Siu laap (燒臘) - Chinese BBQ and Deli

Siu laap (燒臘) is a category of Chinese (specifically Cantonese) cuisine that includes Chinese BBQ and deli foods. These foods are all meat and can be bought in shops that specialise in selling siu laap. There are two further subcategories, siu mei (燒味) - BBQ and lou mei (滷味) - Deli. They are generally eaten in a meal with rice. This guide will outline the staples that can be found in siu laap shops.


Siu mei (燒味) - Chinese BBQ

Meats are roasted on spits over an open fire or in a wood-burning oven. Each type of meat is seasoned with a different sauce for a distinctive flavour. Because producing siu mei is a lot of work, almost all of it is bought as take-out from siu laap shops.

Cha siu (叉烧) - BBQ Pork

This is made from a shoulder cut of pork seasoned with honey, five-spice powder, soy sauce, and hoisin sauce. Red food colouring is added for aesthetic looks, and is the norm, but true Cha siu does not have food colouring. In the shop, whole pieces are hung from hooks.

Siu yuk (燒肉) - Roasted Pork

An entire pig is roasted in a charcoal furnace with seasoning. When cooked properly, the skin is very crispy while the meat is quite tender. In the shop, the pig is usually sliced in half lengthwise and hung from hooks. The butcher will slice off strips of it widthwise as you order.

Siu ngo (燒鵝) - Roasted Goose

A whole goose is roasted in a charcoal furnace with seasoning. When cooked properly, the skin is very crispy while the meat is quite tender. Served with plum sauce. In the shop, whole geese are hung from hooks.

Siu ngaap (燒鴨) - Roasted Duck

A whole duck is roasted in a charcoal furnace with seasoning. When cooked properly, the skin is slightly crispy while the meat is quite tender. Served with plum sauce. In the shop, whole ducks are hung from hooks.

Lo sui ngaap (滷水鴨) - Poached Duck in Master Sauce

A whole duck is poached/braised in lo sui (滷水) - master stock. This is made from water, soy sauce, rock sugar, garlic, ginger, and a wealth of seasonings. In the shop, these are placed in pans containing lo sui.

Bak cheet gai (白切雞) - Marinated Steamed Chicken

A whole chicken is steamed in seasoned water or chicken broth. The skin is quite soft, and the meat is moist and tender. Served cold with geung choong (姜蓉) a sauce made of ginger, scallions, salt and oil. In the shop, these are placed in dry pans.

Note: Inexperienced people may complain that parts of the chicken are red. This is due to the marinating process and is perfectly safe to eat.

Si yau gai (豉油雞) - Soy Sauce Chicken

A whole chicken is steamed and then drenched in soy sauce to marinate. The skin is quite soft, and the meat is moist and tender. In the shop, these are placed in pans containing soy sauce.

Heung cheung (香腸) - Sausage

Thick sausages made of pork. Glazed with honey for a slightly sweet taste. In the shop, these are placed in pans dripping with honey sauce.


Lou mei (滷味) - Chinese Deli

These are generally made with sauces based on soy sauce and served cold. Some are quite disgusting in my opinion, like fish intestines, so I'll keep the list to those that will appeal to the majority.

Zhu Yee (豬耳) - Pig's Ear

The pig's ear is boiled, then sliced into strips. Seasoned with soy sauce and chili.

Zhu huet go (豬血糕) - Pig's Blood Cakes

Exactly as it sounds, pig's blood congealed into cakes and then steamed. Served with soy sauce. Also serves as an ingredient for other dishes.

Hoi jeet (海蜇) - Jellyfish

Jellyfish are cured with salt, then soaked in water to prepare. They are either served shredded or in strips with chili and/or a sauce made of sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar.

Mak yue (墨魚) - Cuttlefish/Squid

These are boiled or roasted and may be coloured orange. Depending on the cooking method, they may not have much taste on their own, and may be served with lo sui (滷水) - master stock.

Mhan yue (鰻魚) - Eel

Steamed or slightly fried and served with soy sauce.


How to order

You can order in English, but the butcher would probably appreciate it if you ordered in Chinese. Here is how to order in Cantonese:

Tiu (條) - Strip

This can be applied to the following:

Cha siu (叉烧) - BBQ Pork
Siu yuk (燒肉) - Roasted Pork
Heung cheung (香腸) - Sausage

Here is an example using cha siu. Replace 'cha siu' with your corresponding order.

• Boon tiu cha siu (半條叉烧) - Half a piece of bbq pork
• Yut tiu cha siu (一條叉烧) - One whole piece of bbq pork
• Liang tiu cha siu (两條叉烧) - Two whole pieces of bbq pork

Jak (隻) - Piece

This can be applied to the following:

Siu ngo (燒鵝) - Roasted Goose
Siu ngaap (燒鴨) - Roasted Duck
Lo sui ngaap (滷水鴨) - Poached Duck in Master Sauce
Bak cheet gai (白切雞) - Marinated Steamed Chicken
Si yau gai (豉油雞) - Soy Sauce Chicken

Here is an example using siu ngo. Replace 'siu ngo' with your corresponding order.

• Boon jak siu ngo (半隻燒鵝) - Half a roasted goose
• Yut jak siu ngo (一隻燒鵝) - One whole roasted goose
• Liang jak siu ngo (两隻燒鵝) - Two whole roasted geese

Bong (磅) - Pound

This can be applied to any lou mei (滷味) item.

Here is an example using zhu yee. Replace 'zhu yee' with your corresponding order.

• Boon bong zhu yee (半磅豬耳) - Half a pound of pig's ears
• Yut bong zhu yee (一磅豬耳) - One pound of pig's ears
• Liang bong zhu yee (两磅豬耳) - Two pounds of pig's ears