Char siu (cha shao in Chinese pinyin) is the Cantonese pronunciation of Chinese BBQ pork (叉烧), one of the signature dishes of Cantonese cuisine. Technically, char siu is the marinated pork skewered with long forks and roasted in an oven or over an open fire. Through this process, char siu is characterized with aromatic, sweet, savory and smoky flavor.

The video features char siu produced by Wenji Eatery (汶记美食店), a time-honored and well-known brand in Guangzhou. It insists on the traditional method of making slightly ‘charred’ char siu, which is unique in flavor.

Full text of the video transcript:

No overnight char siu can be found here, otherwise our staff would dine with it. We are excessively in demand.

Our brand Wenji have lasted more than 10 years. People call me Feima (fat aunt). The slightest mention of Feima reminds people of our brand. They would say, “Go to dine at Feima's.”

Traditional char siu must be slightly charred, which makes it more flavorful, more delicious. Charred does not necessarily mean burnt. Some people think burnt char siu is not delicious.

In fact, given that the pork is of good quality, fire is in moderate control, oil of charred fatty pork will flow to the lean meat, making that piece of char siu smell so good.

Only if we make char siu with heart, maintain its unique flavor, can we have repeat customers.

I don't want the skill of making traditional char siu lost. I want to pass it on to my daughter. I hope she can outperform me.

Address: Wenji Eatery (Wenji Meishidian), No.78-80, Longjinxi Street, Liwan district

Translated by Wu Qin (intern), Lv Yun
Supervised and Edited by Lv Yun
Video editors: Wu Qin (intern), Lu Kaisheng, Zhen Zhiliang
Source: Douyin account of Gourmet Guide (Meishi Daoba, 美食导报）