Siew Yuk

I must admit I was never really a fan of Siew Yuk, especially of the hawker stall/coffee shop variety. I always found the meat to be overly salty and the skin tough and often burnt in some areas, probably contributing to the distinct rusty burnt aftertaste that really turned me off the dish. I only really started appreciating the merits of lovingly crackled pork belly skin and melt in your mouth fat when I tried the siew yuk at a Crystal Jade outlet 3 years ago. Crystal Jade’s siew yuk is really a force to be reckoned with. Served with crunchy peanuts and a smear of dijon mustard on the side, I momentarily forget the extent to which I am further lining my arteries when we indulge in the dish, often as a mid afternoon snack.

Needless to say, I have never wrinkled my nose at siew yuk eversince.

As a tribute to the many pigs/piglets that have perished, not in vain, I have begun giving siew yuk an identity. Something I realise I do quite frequently, much like the naming of Oscar the Korean octopus, who died a searing hot tragic death (another story for another day)… RIP Oscar.

Ah Siew Yuk men, little army of fat and crackle

How I love thee!

October 9, 2008. Oddities.