Char siu

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Barbecued pork
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	叉燒
Simplified Chinese	叉烧
Hanyu Pinyin	chāshāo
Jyutping	caa1 siu1
Japanese name
Kanji	叉焼
Katakana	チャーシュー

Char siu (Simplified Chinese: 叉烧; Traditional Chinese: 叉燒; pinyin: Chāshāo), also known as cha siu, char siew *, Chinese barbecued pork, and Chāshu in Japanese, is a Cantonese cuisine using barbecued pork.

*The "r" is a device used in a manner similar to British English to lengthen the pronunciation of the word, and is not meant to be pronounced with a retroflex.

Contents 1 General 2 Japanese "Chāshu" 3 Char Siew Rice 4 Barbecued pork with rice 5 Resource

[edit] General

Char siu is usually made with long strips of boneless pork, typically pork shoulder. The distinctive feature of char siu is its coating of seasonings which turn the meat dark red, or occasionally burnt and black during cooking. The seasoning mixture for char siu usually includes sugar or honey, five-spice powder, soy sauce, red food colouring (optional) and sherry or rice wine (optional).

The words char siu literally mean "fork roasted", which is the traditional preparation method. Long forks hold the meat in a covered oven or over a fire. Char siu is rarely eaten on its own, but used in the preparation of other foods, most notably Cha Siu Baau, where it is stuffed in buns, and char siew rice (or Barbecued pork with rice), where it is served with rice. It is also common to serve with other roasted items such as chicken with soy sauce (油雞) and sliced steamed chicken (切雞) (as 叉雞飯, cha gai fan, or barbecued pork and chicken with rice), salted duck egg (鹹蛋), roasted pork and roasted duck. Besides rice it is also served with noodles, such as Lai Fun (瀨粉), Shahe fen (河粉), wonton noodles. In some locations such as in Singapore, it is also commonly combined with other dishes such as Hainanese chicken rice.

Char siu is common in places with a large Cantonese-speaking community, including southern China, Malaysia and Singapore. It is also commonly served in Chinese restaurants and food markets in other parts of the world. Many Chinese restaurants, especially Cantonese, hang Char Siu in the shop window.

[edit] Japanese "Chāshu"

There is a preparation method of pork known as chāshu (チャーシュー) in Japan. Although the pronunciation is similar and it is used as an ingredient in variants of Chinese cuisine, it is not barbequed but rather boiled. It is typically prepared with a sweet honey and soy sauce marinade without the red food coloring, sugar and five-spice preparation. Because of this preparation method, the end product is far softer and wetter than its Chinese counterpart. It is often used as a topping for ramen and other dishes where a softer chewing sensation is desired.

[edit] Char Siew Rice

Char siew rice (Simplified Chinese: 叉烧饭; Traditional Chinese: 叉燒飯; pinyin: Chāshāo fàn) is a dish common in Malaysia and Singapore.

As its name implies, the dish is by its bare basics char siew served with plain white rice. Regional variations may exist however. In Singapore, the dish is very often served in the same stall as that for the dominant Hainanese chicken rice, hence using the same chicken-flavoured rice, topped off with sliced cucumber, and always served with a choice of sauces comprising of garlic chilli and soy sauce. Upon request, it is also possible for both chicken and char siew to be served in the same dish.

In Hong Kong, char siu is almost always served at restaurants serving other BBQ or roasted meat items, such as soy sauce chicken, boiled sliced chicken, roasted pork, duck or goose. It is also served as a dish in its own right as in Singapore or Malaysia, and commonly referred to as Barbecued pork with rice. Char siu and other roast meats are often served along with choi sum or baak choi, leafy green Chinese vegetables. It is also commonly served with rice noodles.

[edit] Barbecued pork with rice

Barbecued pork with rice, also known as BBQ pork with rice, cha siu fan, char siu fan and char siew rice, is a dish common in Hong Kong and Guangdong in southern China, and other places with sizeable Cantonese-speaking population or where there is Cantonese influence.

As its name implies, the dish is by its bare basics char siu served with plain white rice. Regional variations may exist however. In Hong Kong, cha siu fan is almost always served at restaurants serving other BBQ or roasted meat items, such as soy sauce chicken, boiled sliced chicken, roasted pork, duck or goose. As a result cha siu is commonly served with one of these items with rice, although cha siu by itself with rice is the most popular. It is also popular to be served in lunchboxes.

[edit] Resource

• Wikipedia (Japanese). "叉焼".
• Char Siu recipe