Roasted Pork
Ingredient Name: Roasted Pork (Head)
Traditional Chinese Name: 燒豬 (shāo zhū)
What is this?
- Fully cooked and edible piglet roasted Cantonese-style
- This is the leftovers from a full roasted piglet (as not to waste any part of it)
- The piglet is roasted and has a crisply, slightly salty outer skin
- Roasted pig is traditionally served in banquets, for special occasions like baby’s 30 or 100 day celebration, weddings, birthdays
- It is a common fare (mainly the stomach and meaty portions) in most Cantonese styled restaurants
How do I prepare it?
- No need to wash or blanch this meat
- Serve as is
- Cut into edible portions (for the head, I cut it into quarters)
Where can I buy this?
- Any Cantonese-styled restaurant will serve roasted pork
- Most restaurants will serve roasted piglet (on pre-order)
What is the cost?
- The price will vary depending on season (more expensive during Chinese New Year’s), size, location
- On average, it’s around $30 HKD per catty
Any benefits?
- The meat is very tasty and creates a wonderful aroma (even if boiled just by itself!)
- You don’t need to add additional salt to the soup as the roasted pork itself is already salty
- The head is a skinny portion of the pork, so fat is minimal
- The roasted pork head can be kept frozen for up to 3 months to be used for soups
Any precautions?
- Be sure to cut the bones clean through to avoid splinter and bones floating in the soup
- Avoid using the stomach or other common parts of roasted pork as those parts are more fatty and the fat will dissolve into the soup
