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Char siu

Char siu
Charsiu.jpg
A rack of char siu pork
Alternative names chasu, cha siu, chashao, cha sio and char siew, barbecued meat, xa xiu
Place of origin China
Region or state Chinese-speaking areas, Japan, Southeast Asia
Main ingredients Pork, mixture of honey, five-spice powder, fermented tofu (red), dark soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and sherry or rice wine
 
Char siu
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese 叉燒
Simplified Chinese 叉烧
Cantonese Yale chā sīu
Hanyu Pinyin chāshāo
Literal meaning fork roast
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese xá xíu
Thai name
Thai หมูแดง
RTGS mu daeng
Japanese name
Kanji 叉焼
Kana チャーシュー
Indonesian name
Indonesian babi panggang merah

Char siu (Chinese: 叉燒; Cantonese Yale: chā sīu; literally: "fork roast") is a popular way to flavor and prepare barbecued pork in Cantonese cuisine. It is classified as a type of siu mei (燒味), Cantonese roasted meat.

Pork cuts used for char siu can vary, but a few main cuts are common:

Char siu literally means "fork burn/roast" (siu being burn/roast and char being 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 make char siu. However, in modern times, the meat is typically a shoulder cut of domestic pork, seasoned with a mixture of honey, five-spice powder, hóngfǔrǔ (red fermented bean curd), lao chou (dark soy sauce, 老抽), hoisin sauce (海鮮醬), red food colouring (not a traditional ingredient but very common in today's preparations and is optional), and sherry or rice wine (optional). These seasonings turn the exterior layer of the meat dark red, similar to the "smoke ring" of American barbecues. Maltose may be used to give char siu its characteristic shiny glaze.

Char siu is typically consumed with starch, whether inside a bun (cha siu baau, 叉燒包), with noodles (cha siu mein, 叉燒麵), or with rice (cha siu fan, 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 entrees consumed at family meals.


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