Cooking… 煮緊…
Cooking… 煮緊…
The king of Hong Kong siu mei: a goose seasoned inside with five-spice salt and chu hou sauce, scalded, glazed, air-dried and roasted to a lacquered mahogany skin over rich, juicy meat. Adapted honestly for a home oven.
Level 5 · Master大師
Restaurant or banquet level. Many sub-recipes, delicate skills, hard to get right first time.
0 of 22 ready
Shopping:8 supermarket·1 butcher / fishmonger·7 Chinese supermarket
Prep 1 h·Cook 1h 25m·Rest 24h 15m
If the goose is frozen, thaw it in the fridge for 2 days. Pull out the loose fat inside the cavity and around the neck opening, cut off the wing tips, rinse and pat completely dry.
3.2 kg Whole goose, with head and neck if possible
Mix the salt, sugar, five-spice, sand ginger and white pepper. Rub 3 tbsp of it all over the inside of the cavity.
20 g Salt25 g Sugar1 tsp Five-spice powder1 tsp Sand ginger powder½ tsp White pepper3.2 kg Whole goose, with head and neck if possible
Mix the chu hou paste, hoisin, sesame paste, rose wine, garlic and shallot with the rest of the five-spice salt and spread it inside the cavity. Add the ginger, star anise, tangerine peel and spring onion.
2 tbsp Chu hou paste1 tbsp Hoisin sauce1 tbsp Chinese sesame paste2 tbsp Rose wine (Mei Kuei Lu Chiew)6 cloves Garlic, minced3 pieces Shallots, minced4 slices Ginger, sliced2 pieces Star anise1 piece Dried tangerine peel, soaked2 stalks Spring onion3.2 kg Whole goose, with head and neck if possible
Mum's tip媽媽小貼士
All seasoning goes inside, never on the skin: the sauce steams the meat from within and becomes the gravy, while the skin stays clean so it can crisp.Sew the cavity tightly shut with a metal skewer or a trussing needle and kitchen string so no sauce can leak out.
3.2 kg Whole goose, with head and neck if possible
Mum's tip媽媽小貼士
Leaking sauce burns on the skin and the roast loses its built-in gravy. Restaurants inflate the skin with air at this stage; at home, gently loosen the breast skin from the meat with your fingers instead.Hang the goose by the neck (or hold it by a hook) over the sink. Ladle the boiling water all over the skin, front and back, until it tightens and turns slightly translucent.
3 l Boiling water, for scalding3.2 kg Whole goose, with head and neck if possible
Mum's tip媽媽小貼士
Scalding shrinks the skin tight over the meat and opens the pores so the skin water soaks in evenly. Wear gloves.Dissolve the maltose in the hot water, then stir in the white and red vinegar. Brush the skin water evenly over the whole goose.
2 tbsp Maltose120 ml Hot water, for the skin water120 ml White vinegar1 tbsp Chinese red vinegar3.2 kg Whole goose, with head and neck if possible
Mum's tip媽媽小貼士
Vinegar dries and tightens the skin so it crisps; maltose gives the mahogany colour and gloss.Hang the goose in a cool, airy place in front of a fan for 4–6 hours, or set it on a rack in the fridge uncovered for 24 hours. Brush with skin water once more after the first hour.
3.2 kg Whole goose, with head and neck if possible2 tbsp Maltose
Mum's tip媽媽小貼士
The skin is ready when it feels dry and papery all over, like parchment. Hang it below 15°C or use the fridge in warm weather.Take the goose out of the fridge 1 hour before roasting. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6). Put a tray with 3 cm of water on the bottom shelf.
3.2 kg Whole goose, with head and neck if possible
Mum's tip媽媽小貼士
The water catches dripping fat so it does not smoke, and keeps the meat moist.Hang the goose from the top shelf with roasting hooks, or lay it breast side down on a rack. Roast for 30 minutes.
3.2 kg Whole goose, with head and neck if possible
If lying flat, turn the goose breast side up. Lower the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, gas 4) and roast 30 minutes more, rotating the tray halfway.
3.2 kg Whole goose, with head and neck if possible
Raise the oven to 220°C (200°C fan, gas 7) for the last 10–15 minutes until the skin is deep mahogany and crisp. Cover any dark patches with foil.
3.2 kg Whole goose, with head and neck if possible
Mum's tip媽媽小貼士
The thickest part of the thigh should read 75°C. Goose breast is traditionally served just past pink, so do not chase a higher temperature.Rest the goose upright for 15 minutes. Then hold it over a bowl, pull out the skewer and pour out the juices from the cavity.
3.2 kg Whole goose, with head and neck if possible
Skim the fat off the juices and boil them for 2 minutes to make the gravy.
3.2 kg Whole goose, with head and neck if possible
Chop the goose with a heavy cleaver: remove the legs and wings, split the body down the backbone, then chop each half across into 2 cm pieces, skin side up.
3.2 kg Whole goose, with head and neck if possible
Mum's tip媽媽小貼士
Lay the pieces back on the plate in the shape of the half goose, the way siu mei shops do.Spoon a little warm gravy over the meat (not the skin) and serve with plum sauce.
3.2 kg Whole goose, with head and neck if possible6 tbsp Plum sauce
Ready? Let's cook it step by step!
Level 5 · Master大師
Restaurant or banquet level. Many sub-recipes, delicate skills, hard to get right first time.
A covered kettle barbecue or rotisserie over indirect heat at about 200°C, with a drip tray of water underneath, gives a smokier, more shop-like skin: about 1½–2 hours for a 3–4 kg goose. The thigh must reach 75°C.
Best eaten within a few hours of roasting. Leftovers keep 2 days in the fridge; reheat skin side up at 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6) for 8 minutes.
Oven · Roasting hooks / rack · Pot · Thermometer · Chinese cleaver