Siu mei


Siu mei is the generic name of Cantonese charcuterie given to meats roasted on spits over an open fire or a large wood-burning rotisserie oven. It creates a unique, deep barbecue flavor and the roast is usually coated with a flavorful sauce before roasting. A staple of Cantonese cuisine, siu mei is very popular in Hong Kong and Macau, and overseas Chinatowns especially with Cantonese emigrants. In Hong Kong, the average person eats siu mei once every four days, with char siu being the most popular, followed by siu yuk in second, and roast goose being third. Siu mei is also known colloquially as siu laap, as the latter term encompasses siu mei, lou mei, and other Cantonese-style cooked and preserved meats.

History

After meetings held between the Food Hygiene Select Committee, the Markets and Abattoirs Select Committee and the Street Traders Select Committee on the topic of "Sale of Cooked Food, Siu Mei, and Lo Mei in Public Markets" in 1978, siu mei shops officially entered into Hong Kong public markets. The public market is a popular place for ordinary citizens to buy siu mei.

Preparation

Siu mei is part of the family of Cantonese-style cooked meats known collectively as siu laap, food courts, ethnic supermarkets and restaurants.
Take-out is quite common as customers order or prepare their own plain white rice to accompany the siu mei; a siu mei meal comprises meat atop plain white rice or noodles, and often with vegetables, usually served in a plastic foam take-out container or on a plate. In Chinese fine dining and banquet halls, the barbecue platter or siu yuk, often in combination with char siu, soy sauce chicken, and siu aap, is an appetizer that comprises the first dish in the ten-course Chinese banquet meal, while varieties of siu laap can also be ordered as full dishes à la carte.
siu mei-style shop

Varieties of siu laap, including siu mei and lou mei