Cantonese Roast Duck (Siu Aap)
📍 Guangdong, China 🇨🇳 & Hong Kong 🇭🇰
Cantonese roast duck (Siu Aap) is one of the crowning achievements of Southern Chinese BBQ traditions (siu mei). Renowned for its glistening, golden-brown skin and deeply aromatic meat, this roasted specialty is a ubiquitous sight hanging in the display windows of roast meat shops across Guangdong and Hong Kong.
Unlike its famous northern cousin, Peking duck, which originated in Beijing, Cantonese roast duck places equal emphasis on the richness of the meat as it does on the crispy skin. Before roasting, the Cantonese duck is filled with a rich, liquid spice mixture featuring five-spice powder, star anise, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and rice wine. As it roasts, the meat absorbs these savory juices from the inside out. Peking duck, by contrast, is left unmarinated inside, relying on air pumped beneath the skin and a maltose syrup coating to achieve its signature, paper-thin, extra-crispy exterior.
Video: @chuanjiangliu3