Lee mun kee char siu sauce
is a traditional is the sauce for Chinese meat dish consisting of pressed and
deeply caramelized pork belly. Lee mum means "old mother" in Chinese,
while the dish is also known as "charsiu". It's typically served with
white rice or steamed buns. Because of
its name, Lee mums consider it their best-selling product. Introduced to Hong
Kong in the 1970s by Lau family members, they began making char siu sauce and Lee Kum Kee Chilli Bean Sauce at their
Ave Maria Street market stall until they moved to Fisherman's Wharf Road in
1981.
Ingredients:
Pork
belly, garlic, ginger, star anise, salt and other spices. The ingredients are
mixed with minced pork and spices to make marinade for pork before it is
pressed and deep-fried.
Lee
mum has two types of preparation – "dry", where the meat is dried by
baking or smoking it in bamboo baskets; and "wet", where the pork is
steamed in its own juices after being pressed and then fried or baked. Both
types of Lee mum are made by the same people; however in wet version it is not
necessary to dry the meat first.
Conclusion
The
Lee family had been making char siu since they moved to Hong Kong in 1971. The
family struggled at first due to being unable to find adequate stalls with good
business prospects. In the 1970s, a stall specializing in char siu became
available on Fisherman's Wharf Road. The family decided to take this
opportunity and started a business selling char siu.
