SIU MEI

'Siu mei' is essentially the Chinese rotisserie style of cooking within Cantonese cuisine. The style cooks meat and no vegetables. 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 meat are commonly available in Chinese-speaking regions in East and Southeast Asia.

Contents

Terminology

Preparation

Adaptation

Varieties

See also

Terminology

When ''"siu mei"'' is used as a loose term, it generally means "an order of barbecue meat".

Preparation

Usually meat of this type is purchased in a take-out box as ''siu mei'' takes a great deal of resources to prepare. It can also be consumed in the restaurants. Shops generally have large ovens and rotisserie-like utilities for rotating the meat. This is almost entirely a take-out category as few families in Hong Kong or China have the equipment for it. Families order or prepare their own plain white rice. A ''siu mei'' meal usually consists of one box comprising half meat and half rice.

Adaptation

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

★ 'Char siu' (叉烧) - roasted spare ribs

★ 'Siu ngo' (燒鵝) - roasted goose

★ 'White cut chicken' (白切雞) - roasted chicken

★ 'Siu juk' (燒肉) - roasted pork

★ 'Orange cuttlefish' (鹵水墨魚) - non-roasted cuttlefish

See also

★ Rotisserie

★ Lou mei