Siu Mei - A History of Chinese Cantonese Roasts

King's Noodle in Toronto

Cantonese roasts known as siu mei 燒味 in Cantonese (together with dim sum) is synonymous with Cantonese cuisine. As Cantonese roasts are found everywhere around the globe, it is the face of not only Cantonese but also Chinese cuisine to many in the world.

Siu Mei consists of several types of roast meats.

Famous Seremban Favourites in Kuala Lumpur

叉燒 char siu are thick strips of roasted pork loin, belly, shoulder or jowl marinated with savoury sweet sauces. Good char siu is tender and juicy with layers of quite robust savoury sweet flavours which may lean on sweet or savoury depending on the recipe. 

Wong Mei Kee in Kuala Lumpur

燒肉 siu yuk are roasted pigs seasoned with salt, spices, vinegar etc. Good siu yuk has crackly skin, juicy fat and tender moist lean meat. It has layers of savoury flavours from the seasoning and subtle underlying sweetness of the pork.

822 Roast Duck in Johor Bahru Malaysia

燒鴨 siu ngaap (roast duck seasoned with Chinese 5-spice, etc and sometimes herbs like dang gui). Good siu ngaap has slightly crisp skin, a thin layer of fat beneath and tender juicy meat. It has layers of savoury flavours with a bit of underlying duck gaminess. Siu ngaap is slightly herbal if herbs like dang gui or even ginseng is used in the seasoning.

Chen Chen BBQ Goose in Kuala Lumpur

燒鵝 siu ngoh (roast goose).

Pekin Sutera in Johor Bahru Malaysia

乳猪 yu chu (roast suckling pig).

Image credit: Wikipedia

Cantonese people come from southern China's Guangdong province. Cantonese roasts originate here and reach every corner of the world through migration.

Naval battle in 1841 during the First Opium War. Image credit: Wikipedia

Cantonese emigration is a fairly recent phenomenon, beginning from around the mid 19th century and early 20th century. The Qing dynasty was in its last gasps, ravaged by widespread rebellions and pressured by foreign invasions (it finally collapsed in 1911). Many Cantonese escaped poverty and war by fleeing to Southeast Asia, Australia, North America and South America.

My own grandfather left Sze Yup in Guangdong in the 1920s for Singapore which was then part of British Malaya.

Cantonese roasts stall in 1960s Singapore: Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Everywhere the Cantonese went, Cantonese roasts followed. Today, Cantonese roasts shops and stalls are ubiquitous in Malaysia, Singapore, and in Chinatowns around the world. 

 

The forms and methods of modern Cantonese roasts evolved from roasting meat over wood fire which is a method found throughout China, if not the world. Some places in Malaysia still practice the centuries old method of roasting the pig in dug out pits. This is in Sungai Lembing town in Malaysia.

The whole animal is gutted, cleaned and seasoned with salt and spices. It is then lowered to roast in a wood fired dug out. At intervals, the pig is raised and pierced with spikes to puncture the skin to let gases escape through the holes during roasting (thus blistering the skin). It is then returned to inside the pit. This process is repeated until the skin is roasted to golden brown and visibly blistering, crackly.

 

This roasting pit is in Lukut, also in Malaysia. The 30 year old wood fired pit here is lined with bricks, constructed more like a well. The animal seasoned with salt and spices is lowered and raised from the pit several times.

When the temperature is at the desired level - this is judged by feel from experience - the animal is lowered into the pit for the first time. This time, the purpose is to dehydrate the animal for 15 - 20 minutes. The skin is then pierced with nails to make holes for gases to escape during subsequent roasting. The roasting is complete when the skin is golden, blistered and appears crackly.

Run by the third generation now, the decades old pit is supplemented by large modern gas fired ovens which will eventually replace it.

Over in Hong Kong, the last surviving 8-feet deep, wood fired roasting pits are in their last legs now. Since 1986, no new licence is issued for such pits - the existing ones allowed to be phased out gradually through natural attrition.

The gutted and cleaned animals are salted and seasoned with fermented bean paste plus a secret blend of spices. The pig is then hosed down with hot water to remove excess salt. The pig is rested and air dried. Next, the pig is rubbed down with maltose water.

They use applewood here. Temperature inside the pit is between 360℃ and 400℃.

Step one is to bake the pig at 160℃ for 15 minutes to caramelise and sear the maltose onto the skin. The pig is then raised from the pit and the skin pierced with nails. The holes allow gases to escape - otherwise the layers of skin, fat and lean meat inside will break apart and separate. The holes also helps in making the skin crackly, the mark of good roast pork.

The pit is brought up to 280℃ before lowering the pig inside. The roasting takes about 1 hour and during this time, the temperature is raised to a peak of 300℃. The animal is spun around frequently to ensure it is evenly roasted. After the skin is blistered, crackly golden brown, it is baked for another 30 minutes to ensure the meat is fully cooked. Once cooked, the roasted animal is lifted out of the pit and allowed to rest for 30 minutes. Excess juices and gravy are allowed to drain.

Cantonese roasts baked in wood fired pits have a certain smokey taste which electric or gas fired ovens cannot deliver.

Roasting with wood fired pits is a dying trade in Hong Kong. There is only one such roaster left - yes, only one and the last one.



The "Apollo" oven is the successor of wood fired pits, so named because the oven looks like the American Apollo space capsule.

Fu Shi Traditional Roasts Stall in Singapore

Apollo ovens are charcoal or gas fired and are the stock of trade of Cantonese roasts around the world today.

Hong Kee Roasts in Johor Bahru Malaysia

Compared to the cavernous traditional roasting pits, Apollo ovens are relatively small which means that roasters can no longer roast whole animals. For traditional siu yuk, only slabs of pork belly can fit into Apollo ovens.

Toast and Roast in Kuala Lumpur

Apollo ovens are just the right size for char siu (BBQ pork).

Tian Cheng Charcoal Roasts in Singapore

Apollo ovens are also ideal for siu ngaap (roast ducks).

Yulek Wanton Mee in Kuala Lumpur

In Malaysia, it is quite common to see roasters using drums instead of Apollo oven for roasting. These work equally well judging by the high standards of Cantonese roasts in Malaysia.



Over the years, home cooks have perfected roast pork recipes so that anyone can achieve crackling good results with ordinary domestic electric ovens and easily available ingredients, anywhere in the world.

Home made Cantonese roasts can be comparable to good restaurant versions but not traditional wood fired roasting pit siu yuk which will soon be history and only memories.

    

       

                     

             

             

               

               

             

           

           

           

                         

           

             

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Written by Tony Boey on 10 May 2020 | Reviewed 27 Nov 2021