Traditionally, mainstream Chinese cuisine
doesn't use the term "barbecue" or BBQ",
which in most cases refers to cooking food
on a grill in the open air. Chinese culinary
skills do include grilling, but it is quite different
from what is implied by barbecue in the U.S.Chinese barbecue is one of chefs' skills, while
barbecue in America is a popular way of both
entertaining and cooking. Chinese barbecue
(smoking) is also a way of preserving meat,
while for most Americans barbeque means
cooking it fresh and enjoying it while it's hot.
 Chinese Barbecued
Pork
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Cantonese BBQ pork, or Char Siew, is one of
those dishes loved by many when it is served
in a Chinese restaurant, yet few people
attempt to cook it at home. Even in Canton,
only professional chefs have perfected the
preparation techniques and how to handle
it. Hopefully this modified recipe will make
a difference in teaching you how to prepare
your own. The honey used in this recipe
provides the sweet side of Chinese cooking,
and the vinegar or dry sherry lends the sour
aspect. It is this mixture of extreme flavors
that makes Chinese cuisine stand out so
much in the eyes of westerners.
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Cantonese Roast Duck |
Compared with Peking Duck, Cantonese
Roast (smoked) Duck is a little less
celebrated in America. However, it is a
household favorite in South Asia, especially
in Singapore. This is the duck with a shining
reddish-brown skin that can be seen hanging
in the windows of a good Cantonese
restaurant. |
Honey Ham with Asian Pears |
In the West, ham is not a food we normally
associate with Chinese cuisine. While we
may have feasted on fiery stir-fried pork and
chilies at our favorite Szechuan restaurant,
or enjoyed a hearty plate of Shanghai Lion's
Head Pork Meatballs, most of us would not
think of ordering a dish of steamed ham
seasoned with ginger and peppercorns.
That is unfortunate because the cured hams
produced in China's western provinces
of Yunnan and Hunan are world-famous.
Yunnan ham is particularly renowned for its
rich flavor. Dating back to the Qing Dynasty,
Yunnan ham won an award at the 1915
Exposition which celebrated the completion
of the Panama Canal. |
This ham is extremely popular in China,
where in addition to purchasing it from the
butcher, you can also buy pieces of Yunnan
ham in cans. Besides steaming Yunnan ham,
you'll find it in appetizers and soups such
as winter melon and shark's fin, usually with
sugar added as a seasoning to balance its
salty tang. Yunnan ham is also a rich source
of "umami," the indescribable fifth taste found
in certain types of seaweed, mushrooms,
tomatoes and other food containing
glutamate.
Unfortunately, cured hams from Yunnan
and Hunan are not available in the West.
However, Smithfield hams, from Virginia, are
a good substitute. When preparing either a
Yunnan or Smithfield uncooked ham, soak
for several hours or overnight to remove the
salty flavor, and scrape off any mold before
cooking. Unless the recipe calls for it, there's
no need to purchase a whole ham you can
buy prepared slices.
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