Char siu

A rack ofchar siu pork.
Alternative names	chasu,char siu,chashao,cha sio,chāshū (Japanese),xá xíu (Vietnamese)
Place of origin	Guangdong, China
Region or state	Greater China,Japan andSingapore (and generalSinophone areas in Southeast Asia and beyond)
Main ingredients	Pork, mixture ofhoney,five-spice powder,fermented tofu (red),dark soy sauce,hoisin sauce, andsherry orrice wine
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	叉燒
Simplified Chinese	叉烧
Jyutping	caa1 siu1
Hanyu Pinyin	chāshāo
Literal meaning	"fork roasting"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin chāshāo IPA [ʈʂʰá.ʂáʊ] Hakka Romanization cha-seu Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization chāsīu Jyutping caa1 siu1 IPA [tsʰa˥.siw˥] Southern Min HokkienPOJ chha-sio
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese	xá xíu
Thai name
Thai	หมูแดง[mǔːdɛ̄ːŋ]
RTGS	mu daeng
Korean name
Hangul	차시우
Transcriptions Revised Romanization chasiu
Japanese name
Kanji	叉焼
Kana	チャーシュー
Transcriptions Romanization chāshū
Indonesian name
Indonesian	babi panggang merah / Cha Sio
Khmer name
Khmer	សាច់ជ្រូកអាំង
Cookbook:Char siu  Media:Char siu

Char siu (t͡ʃɑsiu̯;cha-SYEW) (Chinese:叉燒;Cantonese Yale:chāsīu) is aCantonese-stylebarbecued pork.^[1] Originating inGuangdong, it is eaten with rice, used as an ingredient for noodle dishes or in stir fries, and as a filling forcha siu bao orpineapple buns.Five-spice powder is the primary spice, honey or other sweeteners are used as a glaze, and the characteristic red color comes from thered yeast rice when made traditionally.

It is classified as a type ofsiu mei (燒味), Cantonese roasted meat.

Pork cuts used forchar siu can vary, but a few main cuts are common:^[2][3]

• Pork loin
• Pork belly – produces juicy and fattierchar siu
• Pork butt (shoulder) – produces leanerchar siu
• Pork fat
• Pork neck end – very marbled (jyu geng yuk)

Char siu literally means "fork roasted"^[3] (siu being burn/roast andcha 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.^{[citation needed]}

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), andsherry orrice 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.^[4][5]

Char siu is typically consumed with a starch, whether inside a bun (cha siu bao,叉燒包),^[6] 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 siu is usually purchased from asiu mei establishment, 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.^[5]

In Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam,char siew rice is found in many Chineseshāolà (燒臘 or 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 siu rice is also a popular food within the Chinese community inMedan,North Sumatra, where it is more calledchar sio.

InSingapore,char siew rice can also be found inHainanese chicken rice stalls, where customers have a choice of having theirchar siu rice served with plain white rice or chicken-flavoured rice, and choose from garlic, chilli and soy sauces.

InThailand,char siu is 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.^[7]

In Flanders and Holland, it is sometimes mistaken for the Chinese/Indonesian name 'babi panggang'. This is a different dish (mostly sweeter and served with yellow pickled Chinese cabbage, called atjar). In fact, these Chinese/Indo restaurants also sometimes serve cha(r) sieuw under the original name.

Vegetarianchar siu also exists, usually made from wheat gluten. It can be found in vegetarian restaurants and stalls in South East Asian Chinese communities.^{[citation needed]}

Japanese cuisine has adapted叉燒 aschāshū (チャーシュー). Unlike its Cantonese variant, it is not roasted, but prepared by rolling pork belly into a log and then braising it at a low temperature.^[8] This type of braising is a Chinese technique known asred cooking, which imparts a reddish-brown coloration. The Japanese adaptation is typically seasoned with soy sauce,sake,mirin and sugar or other sweetener, without the red food colouring, norfive-spice powder that characterizes char siu. It is a typical ingredient for toppings inrāmen.^[3]

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As a means of exceptional flavor and preparation,char siu applications extend beyond pork. In Hawaii, various meats are cookedchar siu style. The termchar siu refers to meats which have been marinated inchar siu seasoning prepared either from scratch or from store-boughtchar siu seasoning packages, then roasted in an oven or over a fire. Ingredients in marinades forcha siu are 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 siu is 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 siu chicken is as common aschar siu pork, and various wild birds, mountain goat, and wild boar are also often cookedchar siu style, as are many sausages andskewers.

Char siu is the main ingredient injar jow, a once popular stir fry dish fromEast London.^[9]

• 
• 
  Char siu rice
• 
  Char siu bao
• 
  Japanesebento withchāshū

• Asado
• List of pork dishes
• Red cooking
• Siu mei
• Lou mei

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• Grilled skewers
• Thai cuisine
• Chinese pork dishes
• Caribbean Chinese cuisine

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