Rousong
Encyclopedia
Rousong also sometimes called meat wool, meat floss, pork floss, pork sung, is a dried meat product that has a light and fluffy texture similar to coarse cotton, originating from Fujian
. Rousong is used as a topping for many foods such as congee
, tofu
, and savory soy milk
. It is also used as filling for various buns and pastries, and as a snack food on its own. Rousong is a very popular food item in Chinese culture, as evidenced by its ubiquitous use in Chinese cuisine
.
in a sweetened soy sauce
mixture until individual muscle
fibres can be easily teased apart with a fork. This usually happens when the collagen
and elastin
that normally hold the fibres have been cooked out of the meat. The teased-apart meat is then strained and dried in the oven. After a light drying, the meat is mashed and beaten while being dry cooked in a large wok
until it is completely dry. Additional flavourings are usually added while the mixture is being dry fried. 5 kg (11 lb) of meat will usually yield about 1 kg (2.2 lb).
can also be made into floss (魚鬆; yú sōng) though initial stewing is not required due to the low collagen and elastin content of fish meat.
In Muslim majority Indonesia
, beef
floss is the most popular variant and meat floss are commonly called abon. Another variant is fish floss. Malaysian Muslim
s make and consume meat floss made from chicken or beef called serunding, which is a popular delicacy during Ramadan
and Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
Fujian cuisine
Fujian cuisine is one of the native Chinese cuisines derived from the native cooking style of the province of Fujian, China. Fujian style cuisine is known to be light but flavourful, soft, and tender, with particular emphasis on umami taste, known in Chinese cooking as "xiānwèi" , as well as...
. Rousong is used as a topping for many foods such as congee
Congee
Congee is a type of rice porridge popular in many Asian countries. It can be eaten alone or served with a side dish. Names for congee are as varied as the style of its preparation...
, tofu
Tofu
is a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. It is part of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and others. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu...
, and savory soy milk
Soy milk
Soy milk and sometimes referred to as soy drink/beverage is a beverage made from soybeans. A stable emulsion of oil, water, and protein, it is produced by soaking dry soybeans and grinding them with water...
. It is also used as filling for various buns and pastries, and as a snack food on its own. Rousong is a very popular food item in Chinese culture, as evidenced by its ubiquitous use in Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
.
Production
Rousong is made by stewing cuts of porkPork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
in a sweetened soy sauce
Soy sauce
Soy sauce is a condiment produced by fermenting soybeans with Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae molds, along with water and salt...
mixture until individual muscle
Muscle
Muscle is a contractile tissue of animals and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...
fibres can be easily teased apart with a fork. This usually happens when the collagen
Collagen
Collagen is a group of naturally occurring proteins found in animals, especially in the flesh and connective tissues of mammals. It is the main component of connective tissue, and is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content...
and elastin
Elastin
Elastin is a protein in connective tissue that is elastic and allows many tissues in the body to resume their shape after stretching or contracting. Elastin helps skin to return to its original position when it is poked or pinched. Elastin is also an important load-bearing tissue in the bodies of...
that normally hold the fibres have been cooked out of the meat. The teased-apart meat is then strained and dried in the oven. After a light drying, the meat is mashed and beaten while being dry cooked in a large wok
Wok
A wok is a versatile round-bottomed cooking vessel originating in China. It is used especially in East and Southeast Asia.Woks are most often used for stir frying, but can also be used in other Chinese cooking techniques, such as in steaming, deep frying, braising, stewing, smoking, or making soup...
until it is completely dry. Additional flavourings are usually added while the mixture is being dry fried. 5 kg (11 lb) of meat will usually yield about 1 kg (2.2 lb).
Pork-less versions
FishFish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
can also be made into floss (魚鬆; yú sōng) though initial stewing is not required due to the low collagen and elastin content of fish meat.
In Muslim majority Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
floss is the most popular variant and meat floss are commonly called abon. Another variant is fish floss. Malaysian Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s make and consume meat floss made from chicken or beef called serunding, which is a popular delicacy during Ramadan
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
and Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
Other versions
A very similar product is pork fu (肉脯; pinyin: ròu fǔ; POJ: bah-hú), which is less fried and less shredded than rousong, and has a more fibrous texture.Malaysia
- Loong Kee ("Long Gei")
- Wing Heong
- Kiew Brothers ("Wo lai Yeh")
- Chun Me Food Trading ("xin quan mei")
- Bee Cheng HiangBee Cheng HiangBee Cheng Hiang is a company that produces Asian-style foodstuffs, especially that of Singaporean cuisine. Started as a market stall in 1933 in Singapore, the company had expanded its operations to countries such as Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Korea, Philippines and China...
(Měi Zhēn Xiāng) - Muar Yuen Chen Siang
Singapore
- Bee Cheng HiangBee Cheng HiangBee Cheng Hiang is a company that produces Asian-style foodstuffs, especially that of Singaporean cuisine. Started as a market stall in 1933 in Singapore, the company had expanded its operations to countries such as Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Korea, Philippines and China...
(Měi Zhēn Xiāng) - Fragrance Foodstuff (香味 Xiāng Wèi)
- Lim Chee Guan (林志源;Lín Zhì Yuán)
- Tan Chee Yuan (Chén Zhì Yuán)
- New Peng Hiang (Xīn Pǐn Xiāng)