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Rou song - shredded dried pork


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I'd like to learn more about rou song. It's usually added to rice porridge for breakfast though I usually eat it straight out the jar. Are there are other uses for rou song?

Rou song can be easily found overseas in Chinese supermarkets, usually in two kinds: red label or blue label. The red label is drier and crispier, easier to chew and has an effervescent mouthfeel. The blue label, by nature of being not as dry, is chewier. Oddly enough, every time I go to my Chinese supermarket the brand of the rou song changes but the container and red and blue labels remain identical. Maybe the rou song industry is in a state of constant flux while a single container and packing company monopolizes the export market.

Is rou song favored in certain regions more than others? Are there non-pork versions?

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Is rou song favored in certain regions more than others? Are there non-pork versions?

The word "Rou Song" [Mandarin] literally just mean "fluffy meat". While "Rou" (meat) typically implies pork (from Chinese rural culture, oxes are raised as farmer helpers but pigs are raised to be food).

It can definitely be made with other types of meats. And just about anything goes... but the popular ones are just fish (swordfish I think) and pork. Tepee's link point to some other meat products, such as chicken and prawns. But I have not tasted any other than fish and pork.

Crocodile song, any one? :shock::laugh:

W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
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How long does this keep? I first tried the rou song (which I knew as "pork floss") in a kimbap made at a demo class, and I loved it. Then a couple of months ago I bought a container at the grocery store (red type); my boyfriend pushed it to the back of the cupboard and I forgot about it.

Maybe I should just buy a new container, it's not too expensive. I like to eat it plain and on rice, and of course in onigiri.

Jennie

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The fried rou song tends to go off quicker than the non-fried one. It's not meant to last a long time since it can go rancid - mom always warn me about that.

I'm not a good person to give an estimate on how long it will last since rou song doesn't stick around very long at home (between the husband, myself and the cat....) :biggrin:

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I'd like to learn more about rou song. It's usually added to rice porridge for breakfast though I usually eat it straight out the jar. Are there are other uses for rou song?

it's usually in fan tuan.

You can also put it in man tou, along with egg or meat or other stuff.

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like fan tuan it's used in a lot of savory pastries, baked goods as filling/toppings. i've also seen it used in fried rice a lot, i guess as a back up protein source. this may be just in my family though. i can't think of any other typical uses besides what's been mentioned here.

when i was a kid my mom and i used it in sushi rolls. my family also used it to make breakfast sandwiches in place of bacon or sometimes just slapped between two pieces of toast for a quick meal to eat in the car on the way to school. we also adapted them to be used in grilled cheese sandwiches.

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like fan tuan it's used in a lot of savory pastries, baked goods as filling/toppings. i've also seen it used in fried rice a lot, i guess as a back up protein source. this may be just in my family though. i can't think of any other typical uses besides what's been mentioned here.

when i was a kid my mom and i used it in sushi rolls. my family also used it to make breakfast sandwiches in place of bacon or sometimes just slapped between two pieces of toast for a quick meal to eat in the car on the way to school. we also adapted them to be used in grilled cheese sandwiches.

What great suggestions for roun song! I've always just used it in jook or out of hand. Thanks! :biggrin:

Dejah

www.hillmanweb.com

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The fried rou song tends to go off quicker than the non-fried one.

Is this the difference between the red label and blue label? I didn't realize the red label was fried, though it does seem greasier.

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Is this the difference between the red label and blue label? I didn't realize the red label was fried, though it does seem greasier.

The "red" label, as in most cultures, means "unsafe to eat" or "eat at your own risk"! :wink::laugh::laugh::laugh:

W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
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when i was a kid my mom and i used it in sushi rolls. my family also used it to make breakfast sandwiches in place of bacon or sometimes just slapped between two pieces of toast for a quick meal to eat in the car on the way to school. we also adapted them to be used in grilled cheese sandwiches.

My mom also used to make sandwiches, and always made sure to butter the bread so the meat doesn't all fall out. Of course, I'd always get comments from other kids that my sandwich looked gross...but so tasty.

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Is this the difference between the red label and blue label? I didn't realize the red label was fried, though it does seem greasier.

The "red" label, as in most cultures, means "unsafe to eat" or "eat at your own risk"! :wink::laugh::laugh::laugh:

:laugh::biggrin::raz::wink::smile:

I really can't tell you which is the red label and which is the blue one. When I buy it, I just take a look and compare the jars. I like the fried one and it's usually darker in color and looks "fuzzier".

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I bought a container of Formosa Brand red lable a long while ago and this thread reminded me it was in the freezer.

I just opened it and found it has kept very well in the freezer. Tastes a little sweet and a little porky. Never knew what to do with it until now. I thought it would be good as a meat source to add to fried rice while backpacking.

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when i was a kid my mom and i used it in sushi rolls. my family also used it to make breakfast sandwiches in place of bacon or sometimes just slapped between two pieces of toast for a quick meal to eat in the car on the way to school. we also adapted them to be used in grilled cheese sandwiches.

My mom also used to make sandwiches, and always made sure to butter the bread so the meat doesn't all fall out. Of course, I'd always get comments from other kids that my sandwich looked gross...but so tasty.

YES. you must butter the toast to keep the rou song in the sandwich. damn that's good stuff.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Regarding the red versus blue labels:

I just went shopping in my neighborhood Asian grocery store. Down the isle I did see 4 to 5 different brands of rou song all following the convention of "red label for fried rou song", "blue label for regular rou song". And the artwork designs (which are very simple) looked almost identical.

My theory is that this is a case of mimicing successful products. One of these brands, and I think it is probably the Taiwanese "Tung Yang", might have used red label for fried rou song and blue label for regular rou song way back when. Because its products are so successful, other manufacturers just mimiced it and created labels that looked almost identical. You can find example of this kind of marketing (which is perfectly legal) in Tobasco hot sauce (you see many of the competitive products all have similar bottle design and the color on the label), and soy sauce (some created labels that looked almost like the Pearl River Bridge brand).

I did some a few other almost unknown manufacturers packaging rou song in different labels.

Edited by hzrt8w (log)
W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
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