could not afford regular cuts of meat, so they used offal, which was cooked in a spicy broth in order to disguise its pungent aromas.