Siu-mei

Wonderful roasted flavor a specialty of local shops

Roasted geese hung outside siu-mei shops attract customers by their wonderful smell and color. (Penelope Yau)

Photos & text by Kevin Mak, Veeva Yang, Emily Wong, Penelope Yau &Kayu Wong

Siu-mei, or “roasted flavor”, refers to Chinese barbequed dishes including roast goose and duck and barbequed pork. It is one of the most famous and popular Chinese cuisines in Hong Kong.

During the Tang and Song Dynasties, people in Guangzhou learned from Indian cuisine and combined local skills to produce Siu-mei.

Unlike popular Siu-mei chains, chefs in private shops usually barbeque the meat themselves and make their own barbeque sauces.

Authorized butchers deliver fresh poultry and pigs to private siu-mei shops each morning. The chefs then hang the animals in a ventilating area for about 30 minutes to dry. Finally, the chefs put them into a large oven and roast them at high temperatures.

The roasting process takes about an hour. However, cooking time may vary, depending on the chefs’ habits and the sizes of the animals.

Private siu-mei shops are usually locally based. The majority of customers are people living around the neighborhood. Very often, the atmosphere in private siu-mei shops is friendlier and more harmonious than that in commercialized siu-mei chains.

Mr. Lau, who refuses to be reveal his full name, has been a chef since the 1950s. Hw works in Luen Fat Siu-Mei, located in Sham Shui Po market.

”I wanted to be a chef since I was very young, and it so happened that my first teacher was a siu-mei master. Since then, I have been working with I.

“I love working here. We have a close relationship with the boss and other co-workers, Working is like relaxing at the same time,” Mr. Lau said.

Left: A siu-mei master outside his private siu-mei shop. (Penelope Yau) Right: Posters of siu-mei shops are usually written in traditional Chinese calligraphy. (Kayu Wong)

Mouth-watering siu-mei is roasted for about one hour. (Kayu Wong)

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