Char siu

Char siu(Chinese:叉燒;Cantonese Yale:chāsīu) is aCantonese-stylebarbecuedpork.Originating inGuangdong, it is eaten with rice, used as an ingredient for noodle dishes or in stir fries, and as a filling forcha siu baoorpineapple buns.Five-spice powderis the primary spice, honey or other sweeteners are used as a glaze, and the characteristic red color comes from thered yeast ricewhen made traditionally.
It is classified as a type ofsiu mei(燒味), Cantonese roasted meat.
Pork cuts used forchar siucan vary, but a few main cuts are common:
Char siuliterally means "fork roasted"(siubeing burn/roast andchabeing fork, both noun and verb) 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.
In ancient times, wild boar and other available meats were used to makechar siu. However, in modern times, the meat is typically a shoulder cut of domestic pork, seasoned with a mixture ofhoney, five-spice powder,red fermented bean curd,dark soy sauce,hoisin sauce, redfood colouring(not a traditional ingredient but very common in today's preparations and is optional), andsherryorrice wine(optional). These seasonings turn the exterior layer of the meat dark red, similar to the "smoke ring" of American barbecues.Maltosemay be used to give char siu its characteristic shiny glaze.
Char siuis typically consumed with a starch, whether inside a bun (cha siu bao, 叉燒包),with noodles (chasiu min, 叉燒麵), or with rice (chasiu faan, 叉燒飯) in fast food establishments, or served alone as a centerpiece or main dish in traditional family dining establishments. If it is purchased outside of a restaurant, it is usually taken home and used as one ingredient in various complex main courses consumed at family meals.
The ovens used to roast char siu are usually large gas rotisseries. Since ovens are not standard in Hong Kong households,char siuis usually purchased from asiu meiestablishment, which specialises in meat dishes such aschar siu,soy sauce chicken,white cut chicken,roasted goose, androasted pork. These shops usually display the merchandise by hanging them in the window.
In Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam,char siewrice is found in many Chineseshāolà(烧腊) stalls along with roast duck and roast pork. The dish consists of slices ofchar siu,cucumbers, white rice and is drenched in sweet gravy or drizzled with darksoy sauce.Char siurice is also a popular food within the Chinese community inMedan,North Sumatra, where it is more calledchar sio.
InSingapore,char siewrice can also be found inHainanese chicken ricestalls, where customers have a choice of having theirchar siurice served with plain white rice or chicken-flavoured rice, and choose from garlic, chilli and soy sauces.
InThailand,char siuis calledmu daeng(Thai:หมูแดง,pronounced[mǔːdɛ̄ːŋ], "red pork") and in Cambodia it is calledsach chrouk sa seev(Khmer:សាច់ជ្រូកសាស៉ីវ,sac cruuk sa səyv).
In the Philippines, it is known as Chinese porkasado, but also referred to ascha siu. It is usually eaten with cold cuts or served stuffed insiopao.
In Flanders and Holland, it is sometimes mistaken for the Chinese/Indonesian name 'babi pangang'. This is a different dish (mostly sweeter and served with yellow pickled Chinese cabbage, called atjar). In fact, these Chinese/Indo restaurants serve cha(r) sieuw under the original name. These restaurants in the Netherlands derived from Chinese immigrants and are made to adapt to the Dutch palate.
Vegetarianchar siualso exists, usually made from wheat gluten. It can be found in vegetarian restaurants and stalls in South East Asian Chinese communities.
Japanese culturehas adapted 叉燒 aschāshū(チャーシュー). Unlike its Chinese variant, it is prepared by rolling pork belly into a log and then braising it at a low temperature.The Japanese adaptation is typically seasoned with soy sauce,sake,mirinand sugar or other sweetener, without the red food colouring, norfive-spice powder. It is a typical ingredient for toppings inrāmen.
Gochujangchasiu (Korean:차시우) is roast pork belly with a unique fusion of Chinese and Korean flavors. It is sticky and sweet from the sugar and honey, smoky from the aromatic Chinese spices, and subtly spicy from the Korean gochujang. Sometimes, chasiu is used inbibimbap.
As a means of exceptional flavor and preparation,char siuapplications extend beyond pork. In Hawaii, various meats are cookedchar siustyle. The termchar siurefers to meats which have been marinated inchar siuseasoning prepared either from scratch or from store-boughtchar siuseasoning packages, then roasted in an oven or over a fire. Ingredients in marinades forcha siuare similar to those found in China (honey, five-spice, wine, soy, hoisin, etc.), except that red food colouring is often used in place of the red bean curd for convenience.Char siuis used to marinate and prepare a variety of meats which can either be cooked in a conventional or convection oven (often not requiring the use of a fork orcha(zi)as traditional Chinese ovens do), on a standard barbecue, or even in an underground Hawaiianimu. In Hawaii,char siuchicken is as common aschar siupork, and various wild birds, mountain goat, and wild boar are also often cookedchar siustyle, as are many sausages andskewers.